December 2023-January 2024

F RE E

DECEMBER2023-J ANUARY2024

SOUTHWESTFLORI DA

2024So ut hwes tFl or i da

ARTGALLERY GUI DE Fl ori daArtMuseums Previ ew s c ul pt o r

Bret tHarvey pho t o gr a phe r s

Cl yde&Ni ki But cher

f t myer s magazi ne. com

DECEMBER 2023–JANUARY 2024 V olume 22

2023

N umber 5

News & Previews – on the gulf...................................6 2024 Florida Art Museums Preview....................... 19 Brett Harvey...........................................................24 BIG ARTS...............................................................30 Clyde & Niki Butcher...............................................36 music – Best Albums of 2023....................................45 GUIDE – SWFL Art Galleries...................................48 Calendar – what goes on...........................................58 Chazz Palminteri is appearing at Artis—Naples on January 5.

ON THE COVER: Hurricane, by Brett Harvey © Copyright December 2023 by Ft.Myers magazine.

All rights reserved. Ft.Myers magazine is published five times annually by And Pat llc.

ftmyersmagazine@icloud.com

516-652-6072

Andrew Elias : Director-Designer Pat Simms-Elias : Editor Contributors : Jason MacNeil, Gary Mooney, Kara Moyer, Paula Wagoner, Caylee Weintraub

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On The Gulf

Squeeze Me, and Tourist Season.

He speaks on February 29 about corruption and scandal and how to turn them into humor and fiction.

Proceeds will benefit the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island.

Both events, at The Sanibel Community House, begin at 10am. The Community House is located at 2173 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel. Call 472-2155 for information.

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King of the High Wire, Nik Wallenda stars in his production of ‘A Brave New Wonderland,’ with shows thru December 31 in Circus Arts Conservatory’s big top in Sarasota.

Nik Wallenda’s Holiday Wonderland International superstar and hometown hero, Nik Wallenda

NEWS & PREVIEWS

is collaborating with the Circus Arts Conservatory to present the holiday spectacle, ‘A Brave New Wonderland.’ The holidaythemed show features circus acts, aerial performances, and storytelling. From the dazzling lights of Hanukkah, to the joyous music of Christmas, to the reflective moments of Kwanzaa, each holiday is celebrated.

Some of the acts audiences will see include: The Bone Breakers (acrobatic contortion); Ermiyas Muluken (freestanding ladder); Emma Clarke (aerial pole); Lianna Ashton (hula hoops); Tatiana & Veranica Tchalabaeva (dog act); Johnny Rockett (comedy); Daniel C. Minor (character actor); and Gena Cristiani and Josuber “Junior” Neves (juggling).

Closing the show will be the thrilling high wire act, starring Nik Wallenda, Erendira Wallenda, Blake Wallenda, Alec Bryant and Daniela Prieto.

Through breathtaking performances by artists from diverse backgrounds, captivating narratives, and the shared spirit of Wallenda’s personal tagline, ‘Never Give Up!’, ‘Brave New Wonderland’ seeks to plant a seed of unity in the hearts of its audience. It’s a show where the magic of the season is not just about traditions and celebrations but also about embracing our differences and finding strength in diversity.

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A Brave New Wonderland’ will be performed in Circus Arts Conservatory’ Big Top, located in Nathan Benderson Park, behind the Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota. Showtimes vary, with matinees and evening performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For information, call 941-355-9805.

‘Ding’ Darling Refuge Offers Authors’ Lectures The ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge

presents bestselling authors Barbara Kingsolver and Carl Hiaasen in their Distinguished Authors series.

Kingsolver, a novelist and biologist known for her conservation-minded Prodigal Summer and classic Poisonwood Bible, will speak on January 11. She will speak along with her daughter Lily Kingsolver, who has collaborated with her mother on the recently released illustrated children’s book Coyote’s Wild Home.

Hiaasen, a former Miami Herald columnist, uses Florida’s political system as fodder for bestselling crime novels like

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The free ‘Ding” Darling Lecture Series,’ returns to the refuge for the first time since 2020.

The series begins with a lecture that also kicks off 2024 Wellness in Nature at “Ding” on January 18. Dr. Sabine Grunwald, a professor in the Soil, Water, & Ecosystem Sciences Department at the University of Florida in Gainesville, speaks on the topic ‘Unplug to Re-Connect: How Less Time on Screens Makes You a Happier Person.’

Other lectures include: January 25: Author and artist Richard Crossely (The Power of Birding) February 1: Author James Currie (When Eagles Roar: The Amazing Journey of an African Wildlife Adventurer) March 7: Author and environmentalist Diane Wilson (One Woman’s Fight to Save Our Waters from Microplastic Pollution) March 14: Author and Sanibel islander Charles Sobczak (Surviving the Storms – Hurricanes, Humans, and Wildlife) March 21: Author ecycling expert Stephanie Kissinger

Best-selling author, Carl Hiaasen, speaks February 29 at The Community House on Sanibel.

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On The Gu l f

NEWS & PREVIEWS

(Talking Trash: Post-Hurricane Clean-Up and Recycling) Lectures take place in the Refuge’s Visitor & Education Center house daily at 10am & 1pm. Seating for the free lectures is limited on a firstcome basis. Book signings will follow each lecture.

The J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located at 1 Wildlife Dr. on Sanibel. Call 472-2155 for information.

JJ Grey & Mofro at Alliance for the Arts Fundraiser Arts on Tap, the Alliance for the Arts’ annual fundraiser features a

live outdoor concert on December 1 by Florida native JJ Grey & Mofro, an American Southern soul-rock band from Jacksonville.

The event also includes local craft beer, breweries and food trucks.

Proceeds from Arts on Tap fund the Alliance’s programs, which ensure access to the arts for Lee County throughout the year.

A limited number of VIP tickets are available at $150. VIP includes reserved seating for the outdoor concert, indoor restrooms, unlimited local craft beer tasting, cash bar, food. General Admission guests are asked to bring their own chairs.

The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd., just south of Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers. For information, call 939-2787.

JJ Grey & Mofro perform December 1 at an outdoor concert at the Alliance for the Arts

of any kind, illegal drugs, water bottles, coolers, roller blades, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, umbrellas, tents, and glass, metal, or plastic beverage/food containers The proceeds from the Bradenton Blues Festival support Realize Bradenton’s youth, art, and music programs that are free to the community, including our Blues in the Schools program.

Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion at Rossi Park is located at 452 3rd Ave. W. in Bradenton, overlooking the Manatee River. Call 941-3018445 for information.

‘America’s Everglades: Through the Lens of Clyde Butcher,’ is on display at Arts Bonita’s Visual Arts Center and Performing Arts Center, thru December 29.

Clyde Butcher Photography at Art Bonita Arts Bonita is hosting the exhibition, ‘America’s Everglades:

schedule

Through the Lens of Clyde Butcher,’ featuring the iconic work of renowned photographer Clyde Butcher,’ thru December 29. This exhibition will be on display at Arts Bonita’s Visual Arts Center and Performing Arts Center.

The exhibition will also feature a special partnership with Captains for Clean Water, a local non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Florida’s precious water resources.

Clyde Butcher is widely recognized for his extraordinary photography, but he is also a respected conservationist.

Arts Bonita’s Visual Arts Center is located at 26100 Old 41 Rd. and Performing Arts Center is located at 10150 Bonita Beach Rd. in Bonita Springs. The Performing Arts Center is open Mon-Sat 9am5pm. The Visual Arts Center is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm & Sat 9am-2pm.

Friday, DECEMBER 1 5pm: GeminiDRAGON 6:30: Eliza Neals 7:30: JP Soars Gypsy Blues Revue with Anne Harris Saturday, DECEMBER 2 10am: The Shaelyn Band 11:30pm: Memphis Lightning 12:30pm: John Primer & the Real Deal Blues Band 2pm: Lurrie Bell 3:30pm: James Cotton Tribute with Mark Hummel & James Cotton Band 5pm: Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Blankets and lawn chairs are recommended.

The following are not permitted: outside food and drink, alcohol, flasks, weapons

Blues Festival on Bradenton Riverwalk The Bradenton Blues Festival weekend returns to the Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion at Rossi Park on Friday, December1 and Saturday, December. 2.

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Performing Artists Wanted for FringeFest A pplications are open through December 8 for artists interested

in performing at the Alliance for the Arts Fringe Fest 2024, May 30-June 2. A lottery drawing will be held on December 8, both in person and online.

The performing arts festival, Fringe Fort Myers strives to have something for everyone, from one-person shows, to dance and music, magic, stand-up comedy and much more. Most shows are 60 minutes in length, while some are shorter.

Fringe Fort Myers will maintain the long-standing traditions of being 100%

Anne Harris joins the JP Soars Gypsy Blues Revue, December 1 at the Bradenton Blues Festival.

On The Gu l f uncensored, 100% unjuried, and 100% inclusive, with 100% of ticket sales going directly to the artists.

Fringe Fort Myers 2024 will kick off the evening of May 30 with Teaser Show, where each performance group gets two minutes to sell audiences on their show. Over the next three days, each performer is guaranteed three time slots as well as a review by Broadway World Fort Myers.

After the final curtain, Fringe Fort Myers 2024 will host the Fringe awards ceremony celebrating the artists that make Fringe an incredible experience for audiences.

The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers. For information, call 939-2787.

Rockabillaque Festival Returns to Immokalee Rockabillaque Florida, celebrating mid-century and 1950s

Americana, returns to the Seminole Casino Hotel in Immokalee the weekend of January 19-21. The free festival features a full day and night of music, classic cars and motorcycles, contests, a vendors’ market, and food trucks on Saturday, January 20.

The free festival, the biggest of its kind in Florida, will include over 20 bands from all over the country, more than 400 vehicles, pool party, and pin-up, tattoo, beard and moustache competitions.

Bands performing free concerts include JD McPherson, including Big Sandy & His FlyRite Boys, Deke Dickerson & The Whippersnappers, Hillbilly Moon Explosion, Peter & The Wolves, The Rock-A-Sonics, Messer Chups. Reckless Ones, Abby Girl & The Real Deal, The McCharmlys, The Centuries, Patina Turners, The Intoxicators!, Jared Petteys & The Headliners, and Skinny McGee & the Handshakes.

