Art Walk Premieres in Historic Downtown Fort Myers River District

Fort Myers, FL, September 06, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Eleven Area Art Galleries and Venues Unite to Create Monthly Art Event.

Eleven historic River District art galleries and venues have united to form Art Walk, a free downtown art celebration, on the first Friday of each month beginning on October 3, 2008, from 6 pm until 10 pm.

Participating groups in the year-round event will include Art of the Olympians, Art League of Fort Myers, Arts for ACT Gallery and Boutique, Community Art Showcase in the Harborside Event Center, daas Gallery, Southwest Florida Museum of History, Howl Gallery, La Casa Del Arte Gallery, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Space 39 Gallery, and Union Street Artist Company. Along with the art galleries, restaurants and other businesses will support the monthly trek. Opening receptions will be held at many of the galleries, along with refreshments and music. Friday Night Live, the popular weekly concert series in the Patio de Leon, will provide a musical interlude between 5 pm and 8 pm as art patrons wander from one art stop to the next.

“Art Walk was formed by the downtown galleries to further generate public interest and solidify downtown Fort Myers as a destination for the arts,” stated Greg Knezevich, La Casa Del Arte gallery owner and organizer of Art Walk. “Raising greater awareness of the arts—both locally and outside the city—this event is of interest to all age groups and is family friendly,” he added.

Although some of the stops like Art of the Olympians (open late 2009), Community Art Showcase in the Harborside Event Center (future venue), and the Howl Gallery (coming fall 2008) will be part of subsequent Art Walks, the inaugural event on October 3 will feature several show openings, including the following:
• Art League of Fort Myers’ show Cele-BRA-tion, a judged exhibit to raise
breast cancer awareness;
• Arts for ACT Gallery and Boutique’s opening reception for the Ken Hoffman, Peter Gaztambide, and Caroline Krieger Comings exhibit;
• the daas Gallery Grand Opening Party;
• Southwest Florida Museum of History’s Clyde Butcher Exhibit, with discounted museum/exhibit tickets offered at $5.00 per person during Art Walk;
• La Casa Del Arte, holding the Premier Party for Art Walk;
• Space 39, with the Pre-Opening Dark Art Show # 2, a precursor to the Dark Art Show’s Opening Reception on October 4; and
• Union Street Artist Company will exhibit, “From our Roots to the Future” show.

A free trolley service, with stops planned near the art venues, and free parking at the Southwest Florida Museum of History and Harborside Event Center will be available for Art Walk patrons. A map of Art Walk, transportation, and parking will be distributed by participating galleries. For more information on Art Walk, participating galleries and links to gallery websites, visit www.fortmyersartwalk.com.

Art of the Olympians, open late 2009, will be located at 1300 Hendry Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901. Art League of Fort Myers, at 1451 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901, is open during the week Monday through Friday, 11 am to 3:00 pm. Arts for ACT Gallery and Boutique, located at 2265 First Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901, has weekly business hours of Monday through Friday, 11 am to 4:30 pm, with the first Friday of every month open 11 am to 10 pm; call for Saturday hours. Future venue, the Community Art Showcase, will be located inside the Harborside Event Center, 1375 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901. The daas Gallery, at 1542 Broadway Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, reopening most Friday evenings from 6 pm to 9 pm, and Sundays by appointment. The Southwest Florida Museum of History, at 2300 Peck Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901, has regular business hours Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, open the first Friday of every month until 10 pm. Coming in Fall 2008, the Howl Gallery will be on Hendry Street in the downtown Fort Myers River District. La Casa Del Arte, at 1803 Hough Street, Fort Myers, Florida, has normal hours of operation Monday to Friday, 11 am to 6 pm, with the first Friday of every month 11 am to 10 pm and Saturday by appointment. The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901. Space 39, the art gallery at 39 Patio de Leon, Fort Myers, Florida 33901, is open Tuesday through Friday 11 am to 3 pm, with additional Friday and Saturday evening hours from 6 pm to 10 pm. For more details on the Art Walk event, call (239) 313-5607. The Union Street Artist Company is situated in an historic building at 2363 Union Street, Fort Myers, Florida 33901, and will be open during Art Walk and by appointment only.

Media Contacts:
Greg Knezevich, Fort Myers Art Walk, mail@thearthousefortmyers.com or (239) 313-5607
Natalie S. Dunham, Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency, ndunham@cityftmyers.com, (239) 321-7099

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