Classic cars and vintage bikes will be on display from 11am-5pm.

A Friday night kick-off party on January 19 at the Zig Zag Lounge features live music and the Atomic Splash Pool Party. Sunday,

NEWS & PREVIEWS

Deke Dickerson & The Whippersnappers perform January 20 at Rockabillique Florida at the Seminole Casino Hotel in Immokalee.

January 21 features a vintage swimsuit competition, live music, and a car and bike show.

All concerts are free.

Attendees are welcome to bring chairs and all ages are welcome.

A large selection of food trucks and merchants will be at the event. Coolers, backpacks and pets will not be permitted during this event.

Hat Trick, Briz & Lady, Brian Markley, Jeff Lyons and others throughout the weekend. Local food truck favorites Wicked Streatery, King’s Tacos & Burritos, and Don’t Give Up will be on site.

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, as seats tend to fill up quickly.

Fort Myers Brewing Company is located at 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr., suite 28, in Fort Myers.

For information, 313-6576.

schedule

Friday, JANUARY 19 Kick-Off Party 6-11pm: live music in Zig Zag Lounge Saturday, JANUARY20 Main Festival 11am-5pm: Car & Bike Show 11am-10pm: Vendor Market 11am-10pm: live music & contests on outdoor stage 12pm-1am: live music in Zig Zag Lounge Sunday, JANUARY 21 Atomic Splash Pool Party 12-3pm: live music & contests The Seminole Casino Hotel is located at 506 S. 1st St. in Immokalee. Call 800-218-0007 for information.

Niki Butcher Photographs at ‘Ding’ Darling Refuge T he J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island will host Niki Butcher’s ‘Daydreaming’ exhibition

Fort Myers Brewing Hosts Winterfest F ort Myers Brewing Company’s annual Winterfest will be

celebrated December 14-17, featuring four days of beer releases, food trucks, live music, a holiday night market featuring local handcrafted items, and a festive Movie in the Parking Lot screening of The Grinch.

There will also be free photo opportunities with Santa and the Grinch for patrons and their pets.

There will be live music from

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in the Visitor & Education Center Auditorium, December 21-February 25.

Butcher specializes in hand-painted black & white photography celebrating nature’s beauty. Spouse of world-renowned wildlife photographer Clyde Butcher, Niki Butcher has made a name for herself capturing the splendor and authenticity of special places and people.

Inspired by the hand-painted postcards of the 1930s, Butcher first started painting her black & white photographs in the 1980s. Using her own photos, oil paints, Q-tips, and cotton balls, she turned landscapes into dreamscapes and reality into fantasy. Today, she uses a similar technique to paint digitally. She takes photographs with a digital camera and then paints her images using Photoshop.

“This is Niki’s first traveling exhibit, and we are the second showing of it,” said Ann-Marie Wildman, executive director of the ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Society, which supports refuge exhibitions.

The exhibition will feature about 50 of Butcher’s original photographs and prints. Prints are available for sale through the Refuge Nature Store, whose profits benefit education and conservation at the refuge.

The Visitor & Education Center at the J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge, located at 1 Wildlife Dr. on Sanibel, is Sat-Thu 9am-4pm. Admission is free. For information, call 472-2155.

An exhibition of Niki Butcher’s photographs will be on display at ‘Ding’ Darling Refuge’s Visitor Center thru February 25.

On The Gu l f

NEWS & PREVIEWS

Clyde Butcher Photographs at Selby Gardens’ Spanish Point Campus M arie Selby Botanical Gardens hosts the exhibition, ‘Clyde

Butcher: Nature Through the Lens’ thru August 31 at their Historic Spanish Point campus.

Large-scale prints on aluminum of Butcher’s beautiful photographs of plants, animals, and habitats of Florida will be exhibited amid the natural landscape of the 30-acre waterfront preserve, enabling the public to engage with the artist’s work like never before.

Jennifer Rominiecki, president of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, says, “Clyde’s ability to evoke awareness, appreciation, and activism for Florida treasures and awaken viewers to preserve our natural places for future generations is extraordinary.

We are honored to partner with Clyde for this unique photographic exhibition of Florida’s natural beauty throughout Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus.”

In the tradition of earlier landscape photographers like Ansel Adams, Butcher captures the beauty and majesty of America’s natural treasures in dramatic black & white.

The exhibition, ‘Clyde Butcher: Nature Through the Lens,’ is on view thru August 31 at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point Campus in Osprey.

have booths around the Banyan tree from 4-9pm on December 4, 11 & 18.

Edison & Ford Winter Estates, located at 2350 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers, is open daily (except Thanksgiving and Christmas) from 9am5:30pm and until 9pm during December for Holiday Nights. For information, call 334-7419.

The Edison & Ford Winter Estates’ Holiday Nights will feature additional lights with new technology.

The unique environments of Florida have been subjects of particular interest to Butcher since the 1980s, when he was first introduced to the magic and mystery of sites such as Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. Nature Through the Lens will include Butcher’s photographs of regional locales such as Myakka River State Park and Casey Key. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus, located at 401 N. Tamiami Trail in Osprey, is open daily 10am-5pm.

For information, call 941-366-5731.

night). Guided Holiday Tradition Tours will be offered nightly at 6 & 7pm or visitors can choose to meander at their own pace on a self-guided tour. Inside-theHomes tours will be offered on December 6, 13 & 20 at 6:30pm. for a special up-close look at the homes’ decorated interiors.

Additional lights with new technology are being installed this year. Throughout the property, many of the displays will have more lights than ever before. The palms will have animated ‘magic lights’ that will change colors, and for the first time, the historic pond near the river pavilion will be lighted and there will be lights on the waterfall that are animated and choreographed to music.

Holiday Nights includes the Children’s Tree Trail, which features 50 trees decorated with handmade ornaments from Lee County school children. On Sunday evenings from 6-8pm, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting. On December 3 & 10, children can get their face painted, and on December 16 & 23, there will be a teddy bear booth, where children can make a bear.

There will be music on several nights, including strolling carolers, a pianist, and tenor saxophone and trumpet players.

In addition, the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers will perform on December 13. An antique circus car (a Calliope) with a built-in pipe organ will be played at 6pm on December 12.

Guests can shop for gift items during Market Mondays, when craft and holiday vendors will

Edison & Ford Winter Estates Showcase New Lights for Holiday Nights The Edison & Ford Winter Estates’ 48th annual Holiday

Nights celebration will run nightly through December 31 (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas

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‘Ding’ Darling Hosts Annual Photo Contest for High School Students The deadline for submissions to the 11th annual ‘Ding’ Darling–

Theodore Cross High School Photography Contest is January 15. High school students in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry counties are invited to compete for prizes that include a Canon digital SLR camera package, a one-year subscription to Adobe photography software, and an annual pass to the J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel.

Digital image entries can be shot from any outdoor venue in the state of Florida. A writing component to the contest requires entrants to submit a 100word description of the ‘moment’ captured and how it reflects what nature and wildlife mean to the photographer.

Only digital images are accepted and may be taken with any camera, including smartphones.

The photograph must be taken of nature and/or wildlife in the open outdoors in the state of Florida, which may include parks, refuges, backyards, and other open spaces.

Panoramic photos are not allowed.

Filters, cropping, enhancements, and borders are permitted. However, adding any elements not existing in the original scene will not be allowed.

Up to two photographs can be submitted by each photographer.

Images will be judged for technical excellence and creativity, as well as the written explanation.

For information, call the ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Society at 292-0566.

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ART

FLORIDA State of

2024 ART MUSEUMS PREVIEW Walasse Ting: Parrot Jungle thru March 12

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale 1 E. Las Olas Blvd. • Fort Lauderdale 954-525-5500

nsuartmuseum.org

Tue-Sat 11am-5pm & Sun 12-5pm (1st Thu 11am-7pm - free) The first American museum exhibition recognizing the extraordinary world of Chinese-American artist, Walasse Ting. One of the most radical and independent figures of his time, Ting’s work bridged ancient Chinese aesthetics and the European avant-garde with American pop art multiverse. The exhibition provides viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in Ting’s neon-soaked visions of women, flora, fauna, and an endless menagerie of cats, parrots and hibiscus.

Rockwell/ Wyeth: Icons of Americana January 27-May 26

Polk Museum of Art

Florida Southern College 800 E. Palmetto St. Lakeland 863-688-7743

polkmuseumofart.org Tue-Sat 10am-4pm • Sun 1-5pm Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth were two of the biggest names in American art of the 20th century. This exhibition features nearly 40 original paintings by the two artists, singular and beloved American icons who created their most familiar images full-size in paint before the scenes were scaled for print publication. In addition to the paintings, this exhibition will feature the full, spectacular array of Saturday Evening Post covers to which the artists contributed.

Fascinating Clutter: American Taste During the Reign of Victoria March 7 ongoing

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art 445 N. Park Ave. • Winter Park 407-645-5311

morsemuseum.org

Tue-Sat 9:30am-4pm & Sunday 1-4pm This exhibition of over 100 objects from the Museum’s collection explores the rich aesthetic landscape of 19th century Victorian America and offers visitors a chance to be immersed in the influences that emerged in the United States during such a monumental era. Far from the stilted and chaste stereotypes, the Victorian era featured a wide range of styles that emerged from a dynamic environment, one in which modes of personal and artistic expression were transformed on both sides of the Atlantic.

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George Gershwin and Modern Art: A Rhapsody in Blue February 10-June 16 Artis—Naples

The Baker Museum 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. • Naples 239-597-1900

artisnaples.org

Mon-Fri 10am-5pm & Sat 10am-4pm George Gershwin is widely known and beloved for his work as a composer, songwriter and pianist, but his passion and talents extended to the visual arts as well. Gershwin produced numerous paintings, drawings and photographs, and his collection of modern art was one of the most significant of his day. This is the first major museum exhibition devoted to the composer’s paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photographs, as well as works inspired by Gershwin and his music.

Transformations: Spirituality, Ritual, and Society January 20-May 12

Rollins Museum of Art 1000 Holt Ave • Winter Park 407-646-2536

www.rollins.edu/rma

Tue 10am-7pm, Wed-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun 12-5pm Drawn from the museum’s collection of the Rollins Museum of Art, the exhibition features works dating from the 14th-21st centuries and includes historical art from Europe, America, and Asia, as well as global contemporary artists. Nine works in this exhibition are recent acquisitions which will be shown publicly for the very first time. Organized in thematic sections, the exhibition includes painting, sculpture, and photography.

Karen Glaser: Swamps and Springs February 10-July 7

Appleton Museum of Art College of Central Florida 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd. • Ocala 352-291-4455

appletonmuseum.org

Tue-Sat 10am-5pm & Sun 12-5pm Trekking waters from the magnificent Everglades through the pristine rivers and springs of north central Florida, Karen Glaser uses her camera to capture the beauty found within Florida’s natural ecosystems. In a world where untouched landscapes are rare, the exhibition of more than 30 largescale photographs focuses on what lies beneath the glassy surfaces, and what is reflected upon them.

Judy Pfaff: Picking up the Pieces thru March 24

Sarasota Art Museum

Ringling College of Art & Design 1001 South Tamiami Trail • Sarasota 941-309-4300 sarasotaartmuseum.org Mon-Sat 10am-5pm & Sun 11am-5pm Judy Pfaff, regarded as a pioneer of installation art, has created work that spans disciplines from painting to printmaking and sculpture to installation. She ingeniously transmutes and transforms materials, including natural objects from her garden, hand-painted and digitally manipulated images, welded steel, aluminum, wood, expanded foam, melted plastic, blown glass, neon, and LED lights. Pfaff’s largest installation since 2017, it is her response to the Florida environment, and the devastation of Hurricane Ian. DECEM B ER 2023 – JA NUAR Y 2024

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M U S E U M S

P R E V I E W

Carlton Ward Jr.: Path of the Panther thru March

Florida Museum of Photographic Arts 1630 E. 7th Ave. Ybor • Tampa 813-221-2222

fmopa.org

Tues-Sat 11am-7pm & Sun 12-5pm Showcasing a collection of photographs by National Geographic explorer and photographer Carlton Ward Jr., this exhibition celebrates Florida’s wild heart through the story of our state animal: the Florida panther. The photographs in the exhibit, featured in the new National Geographic film and book, Path of the Panther , provide an unprecedented portrait of the panther amidst Florida’s wildest landscapes.

On the Road: The Traveling Circus and Carnival in the 1970s April 6-August 25 The John & Mabel

Ringling Museum of Art

Sasha Gordon thru April 28

Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami 61 NE 41st St • Miami 305-901-5272

State Art Museum of Florida Florida State University 5401 Bay Shore Rd. • Sarasota 941-359-5700 ringling.org daily 10am-5pm (Thu 10am-8pm) The exhibition features images by two photographers, Jill Freedman and Randal Levenson, who entered the world of traveling entertainers, sideshows, and carnivals in the 1970s, imbedded themselves in these subcultures and captured what life was like for them on the road and behind the scenes.

Visitors will be able to appreciate the distinct sensibilities each of these photographers brought to their self-driven projects and catch a glimpse of what life was like on the road with the circus and carnival.

icamiami.org

Wed-Sun 11am-6pm The first solo museum presentation for rising artist Sasha Gordon debuts a suite of new paintings and recent work. The exhibition demonstrates the ongoing evolution of Gordon’s signature, surrealistic practice, which explores the complexities of bodily experience in hyperrealistic detail. In her most recent works, Gordon depicts herself in a condition of becoming, transforming into animal, botanical, and geological phenomena.

Jamea Richmond-Edwards: Ancient Future thru March 17

The Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami Joan Lehman Building 770 NE 125th St. • North Miami 305-893-6211

mocanomi.org

Wed 12-7pm & Thu-Sun 10am-5pm Richmond-Edwards’ largest solo exhibition to date and spanning large-scale assemblages and immersive new installations, the exhibition will explore the realms of Afro-futurism and mythologies through the lens of the rising artist’s bespoke visual idiom. The exhibition includes a selection of never-before-seen artworks in dialogue with the artist’s signature oeuvre.

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The Divine Feminine: Contemporary Women Sculptors thru May 1

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens 253 Barcelona Rd. • West Palm Beach 561-832-5328

ansg.org

Wed-Sun 10am-4pm The exhibition explores and celebrats the profound contributions of women sculptors while illuminating the divine feminine energy that permeates their work. By showcasing diverse artistic perspectives and engaging with spiritual and mythological themes, the exhibition aims to inspire, empower, and provoke contemplation among viewers. Featured artists include Rachel Hovanian, Arlene Shechet, Kiki Smith, Judy Chicago, Ruth Duckworth and Niki de Saint Phalle.

Reckonings and Reconstructions: Southern Photography from the Do Good Fund February 16-May 19

Lowe Art Museum University of Miami 1301 Stanford Drive • Coral Gables 305-284-3535

lowe.miami.edu

Wed-Sat 10am-4pm This large-scale survey of the Do Good’s remarkable collection of photography charts a visual narrative of the ever-changing American South. Featuring works by Guggenheim Fellows, five Magnum photographers, and two Henri Cartier-Bresson Award winners, this show also includes images by lesser-known or emerging photographers from the region.

Masterpieces: Extraordinary Works from the Two Red Roses Foundation

Nam June Paik: The Miami Years

January 19 ongoing

thru August 16

Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement

The Bass Museum of Art 2100 Collins Avenue • Miami Beach 305-673-7530

355 4th St. N. • St. Petersburg 727-440-4859

thebass.org

museumaacm.org

Wed-Sun 12-6pm & third Thu 12-9pm An exhibition featuring works by the Korean American visual artist that explore his connection to Miami Beach and the surrounding South Florida community. Paik, a pioneer in the development of electronic moving images and digitized compositions as a form of art, demonstrated enormous prescience for the influence and proliferation of digital media as an artistic medium, the global expansion of social networks, and the growing enmeshment between modern life and technology.

Tue-Sat 10am-4pm & Sun 12-4pm The exhibition represents the height of the Arts & Crafts movement with a selection of the best and rarest objects from the era. Featuring masterworks from Greene & Greene, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gustav Stickley, Charles Rohlfs, Dard Hunter, John Bradstreet, Newcomb College and more, it highlights the artistic design, craftsmanship, and beauty of the American Arts & Crafts movement.

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Wielding the Light a conversation with

T

sculptor Brett Harvey

he studio workshop shelves of Brett Harvey are packed with chisels, hammers, and other sculptor tools and materials. The back of the workshop is closed by a gray metal bay garage door. Beside a wooden workbench in the center of the workshop is a sculpture of a woman with a muscular build made of a white concrete mix. The light centers the viewer toward the cylindrical curvatures of the breasts, highlighting volume and subtleness. Near this feminine piece is a maquette [small mock-up of fully realized sculpture], created before the completed version, Tempo Temple Template, now installed at Method & Concept in Naples. The model has all the defining qualities of Harvey’s work that utilizes light and darkness juxtaposed in a deliberate dance along the sculpted clay, as two muscular bodies push and pull on each other on some celestial plane.

Harvey’s dynamic sculptures are designed to be amplified by the light, allowing the light to drape, pierce, illuminate, or reflect across his work. Conversely, the shadows that reach around to where light cannot, mold form together as naturally as the human body was intended:

three-dimensional, geometric, smooth but not flat, light, and dark, all formed in magical euphony.

I spoke to Brett Harvey to learn more about his medium, models, and theories, beginning with his education in New York City, where he and his wife, also an artist of the human form, Laura Redding, studied how to best capture light in drawing and sculpture.

• • • BRETT HARVEY: We had to seek out this school in New York that taught us these concepts that we felt we should have learned in an undergraduate program. In introductory drawing classes, we would draw sphears and eggs and cones and cubes, and we would draw those geometric forms. But it needed to be conveyed how directly those ideas about how light falls over those geometric forms are directly applicable to how to understand the form of the human body.

You can simplify a rib cage into the same geometric form as an egg. When you see eggs in still life, that references these sorts of idealized ideas about geometry. And that was something that when I finally figured this stuff out in graduate school, I was really angry that I had missed

by Paula Wagoner

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that connection between these geometric forms and the human figure.

If you work from your imagination and design a human figure, you start with a figure constructed out of these geometric forms, like rectangles and spheres.

Paula Wagoner: And how light saturates.

If you know that the rib cage is essentially an egg shape that’s flattened, and you know that your light source is over here, then you have an idea of how the shadow structure will fall across that rib cage. And you can draw one from your imagination.

When you sculpt, though, you’re aware that light is going to be all different. So that’s what you’re thinking about when you’re sculpting because you’re imagining where light is going to be on every side.

Well, the thing about sculpture is that it’s even easier than drawing or painting because I’m creating those forms, so I can think about that rib cage and making that egg-shaped structure. I know all the bones and muscles so that I can create that sort of foundational structure. Then I can layer all the more superficial elements on top of that, working from this foundational geometry and then just adding the more naturalistic details on top of that.

It’s like you create this power over the light. Instead of being at submission of where the light falls, you are controlling it. What makes it remarkable is that you’re harnessing that power.

Yeah. Light is an important detail. I’m always working under a good light source so that I can clearly read what those geometric forms are doing, or I can read how they exist

in the work. It was exciting to Lauren and me that it felt like we understood the mysteries of how these artworks by the Old Masters, the Romans, and ancient Greeks were created.

• After school and working in New York for about seven years, we realized that it was time to start a family and that we needed to go someplace that was more hospitable to that.

Lauren was originally from here and spent her later childhood in Michigan and then went to school in Chicago and then in New York. Over those years, Naples sort of turned into this place that had a lot of opportunity for someone who’s trying to make artwork and find people who want to buy it and support the arts.

We came down here five years ago with the idea that we would teach. We found this space, which was sort of the only space we could find at the time that had big, tall, open ceilings in which we could have lights up high and far away from a mode. When we brought people in to work from a live model and showed them how this sort of theory of design works within the human figure, the lights would be the proper distance and clear. So, we did that for a little while.

Right now, there’s a large mold that’s spread out across these racks here that’s taking up a bunch of space. I have a plaster positive for a big piece that I finished this past year stored in that crate.

Lauren was going to teach a workshop for Frank Verpoorten over at the Naples Art Institute this past year. He had been rebranding and trying to reconfigure what that institution is, and he wanted to introduce some more formal, skill-based ideas

into the teaching that’s being done over there.

You said you have some plaster for a piece that you’re working on right now.

That’s the mold for the latest large piece that I installed at Method & Concept here in Naples.

Chad Jensen [of Method & Concept] is a big supporter.

About a year after moving down here I started working with Chad. He’s my Florida representative. It’s been awesome to have the support and have him right here in town with us.

It lets us work closely together, and it made making a monumental, scaled piece of sculpture like that and installing it relatively easy. It was nice just to be able to drive it ten minutes across town to install.

I saw a picture of you working on it outside. And I was like, wow!

And that’s another reason why we moved down here from New York; because I wanted to be able to push myself to make some more extensive work, a space to be able to have a gantry crane and a concrete floor and an overhead door and to be able to roll things outside. I’m able to have a full shop where I can do some woodworking and some metalworking and work on big, heavy things and be able to lift them with a crane, making things on a human scale, which has always really been my primary interest.

It takes a tremendous amount of time and energy to make something on a human scale. I’ve had the flexibility of doing a little bit of teaching and being able to sell some work and then also doing some freelance installation work. I’m able to have a space like this and dive into big projects that might take six months to complete, instead of

“What’s really cool about the medium of sculpture is we can find these broken bits of marble that are over 2000 years old, and you can still get a sense of the humanity of the person or the people who made it.”

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working out of an extra bedroom in my apartment in Queens. This place has let me take my work to the next level.

• What are the materials you said you use? Cast concrete?

Yeah. About ten years ago, I discovered a kind of new high-tech version of concrete called engineered cementitious composite. That’s a mouthful, but it’s the name of this particular blend of concrete that uses an archival plastic fiber that bonds to the cement even better than something like fiberglass, even though it is a plastic fiber.

It looks strong.

This ends up being stronger and more crack-resistant than fiberglass-reinforced concrete. And then also, I do need to think about safety.

There are lots of artists who got excited about using things like resins and then ended up getting cancer and dying young. I do take those ideas about material safety seriously.

Is this the kind of cement that made the Coliseum? Everyone studies the Romans’ buildings. What did they use? And it’s still up today.

One of the fascinating things about using concrete for sculpture is that it’s simultaneously emblematic of our society today. Everything that’s built today uses concrete in one form or another, at least for a foundation, and it also has a rich history that goes back to ancient times. There are examples of concrete from different places in the world.

Given that, I’ve become interested in ideas about ancient human history because I’m thinking about these universal thoughts, ideas, and feelings that all people struggle with.

I’m creating these sorts of universal prompters for people to do some introspective thinking and to think about how and why.

The humanistic tradition.

Yeah, I’m excited to have that

extra connection to ancient history.

This idea that we can trace this idea of concrete back to the same ancient sources that I’m borrowing some of my design language from is an exciting thing for me. I enjoy thinking about all these ancient cultures and wondering how many of the things that we struggle with on a day-to-day basis have been with us for thousands or tens or maybe even hundreds of thousands of years.

What’s really cool about the medium of sculpture is we can find these broken bits of marble that are over 2000 years old, and you can still get a sense of the humanity of the person or the people who made it.

There’s still something that can be communicated through the representation of another human being.

That’s why I’m drawn to making sculptures. It’s the most universal way to communicate. I’m using the language of the form and gestures of the human body to try to elicit some idea of emotion or an idea about some theory of geometry or some aspect of history.

Do you like to tell stories through your art?

I don’t think about narrative much, and that’s what was an interesting transition for me with the last large piece I made that was called Tempo Temple Template. There’s the maquette for that piece there on the end of the workbench for what’s installed outside of Method & Concept right now.

This was the first multifigure composition I had created since school. I think people inherently start to read a narrative, so I wanted to maintain some neutrality there so that people could bring whatever they wanted to this piece. A lot of this piece is about those ideas of human history that I mentioned before.

The geometry of the object that they’re standing on references

the last Ice Age and the sort of road that we’ve been on since that point to create the current civilization that we have now. I’m interested in what might have come before that ice age, which ended at about half of a processional cycle ago.

So, as the axis of the Earth wobbles around, the north star ends up being completely different, or the star that is a north star ends up being a completely different star.

This [piece they are standing on] is sort of like an equator around a spherical form, and that is pointed, or the axis of that points up in one direction, and then this leg and a lot of these other angles point up at what would be the opposite point in the sky for the other extreme of that cycle.

And all that was intentional in the drawing or creation of it when you did it?

It’s about this sort of balance of opposing forces where you can’t really tell if the female figure is pulling on the male figure or if the male figure is supporting the female figure.

He is holding her back, and her toes are gripping the edge.

There’s a theme of these ambiguous opposing forces where these figures are dependent on one another.

And one is looking one way, and the other is looking the other way. One is looking a little bit more up, and the other is looking a little bit more down.

Maybe one’s pulling on the other.

Maybe the other is pulling back, or maybe the other one is pushing.

If this figure were standing up tall, standing up straight, he would be like, six foot eight, and she would be like, six foot four. They’re life-size for professional basketball players. • Brett Harvey’s sculptures can be viewed at Method & Concept, located at 111 10th St. S., in the Naples Design District. For more information, visit methodandconcept.com.

o n t h e c o v er : Hurrica ne, by B ret t Ha rvey

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S

by Kara Moyer

anibel Island has been home to Barrier Island Group for the Arts, commonly known as BIG ARTS, since its conception in 1979 by a group of island residents who wanted to fuse the island’s unique beauty and lifestyle with artistic experiences and culture. After 44 years of performances, exhibitions, workshops, panels, and countless other artistic endeavors, BIG ARTS knows firsthand the rewards, and the risks of calling a barrier island home. They’ve weathered and survived countless storms, but when Hurricane Ian barreled through Southwest Florida in September 2022, BIG ARTS and Sanibel Island took a direct hit. The result: $300,000 and counting in building and grounds damages, and a completely canceled 2022-2023 season. But there is a comeback story. BIG ARTS is back for a full 2023-2024 season, and they’re back in a big way.

Lee Ellen Harder, Executive Director, who is entering her 21st season with the organization, reflects on the missed season and the storm’s aftermath, which devastated her own home on the island, with admirable resilience and optimism. “It was a quick decision to cancel the season,” she explains. “Our entire staff was impacted in some way; all but one was displaced entirely from their homes. The island didn’t need art in that moment; it needed support in other ways.”

Having just finished construction on their new, state-of-the-art, multi-theatre complex in 2020, the hurricane damage to the building was considerable, but not significant enough that it couldn’t be re-purposed while the island community needed help.

Once the storm surge water receded and it was accessible again, it quickly became the meeting hub for first responders, and the center for city government and committee meetings — a

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practice that is still in place to this day and for the foreseeable future. The staff convened for a strategy session and developed and executed five free art-centered events to the public — performances, demonstrations, workshops, gatherings complete with food and refreshments — all of which drew hundreds of participants of all ages to each event.

“We knew we needed to rally for our island,” Harder says. “While a full season may not have been an option, offering those events provided some sense of normalcy to those who had experienced such trauma from the storm.”

As Sanibel began piecing itself back together, and residents made the tough decisions to either rebuild or relocate, Harder and her staff began the arduous process of rescheduling their canceled season and looked ahead to the next.

Browsing this season’s calendar, you’d never know BIG ARTS was dormant last year, or that their staff was almost entirely displaced. The brand-new website is packed with information about events and exhibitions, and it’s nearly impossible not to find something for everyone. Many of the exhibits and performances from the canceled season were able to be rescheduled for this season. The holiday events kick off Friday, December 1, with a free open house, complete with a fully stocked, distinctive gift shop, artist demonstrations throughout the gallery, and of course, Santa Claus himself.

They’ve also mixed up their

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holiday lineup by taking a break from their annual performance of The Nutcracker and featuring The Silhouettes: Light of Christmas, a world-renowned dance company featured on season 6 of America’s Got Talent. Also scheduled: the Community Chorus Concert, a screening of The Polar Express, and the Concert Band Holiday Performance in the incredible Christensen Performance Hall, among others.

The holiday-themed events are in addition to the extraordinary ensemble of happenings that BIG ARTS offers year after year. Each Monday evening, an independent international film is available for screening, from well-recognized titles such as Dr. Strangelove, to newer works like Academy Award-nominated, The Quiet Girl.

Their Wednesday night lecture series often attracts high-profile names, such as Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor and MSNBC political analyst, Michael Steele (January 17) and former U.S. Senator from Minnesota and Saturday Night Live alumni, Al Franken (January 31 via live-stream).

What’s equally impressive as the wide array of arts exhibitions BIG ARTS offers, is the way it presents the arts to the

The Dunham Family Gallery public. Many may automatically think of art galleries as quiet, hands-to-yourself, museum-like experiences, and while there may be an element of that if only to preserve the works themselves, when I ask Harder what sets BIG ARTS apart from other arts organizations, she unequivocally replies, “BIG ARTS is definitely a participatory arts experience, not a passive one.” Hands-on workshops are highly interactive between master artists and students. Lecture forums have a questions & answers segment allowing the audience to text questions to a moderator for the speakers to answer live.

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The film series features producers, directors, and filmmakers for post-viewing discussions.

BIG ARTS is expertly curated to be a specific, unparalleled arts entertaining and learning experience for its audiences, accessible to all. In what may seem an overwhelming task of selecting art in its countless forms to be featured, Harder says she and her staff reference the same baseline each time: “Quality offerings with a level of excellence.” Local artists are often featured, especially in the gift shop, and will be front and center at the Holiday Open House event. But the Fine Arts Committee

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sources art from all over the world, and in addition to quality and excellence, their search focuses on what isn’t already offered in and around Lee County.

As it says on the website about their history, “Great communities create great organizations — not the other way around.”

While this season’s ticket sales have been strong, Sanibel Island is undergoing massive reconstruction and renovations, and a transition period in both its seasonal and core residents, which has affected volunteer participation and funding. While many chose to stay and rebuild postIan, a considerable number of residents understandably left, inevitably leaving BIG ARTS with the need to advertise that not only are they back and better than ever this season, but that they are here at all. And they need their community more than ever as they move forward.

New residents should be on the lookout for welcome packages inviting them to join the free events and exhibits, such as Mariapia Malerba’s In the Blink of an Eye, an oversized mural of a manatee and butterfly, symbolizing transformation, and freedom.

All Southwest Florida residents, both

seasonal and full-time, can inquire about volunteering opportunities, and, perhaps one of the most exciting events BIG ARTS offers every year, the Annual Benefit in March. This year’s benefit features live music from The Doo Wop Project, a band made up of stars from Jersey Boys and Motown: The Musical.”

When talking about the future, and what Harder is most looking forward to, the excitement is palpable: a month-long ArtistIn-Residence program where a master artist will reside on the island, create on the BIG ARTS grounds, and the public can interact and observe throughout the process — is yet another unique, participatory experience BIG ARTS plans to offer the community.

Other major plans include the longin-the-making workshop studio on the land where the Periwinkle Theatre used to operate. BIG ARTS got its start in visual arts, and creating a two-story workshop dedicated to the visual arts, including ceramics, painting, printmaking, etc., would provide a service to the community that has not existed before, while also honoring the vision their founding artists had when they established BIG ARTS.

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“The island community, and Southwest Florida in general, has been through so much, and our focus now is rebuilding from the storm and looking ahead to the future,” Harder says. “When the timing is right, we will ask the community to support our workshop studio.” In the meantime, Harder is overwhelmed with pride for the BIG ARTS staff, volunteers, and supporters who helped make this season possible, all while enduring the aftermath of storm destruction.

To have missed only one season after such a devastating hurricane, and to already look towards future projects that will continue to enhance the arts culture without seemingly missing a beat, are the true definition of resiliency.

The founding principle of BIG ARTS is to ‘celebrate the artist in all of us,’ and it’s nearly impossible to not do so with the rich, vast array this season has to offer, as all seasons past have done. There’s also no denying that the future of BIG ARTS looks big, and, just as the Sanibel Lighthouse shines again, very bright. • BIG ARTS is located at 900 Dunlop Rd. on Sanibel. For more information, call 395-0900.

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Behind the Le T

an in

by Caylee Weintraub

the base. Niki, wearing a shirt patterned with palm trees and bright colors that could have been taken straight out of her art, sits beside him. Behind them a nearly wall-sized photograph of a fallen redwood covered in a fur of maidenhair, silver sword, and cinnamon ferns.

“That tree fell right in front of him when he was out photographing one day,” Niki says, following Clyde’s gaze. She has a way of anticipating what Clyde will say or think.

“I took that picture 25 years later,” Clyde says, looking over his shoulder. “And that’s how I found it.”

“But we went back again later and someone had chopped it up. In a state park!” Niki says, and shakes her head.

The photograph has just been purchased by a buyer in Miami who commuted back and forth over Alligator Alley over a period of several months to look at it before deciding to buy. That’s the pull of Clyde’s artwork, and Niki’s too. A visitor looking for photographs of the Keys asked Paul, who has worked at the Butcher gallery for almost 17 years, if there were any prints left of Niki’s soft pink & turquoise prints of old Florida cabins, and Paul told him, “Those have been going

here are long-legged cypress plodding through the dark.

There are spectral lily pads hovering above black water. There are moonrises over the Gulf. There are cumulus clouds gathered high above a sandbar — a summer storm frozen in its moment of becoming. There are turquoise mermaids. There are art deco hotels. There are cirrus clouds in a fish-scale pattern over Rock Island Prairie. There are thunderheads above Butternut Key. There are Adirondack chairs resting on a blue porch. There are the balletic legs of ghost orchids pirouetting out of darkness.

In Clyde and Niki Butcher’s artwork, there is Florida: historic, primeval, natural, artificial, black-and-white, colored.

Clyde and Niki Butcher have been “doing this for over 60 years,” as Clyde puts it when I talk to him and his wife in their Venice gallery.

‘This’ meaning photography, galleries, marriage.

Sitting across from me, Clyde wears a bright blue fishing shirt, khaki pants, and a boater hat with an alligator skin wrapped around

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ens

n interview with C l y d e

& Niki Butcher

fast since the hurricane.” The Butchers have a way of capturing something —a moment, a feeling — in the years, months, and even seconds before it’s gone.

“We’re not competitive,” Niki says. “I could see the competitiveness if you’re doing portraits or you’re doing commercial work. But when you’re doing nature, and you’re out in the beauty of it, how could you be competitive? You love what you’re doing, and because you love it, you love each other in the process.”

Clyde turns to look at Niki and confirms what she has already said: “We don’t compete.”

“You are competitive, though. Just not with me.” Clyde smiles, his eyes twinkling beneath his hat. “Clyde likes to do the best that he can do, and hopefully that’s better than what other photographers are doing. I just do what I do because I like doing it. And I don’t care if somebody likes it or not.”

When walking through their Venice gallery, I can’t help but notice the differences in their work. Clyde’s art is black & white

and all landscapes. His have more of a sorrow to them, a “more masculine feel,” as Niki says. She tells me that when they went to art festivals and counted their checks at the end of the day, most of his purchasers would be men, while hers would be women.

Niki’s art is soft, dreamy. There are hotels and stilted porches and people in the Bahamas and in the Keys. But despite its softness, much like Niki herself, there is a fierceness to her work.

In one of her landscapes, a single cabbage palm stands central to a plain of grass. It could almost be like Clyde’s, if not for the strikingly purple storming sky in the background and the bright yellow bursts of flowers in the foreground.

When asked to sum up their different styles, Clyde says: “She has colors. I don’t.” Colors for Clyde are “the Xerox of nature.”

He then adds, “When she first started painting, I asked her when she was getting started.”

“He’s color blind,” Niki explains. Blues, greens, and reds are reduced to gray-scale. It’s an inherited trait, Clyde tells me. His uncle had it too as a bombardier in World War II, when his color

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Calla Lily, by Clyde Butcher blindness helped him better see explosions since he wasn’t distracted by the greenery below. In many ways, this black & white Butcher vision has been life-saving.

Niki uses a technique developed before colored photography. Inspired by the soft tones of old Florida postcards, she begins her art with a black-and-white photograph before she applies a layer of oil paint. Then, using Q-tips and cotton balls, she adds the color back to the black & white skeleton, fleshing out the photograph with soft pinks, turquoise, and yellows, making crabgrass on a sandbar or waves in the water. “It’s my interpretation of the color of the scene,” Niki says. “Those colors draw me because they’re peaceful. They’re serene.”

“They use those colors in asylums,” Clyde adds.

Niki laughs, but agrees. “They do.”

“They lock you in a pink room because it’s supposed to be calming. Not for too long, though.”

“Hospitals are one of our biggest buyers,” Niki says.

“Also, lawyers,” Clyde adds.

“I think for both of us, what we would like people to find is a place for them to center themselves. Sometimes they can do that with colors. Sometimes they can do that by just looking at the picture. We need, in this world, a place to find peace. So by hanging it up in your office or workplace, it can be grounding.”

Niki pauses and Clyde nods. They do that often: one explains, the other confirms.

“We took that one together,” Clyde says, and points to one of the first images in the gallery, an oak tree with limbs so low they scrape the ground.

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“That was before a hurricane,” Niki adds.

“We were sitting in a Wendy’s in South Carolina when the mayor came on the TV and told everyone to get out of town.”

They often take photographs together.

They’ve hiked through the swamp mud to get the right shot. They once both took a picture of the same mangrove.

“Mine had clouds, hers didn’t,” Clyde sums it up. Twenty different people could take a picture of the same thing and all the photos would be different.

“I just point and shoot,” Clyde says when I ask him how he chooses subjects.

“You don’t just point and shoot. You see something and then wait for the right shadows and light.”

“That’s true,” Clyde says.

“I tell people I am not a photographer,” Niki says when I ask about their work

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Alligator Lily, by Niki Butcher together. “They ask me what camera I use and I ask Clyde. I have a walking encyclopedia next to me.”

If Clyde is her camera encyclopedia, then Niki is Clyde’s encyclopedia of pictures. She recalls how Clyde waited for the right angle of light to illuminate a coconut palm, and the evening a cloud passed over the sun and gave it just the right light.

“That one,” she points to a shot on a barrier island in the Gulf, “it took you a lot of shots.”

“Twenty-five,” Clyde says.

“We were sitting in the sand and the fire ants were just terrible.”

“I’m allergic to the bites,” Clyde explains.

Each picture is a memory, a moment together. Some of Clyde’s subjects are ones Niki has noticed, and vice versa. “He has a wide lens, so I may ask him to take a picture of this or take a picture of that, and he sees something different because he has that wide angle.”

“When we’re out in nature, photography is like our form of communication,” Niki says. She tells me about being out in

the swamp with Clyde. Adjusting tripods, waiting for the right lighting or cloud pattern. It’s a love language of apertures, focal fields, composition.

It’s been this way since the beginning, when they were both college students in California. Niki is from the San Francisco Bay area, and Clyde was going to school at California Polytechnic for architecture, after moving there from Missouri.

“I was dating her friend,” Clyde says when I ask how they met.

Niki fleshes out the story. “My friend went to visit her grandmother and I went with her. We went on a double date, her with Clyde and me with someone Clyde had found for me. I was raised to write thank you letters, so I sent Clyde a thank you for finding me a date, and then he answered. And then I answered.”

They still have that now — the same call and response between one another.

About four months later, they began dating, and then married. Soon, they began Clyde’s business together. They oversaw nearly 200 employees, a task which Niki

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describes as particularly difficult for her because of the lack of connection she was able to have with such a wide number of people. After six years, the stress of the business took a toll, and Clyde sold it.

Returning to his architectural roots, Clyde built “a beautiful boat,” as Niki says, and they began raising their children on it as sneak-aboards, since children are not allowed to live on board.

“That boat saved our marriage,” Niki says.

But after sailing to Mexico, Cuba, and California, they wanted to return to land.

They moved to Florida, where both were struck by the primeval beauty of the environment.

Their life has always been intertwined with photography, a constant interaction of family and art. After their son was killed by a drunk driver, Clyde “threw all of his color photographs in the garbage,” as Niki explains.

“I watched them drive over it. Glass, mattes, everything. But I kept the negatives.”

In this new grief-stricken, gray world Clyde was able to finally explore black &

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Bait Boat, by Niki Butcher photography, which he had wanted to do since seeing Ansel Adams’ work.

“My work was doing well then, so I told him to go and do it, and I supported us for a time,” Niki says. “But then he won ‘best in festival’ and made just as much money as when he was selling color.”

“I took it as a sign,” Clyde says.

Now, Clyde’s work has become one of the most invaluable resources for Everglades preservation.

“Nobody’s sharing,” Niki says, speaking of photographers who won’t provide their photographs to environmental nonprofit organizations without payment. “And we need it.” You can’t save something you don’t see.

Clyde has given his pictures for free to other environmental nonprofits to use for their activism. They’ve lately worked with Tallahassee and other Florida government agencies in their fight to preserve the shrinking Florida wildness.

The Florida environment has always been described as an inhospitable place. No-see-ums, alligators, cottonmouths. raccoons, coyotes, shoe-sucking mud. But

the Butchers have made their life here, first through their gallery in Big Cypress and now in Venice.

These days, they go to boardwalks where Clyde shoots compositions from elevated trails that are easier for him to traverse. “It pisses me off,” Clyde says, frustrated that the interior of Florida, for now, is hard to access since his stroke.

“I don’t know why there aren’t more

organizations that take disabled people out in nature,” Niki says.

“There are some,” Clyde says. “ B u t n o t t h a t m a n y. N o t enough,” Niki says.

For now, Clyde looks at the pictures of cypress hammocks and scrub oaks and coconut palms on the walls —primeval beings, he calls them. He stands with his green walker and follows Niki to see their daughter and talk about upcoming events at the gallery. The two artists move easily together, responding to one another’s movements even when they’re not looking, as if drawn together by some invisible, inseverable root. • Arts Bonita presents the exhibit, ‘America’s Everglades: Through the Lens of Clyde Bitcher,‘ thru December 29, at Arts Bonita’s Visual Arts Center and performing Arts Center in Bonita Springs.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens presents the exhibit, ‘Clyde Butcher: Nature Through the Lens,‘ thru August 31, at their Historic Spanish Point campus in Sarasota.

‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlfe Refuge on Sanibel presents ‘Daydreaming,’ an exhibition of Niki Butcher’s photographs, thru February 25.

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MUSIC

Arts

Best Albums of 2023

by Jason MacNeil

Ron Sexsmith

of them individually brought to the table. No egos, just thoughtful, near perfect tunes executed from opener to closer.

The Vivian Line

This critically-acclaimed and criminally underrated musician crafted another treasure with this record.

Keeping to his genius-like knack for economy of words and lovely melodies, Sexsmith’s work continues to hit nerves or put lumps in throats. Whether it’s poppy toe-tappers like ‘What I Had In Mind,’ ‘Country Mile’ or the gorgeous opener ‘Place Called Love,’ the album’s consistency is its selling point. One of his career highlights comes during the moving, reflective ‘When Our Love Was New.’ His seventeenth effort is a return to form and surprisingly one of his best.

The Waeve The Waeve

Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall (formerly of the Pipettes) concocted this side project as a labor of love. That work eventually turned into love and the couple have a little bundle of waeve, er, joy, to call their own. As for the album, it’s a dark, moody affair with gear-changing gems such as ‘Can I Call You’ and the stylish, sprawling standout ‘Undine.’ Both Coxon and Dougall are on the same wavelength with the dreamy ‘Over And Over’ and ‘Kill Me Again,’ the latter having Bowie-esque flair. Smart and sophisticated.

The Mary Wallopers Irish Rock ‘n’ Roll

Dundalk, Ireland’s The Mary Wallopers made inroads during the pandemic with jovial, rollicking online performances. This new sophomore album, released in October, brings to mind early traditional Irish legends The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem more than latter day groups like the Pogues and Dropkick Murphys. ‘The Idler’ is a stellar bit of social commentary, but it’s the damning ‘Gates Of Heaven’ that perfectly nails the past sins of the church. A closing instrumental of The Clancy Brother’s classic ‘William Bloat’ flawlessly fleshes it out. A fine offering that’s impossible to hit pause on.

Bailen

Tired Hearts A trio of siblings — fraternal twins David and Daniel Bailen and younger sister Julia — make this album one you’ll keep returning to often. Smart, well-crafted highbrow pop similar to Neil Finn and Sheryl Crow, Bailen will get your attention immediately on the polished title track. Infectious arrangements are the norm with this effort with chipper ear candy such as ‘Nothing Left to Give,’ and ‘Call It Like It Is.’ Soothing almost to a fault, tunes like the sparse ‘These Bones’ and the aptly titled ‘Leave Me Wanting More.’

boygenius The Record

Criminally underrated Ron Sexsmith has crafted another treasure.

The Rolling Stones

An indie ‘super group’ if there ever was, boygenius turned heads with what appeared to be the oneoff self-titled EP in 2018. Well, thankfully the trio of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus reunited for this well-rounded album that highlights their spine-tingling harmonies. Uptempo rock at times during ‘$20’ or tender, heart-tugging ballads like ‘We’re In Love’ and ‘Cool About It,’ the group managed to make something far greater than what each

F t . M yers magazine

Hackney Diamonds

Generally, this album has been warmly received.

That’s because it’s generally a very enticing album from start to finish. Although the lead single ‘Angry’ was passable, some deeper cuts on the album bring to mind the band’s heyday from Beggar’s Banquet through to Exile On Main Street. This is exemplified in the pristine country-tinged ‘Depending On You’

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Twins David and Daniel Bailen and sister Julia made an album of well-crafted highbrow pop.

MUSIC

or the dusty ‘Dreamy Skies’ with its Delta blues flavor. The Keith Richards-led ‘Tell Me Straight’ along with the stellar ‘Sweet Sounds Of Heaven’ ensure the Glimmer Twins remain relevant.

The National

Arts

ing News’). Meanwhile Laugh Track is a rowdier, guitar-driven if equally alluring collection with ‘Hornets,’ ‘Weird Goodbyes’ and ‘Crumble (with Rosanne Cash)’ standouts. The National have a monster on their hands with these two.

Cowboy Junkies

First Two Pages of Frankenstein Laugh Track

Such Ferocious Beauty

Two of the better albums from The National in a decade were released within months of each other this year. After singer Matt Berninger overcame writer’s block and depression, the group reestablished themselves as one of the best around with these records. First Two Pages Of Frankenstein contains sullen nuggets (‘Once Upon A Poolside’), breakup beauties (‘Eucalyptus’) and strong indie rock staples (‘Tropic Morn-

Longstanding alt-country darlings Cowboy Junkies returned this year with a harrowing album which pulls no punches about difficult subjects. ‘What I Lost’ concerns the father of Margo, Peter and Michael Timmons, and watching him battle dementia. An adventurous, trippy arrangement makes ‘Flood,’ ‘Throw a Match’ and ‘Shadows’ notable. Meanwhile, the comfy, surefire delivery of Margo Timmins

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takes ‘Circe and Penelope’ to near ethereal levels. Such ferocious beauty indeed.

Ratboys

The Window Chicago indie rockers Ratboys soar on ‘Making Noise for the Ones You Love’ and it’s noise you instantly fall in love with. Infectious melodies, foot-stomping beats and singer Julia Steiner’s sugary pipes hovering above it all, particularly on ‘Crossed That Line,’ ‘It’s Alive’ and ‘Empty,’ which sounds like a lovable cross between Alvvays and R.E.M. Jangle-soaked nuggets, make The Window worth seeking out. ‘Morning Zoo’ is fantastic while ‘No Way’ has Steiner revealing her inner Victoria Williams or Julie Miller. And ‘Break’ is a definite sleeper pick. Engaging! •

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2 0 2 4 S F A G 0 L R U U O T I T R D H I G E W D A E A L S L T L E R Y

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation 34725 W. Boundary Rd. • CLEWISTON 877-902-1113

ahtahthiki.com daily 9am-5pm

The museum’s West Gallery exhibits The Art of Seminole Crafts. The Mosaic Community Art Gallery and Nook Gallery are showcasing the exhibit, Seminole Pride: Celebrating the Artwork of Jimmy Osceola, featuring more than 20 pieces by revered Seminole artist Jimmy Osceola, who passed away in 2021. The collection exhibits his large and colorful persona and culturally significant artwork. His paintings continue to inspire and tell the story of the Seminole people.

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Alliance for the Arts 10091 McGregor Blvd. • FORT MYERS 239-939-2787

artinlee.org

Tues-Fri 9am- 7pm, Sat 9am- 1pm Alliance for the Arts has stood at the cultural heart of Lee County. With dynamic exhibitions and diverse programming, it serves as a bridge between artists and the community. By championing emerging talents alongside established artists, AFTA continues to be a vibrant hub for artistic exploration and experimentation. exhibitions

thru Dec 30: Small Works Off the Wall Jan 5-27: It Makes Me Wonder Kim McAninch Feb 2-24: Island to Island - Zan Lombardo & Deb Zwetsch Mar 1-30: All Florida Exhibition Apr 5-27: Lee County Art Educators Association May 3-Jun 1: Public Art Grant Show Jun 7-29: David Acevedo Jul 5-27: Member Show Oct 4-26: Fort Myers Beach Art Association Dec 6-28: Small Works Off the Wall / Not on My Wall

ArtFest Fort Myers Edwards Dr. • FORT MYERS 239-768-3602

Arts Bonita

artfestfortmyers.com

ArtChasers 28360 Old 41 Rd. • #2 BONITA SPRINGS 239-692-1261

artchasers.net

by appointment only

A unique art gallery hosting many works of Street/Urban art. Located in Bonita Springs, offering viewings online or by appointment.

Featuring artists such as Banksy, Pure Evil, Chris DeRubis and many more. They have original works of art as well as sculptures and screenprints. All art is beautifully framed ready to hang with accompanying certificates of authenticity.

Feb 2, 6-9pm Feb 3, 10am-5pm • Feb 4, 10am-4pm ArtFest Fort Myers, a vibrant arts festival in Southwest Florida, celebrates its 24th year with a captivating showcase of fine art, entertainment, and community engagement.

Featuring a diverse array of over 200 artists from around the country and worldwide, diverse cuisine, and interactive experiences, it brings together art enthusiasts of all ages for a weekend of inspiration and cultural immersion.

Visual Arts Center 26100 Old 41 Rd. • BONITA SPRINGS 239-495-8989

artcenterbonita.org

Mon-Sat 9am-5pm Committed to enriching the lives of the community by providing opportunities for artistic expression, education, and appreciation, Arts Bonita offers year-round programming which includes fine art exhibitions, art classes, concerts, films, and lectures, plus three top-rated Art Festivals in January, February, and March. exhibitions

thru Dec 29: America’s Everglades Through the Lens of Clyde Butcher Jan 12-Feb 5: Connections Feb 8-Mar 7: Members Only Exhibition Mar 14-Apr 11: Romancing the Stone Mar 14-Apr 11: Sharing Creativity Joyce Waddell Bailey & Laura Nisita

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Southwest Florida A

Bokeelia Art & Gift Gallery

Arts for ACT Gallery

BIG ARTS

2265 First St. • FORT MYERS 239-337-5050

900 Dunlop Rd. • SANIBEL 239-395-0900

Sun-Sat 12-8pm Arts for ACT Gallery is fundraiser owned

by Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc. the local Domestic Violence shelter. This gallery is run by volunteer artists that donate a portion of the sale of art to ACT.

Mon-Fri 9am-4pm • Sat & Sun 9am-1pm plus open one hour prior to performances BIG ARTS has provided cultural enrichment and fulfillment to Sanibel Island residents since 1979.

artsforactgallery.com

exhibitions

Dec: Tom Breckinridge Jan: Shah Hadjebi Feb: Tracy Cullimore & Julie Griffin Mar: Roger Brown Apr: Lorrie Bennett May: Gary Olson Jun: Mary Widmer July: Restyle-Renew-Upcycle Creativity Aug: Susana Soria Sep: A J Woods Oct: J Penton Nov: Lesley Morrow Dec: Tabby Budde

bigarts.org

exhibitions

Dunham Family Gallery thu Dec 10: Dana Roes & Brandi George Dec 15-Jan 28: Sanibel-Captiva Art League Feb 2-Mar 10: Shah Hadjebi & Al Chailosky Mar 15-Apr 28: Wendy Klemperer May 3-Jun 7: Art as Therapy - Hope & Healing Through Art Jun 14-Jul 19: FSW State College Students Mezzanine Gallery thru Jan 31: Bea Pappas Retrospective Jan 26-Apr 21: Beth Schroeder West Gallery thru Jan 31: In the Blink of an Eye Mariapia Malerba

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8315 Main St. • BOKEELIA 239-738-5280 bokeeliaartgallery.com Wed-Sun 10am-5pm Perched at the northern tip of Pine Island, overlooking beautiful Charlotte Harbor the gallery features more than 75 artists, many of whom reside in Lee County. The gallery has a wide array of paintings from watercolor to oil, abstract to super-realism, all fitting the luxurious tropical environment of Southwest Florida. The gallery also carries designer crafts: glass, wood, and pottery for home or office, as well as jewelry and wearable art.

ART GALLERY Guide 2 0 2 4

Cape Coral Art Center

Cape Coral Art League

4533 Coronado Pkwy. • CAPE CORAL 239-574-0802

516 Cultural Park Blvd. • CAPE CORAL 239-772-5657

Mon-Sat 9am-4pm The Art Center is home to two gallery exhibition spaces, the Main Gallery and the Side Gallery, which feature exhibits throughout the year. Admission into both gallery spaces is free and open to the public. Each exhibition features solo, curated, open calls to artists and traveling exhibits.

Mon-Thu 11am-4pm The Cape Coral Art League is a non-profit that teaches art to adults and children.

They have classes in acrylic, oil, pastels, photography, graphics, and zentangle.

Student Sunday Art Classes for children ages 6-14, are October thru June. They also offer art shows the first Thursday of each month.

facebook.com/CapeCoralArtCenter

exhibitions

Main Gallery Dec 1-28: Have No Fear Jan 5-25: Let It Be Feb 2-22: Expressions Mar 1-28: Art Focus Apr 5-25: Xtra-Terrestrial May 3-Jun 27: Enchanted Forests & Poisoned Apples Jul 5-Aug 29: Wish You Were Here Sep 6-26: Fiberlicious Side Gallery Jan 5-Feb 22: Inspire Mar 1-28: Descendant Apr 5-25: Ring of Fire May 3-30: Fabulous Florida Aug 2-Sep 26: Copper & Steel

capecoralartleague.org

exhibitions

Dec: Water Wonderland Jan: Food for Thought Feb: Wild About Wildlife Mar: Let’s Go Green Apr: Celebrating Color May: Florida Life

Clyde Butcher Fine Art Photography Venice Gallery & Studio 237 Warfield Ave. • VENICE 941-486-0811

clydebutcher.com

Tue-Fri 10am-4:30pm Internationally renowned photographer Clyde Butcher celebrates and captures the natural world in heirloom-quality, exquisite black and white photographs. Butcher has traveled extensively across the United States and abroad to capture the diversity, dignity, and beauty of nature on film for more than fifty years. Venice Gallery houses Butcher’s darkroom and offers visitors and collectors the opportunity to experience these powerful images up close. exhibitions

Nov 11-Aug 31: Thru the Lens of Clyde Butcher (Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Historic Spanish Point, Osprey,) Dec 21-Feb 25: Daydreaming - Niki Butcher’s Hand-Painted Photography (‘Ding’ Darling Nat’l Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel)

Big Cypress Gallery 52388 Tamiami Trail • OCHOPEE 239-695-2428

clydebutcher.com explorebigcypress.com

daily 10am-5pm Gallery is nestled in the lush sub-tropical western Everglades, offering visitors and collectors the opportunity to experience Butcher’s powerful images up close. Gift shop, Swamp Walk tours, and lodging available.

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Creative Liberties Artist Studios, Gallery & Creative Academy Artist Studios & Gallery 901B Apricot Ave. • SARASOTA Artist Studios, Gallery & Academy 927 N. Lime Ave. • SARASOTA Gaze Modern - Artists in Residence 340 Central Ave. • SARASOTA 941-799-6634

creativeliberties.net

Thu-Sat 10am-3pm • Sun-Wed by appt Creative Liberties Artist Studios, Galleries & Creative Academy, in downtown Sarasota.

They have three locations with working artist studios, galleries and classes.

Supporting 30+ local artists. They have artwork for everyone. exhibitions

Gaze Modern - Artists in Residence thru Dec 31: Jim Carroll Jan 1-Feb 29: Michael Stevenson, Rebecca Levine Quigley, Ellen Goldman Mar 1-Apr 30: Michelle Depaolis-Wampner, Charlotte Jordan, and Tom Ruthz May 1-Jun 30: Camille Enkeboll & Christine Libbey Artist Studios & Gallery thru Dec 30: featured artists Jan 4-Mar 30: featured artists Apr 4-Jun 29: featured artists Jul 5-Sep 28: featured artists Oct 3-Dec 28: featured artists Artist Studios, Gallery & Academy thru Dec 30: featured artists Jan 4-Feb 24: featured artists Mar 7-30: That Which Covers Us Does Not Hide Us Apr 4-May 25: featured artists May 30-Jun 29: Rainbow

Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries 10501 FGCU Blvd. S. • FORT MYERS 239-590-7199

www.fgcu.edu/artgalleries

Mon-Fri 10am-4pm Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries’ mission is to broaden the learning and cultural experiences of FGCU students and the community. Exhibitions focus on contemporary art from local, national and international artists as well as the faculty and students. Exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. exhibitions Dec 8-15: Senior Projects, Fall 2023 Jan 19-Feb 29: A Tenuous Framework Shana McCaw & Brent Budsberg Mar 22-April 4: Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition Apr 19-May 3: Senior Projects, Spring 2024

Fort Myers Beach Art Association and Gallery 239-463-3909

fortmyersbeachart.com

This not-for-profit working artist organization has enriched Fort Myers Beach since 1951 with a continuously changing display of local original art for show and sale at various locations. The mission continues using borrowed space. Please see our website for calendar events such as shows and classes. There are Indoor Painting and Outdoor Painting Groups. Membership is now $60 for the year. exhibitions

Jan 5-25: Let It Be - Winter Show (Cape Coral Art Center, 4533 Coronado Pkwy, Cape Coral)

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ART GALLERY Guide 2 0 2 4

Hirdie Girdie Gallery 2490 Library Way • SANIBEL 239 395-0027

Marco Island Center for the Arts

hirdiegirdiegallery.com

Mon-Sat 10am-5pm & Sun 11am-4pm Hirdie Girdie is a cooperative gallery of 16 Southwest Florida artists offering paintings in several styles and mediums, photography, ceramics, sculpture, glass art, woodturning, and jewelry. The Gallery is open seasonally from October to mid May, and features a selected Guest Artist every month. Receptions with live music, wine, and refreshments are held monthly and are open to the public. exhibitions

Dec: Terry Lynn Spry Jan: Jannine Primus Feb: Carol Young Mar: Robinette Apelgren Apr: Shirley Hales

Joel Shapses Gallery 6240 Shirley St. • #102 • NAPLES 954-830-3156

joelshapsesstudio.com hours by appointment

Contemporary Fine Art featuring the sculptures of Joel Shapses, who works in Alabaster, Marble, Aluminum and Fuses Glass; Richard Dierich: abstract paintings in acrylic and watercolor paintings of Naples architecture in watercolor; Joan Eshkenazi: floral and abstract paintings in watercolor and oils as well as ceramic sculptures. Receptions every Thursday & second Saturday, 1-5pm, November-April.

1010 Winterberry Dr • MARCO ISLAND 239-394-4221

marcoislandart.org

Mon-Fri 9am-4pm & select evenings & weekends Marco Island Center for the Arts inspires artistic expression and advances education and appreciation of the arts. The Art Center honors Marco Island and Southwest Florida’s rich, diverse, and creative heritage through active community engagement in the visual and performing arts. exhibitions

Main Galleries Jan 8-Feb 27: Tattoos As Art Mar 4-Apr 2: Members Show Apr 8-30: Adult Student Show May 6-Jul 2: Art Quilters Unlimited Jul 8-30: Celebrating Imagination Aug 5-Oct 2: Hot! Hot! Hot! Oct 7-Nov 25: Nat’l Assoc. of Women Artists – Florida Chapter La Petite Galerie Dec 4-Jan 2: Iiyas Kirkn Jan 8-30: Myriam Kriel Feb 5-27: Margarita Angel Mar 4-Apr 2: Judy Chinski Apr 8-30: Marco Island Academy May 6-28: Adorable Monique Jun 3-Jul 2: LeAnn Kroetsch Jul 8-30: Marit Woods Aug 5-Sep 3: Jeanie Dean Sep 9-Oct 2: Jessica Wajoli Oct 7-29: Mai Yap Nov 4-Dec 3: Lynn Nathanson

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Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens

Downtown Sarasota Campus 1534 Mound Street • SARASOTA Historic Spanish Point Campus 401 North Tamiami Trail • OSPREY 941-366-5731

5827 Riverside Dr. • PUNTA GORDA 941-621-8299

selby.org

daily 10am-5pm

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens provides 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries via two distinct campuses connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history. Established by forward thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens focuses on botany, horticulture, education, historical preservation, and environmental conservation. exhibitions

Nov 11-Aug 31: Clyde Butcher - Nature Through the Lens Dec 8-Jan 3: Lights in Bloom Jan 5-21: Rainforest Masks Feb 11-Jun 30: Yayoi Kusama - A Letter to Georgia O’Keefe

peacerivergardens.org

Naples Art District 50 Galleries along Shirley St. & J&C Blvd. • NAPLES 239-249-1977

naplesartdistrict.com

open studios: Thur & second Sat, 1-5pm

individual gallery days & hours vary The Naples Art District is Southwest Florida’s highest concentration of artists working, exhibiting, and teaching in unique studio spaces. Located just north of Pine Ridge Road, discover this resource for original paintings, sculpture, glass, woodworking, furnishings, ceramics, photography, fiber arts, over 50 art classes and workshops offered, and more. events

Jan 2-31: Frida Kahlo Revisited Jan 16: Artful Arrangements Preview Jan 19 & 20: Artful Arrangements Jan 27: En Plein Air Painting (Naples Botanical Garden) Feb 15-Apr 5: Naples Art District exhibition (FineMark Bank, Naples) Mar 23: En Plein Air Painting (Naples Zoo) Apr 11: Arty-Party Fundraising Gala

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Tue-Sun 9-4pm (Oct-May) Tue-Sun 9-2pm (June-Sept) Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens provides a natural setting along the Peace River showcasing world-class sculptures and spectacular botanicals to inspire creativity throughout the community. Daily admission and annual membership passes are available. exhibitions

Glass in The Gardens Zimsculpt

ART GALLERY Guide 2 0 2 4

Southwest Florida Art Council

Coco Art Galleries 8074 Mediterranean Dr. Coconut Point Mall • ESTERO 239-949-3073 1758 Tamiami Trail N. Coastland Center • NAPLES 239-436-3530

cocoartgallery.com

Estero: Mon-Wed 11am-5pm, Thu 9am-5pm, Fri-Sun 11am-5pm Naples: Mon-Sun 12-6pm The Coco Art Galleries are dedicated to supporting the arts and artists in the SWFL area. They provide our local creative friends and neighbors, the inspiration to further develop their talents and actively market their work. Artists from 22 organizations, under the umbrella of the Art Council of Southwest Florida, who join the COCO Art Galleries, collectively work together to support these two galleries.

Estero Gallery exhibitions Dec: SWFL Fine Craft Guild Jan: Art Quilters Unlimited Feb: Fort Myers Beach Art Association Mar: SWFL Watercolor Society; Ap: Estero Art League Naples Gallery exhibitions Jan: SWFL Wax Society Feb: SWFLWatercolor Society Mar: SWFL Pastel Society Apr: Naples Art District

Things I Like

by Catherine 3954 Bayshore Dr. • NAPLES 239-778-4665

thingsilikebyc.com

Tue-Sat 11am-5pm Contemporary art gallery in the heart of The Bayshore Arts District. Colorful, vibrant artwork with sizes and styles to meet everyone’s tastes. Paintings, Glass Art, Sculptures and Fine Jewelry.

Receptions 1st Friday of month, 5-8pm.

Tower Gallery Artist Cooperative 751 Tarpon Bay Rd. • SANIBEL 239-472-4557

towergallery.net

Tue-Sat 11am-6pm Tower Gallery is a a world class artists’ cooperative consisting of 23 artists in two-dimensional and three-dimensional mediums such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, photography, ceramic, jewelry, fiber, wood, glass and metal. The gallery was founded in 1982, and moved to its present location in the heart of Sanibel in 1994. It is housed in a spacious original Florida Cottage, with Craftsman elements, that was originally built on the Gulf in 1915 and moved to its present site on a flatbed truck. The twostory turquoise house is in its repainted but original construction. The gallery space is large, well-lit and inviting, and full of old Florida charm. events Dec 7-Jan 7: Tiny Art Show Jan 11-Feb 4: CROW silent auction Feb 8-Mar 10: Duality Mar 14-Apr7: Mad Hatter

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Southwest Florida ART GALLERY

Tribby Arts Center

Venice Arts Center

Shell Point Retirement Community 17281 On Par Blvd. ∙ FORT MYERS 239-415-5667

390 Nokomis Ave. • VENICE 941-485-7136

tribbyartscenter.com

Tue-Sat 10am-3pm Tribby Arts Center is a world-class hub of creative and cultural activity at Shell Point Retirement Community. Home to musical and educational programming, the Tribby boasts a 400-seat auditorium and three art galleries showcasing work from residents, as well as regional and national artists.

Visitors can reflect in the outdoor sculpture garden and explore Serendipity, the Tribby gift shop. exhibitions Jan 9-Mar 30: On the Road Again - The Hubcap as Art Apr 12-Jun 22: Seeing Red - Works by Shell Point artists & writers Apr 12-Jun 22: The Artist as Muse - Art Quilters Unlimited Jul 2-Sep 7: New Perspectives - Creative Works by Shell Point employees Oct 4- Dec 28: Wendy Wischer - The Light That Filters Through

veniceartcenter.com

Mon-Fri 9am-4pm & Sat 9am-1pm The Venice Art Center offers over 500 classes to adult and children’s classes annually, 12 unique visual art exhibitions which are free and open to the public, a one-of-a-kind artisan gift shop, a venue for special events and concerts, art library and an on-site café. We support local artists by offering them many opportunities to express their creativity, sell their work and give them the platform to teach others.

For over 65 years we have been an active advocate in the promotion of the arts in the community. Our goal is to make art accessible and available to our community and to enhance the quality of the lives of those living in our area. exhibitions Dec 15-Jan 4: The Bold & The Beautiful Jan 12-Feb 7: Over the Edge Feb 9-11: Leoma Lovegrove - The People’s Painter Feb 17 & 18: Fine Arts Show & Sale Feb 23-Mar 6: Annual Art Auction Mar 15-Apr 4: Spring Members Show

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2024 Guide

Visual Arts Center of Punta Gorda 210 Maud St. • PUNTA GORDA 941-639-8810

visualartcenter.org

Mon & Fri 10am-4pm, Tue-Thu 10am-7pm Sat 10am-2pm The Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda is home to three major galleries, six classrooms, gift gallery, art supply store, and an art book cozy corner. They hold classes in jewelry, glass, photography, painting, pottery, fiber, etc., as well as workshops and evening social events. All taught by professional instructors and nationally recognized artists, courses are designed for all ages, skill levels, and mediums. Monthly exhibits are free to the public and wheelchair accessible. exhibitions

thru Jan 2: Holiday Showcase Jan 9-Feb 1: Ice Jan 9-Feb 1: Through the Fire Feb 16-Apr 12: National Art Exhibition Apr 16-25: Charlotte County Public Middle & High School students Apr 26-May 4: Charlotte County Public Elementary School students Apr 27-May 9: Two Elements - Birgit Tode May 13-24: SAQA Studio Art Quilt Associates May 29-Jul 1: Back in Time May 29-Jul 2: Wonky World - Paulette Morrissey May 30-Jul 1: Ignite Imagination Jul 9 -Aug 23: Members Showcase

What Goes On DECEMBER JANUARY

Jason Marsalis performs December 16 at Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center in Bonita Springs.

Dec1

EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS

FRIDAY

•Art Reception: Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 5-7p. Free. 939-2787.

•Art Reception: DAAS Co-op Gallery, in Butterfly Estates, 1815-3 Fowler St, Ft Myers.

6-9:30p. Free. 590-8645.

•Art Reception: Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 6-10p. Live music. Free.

333-1933.

•Art Reception: Things I Like

by Catherine, 3954 Bayshore Dr, Naples. Tue-Sat 5-8p. Free.

778-4665.

•Art Walk: Receptions, exhibits, demos, live music at several galleries & studios in downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 6-10p. Free.

313-5129.

•Arts on Tap: Fundraiser, live music - JJ Grey & Mofro, food, craft beers, lawn games.

Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7-10p.

939-2787.

•Beach & Estuary Walk: Guided 1 hr walk. Lovers Key State Park Discovery Center, 8700 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. 10a.

Register. 463-4588.

•Bob DiBuono: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 479-5233.

•Bradenton Blues Festival: Gemini Dragon, Eliza Neals, JP Soars Gypsy Blues Revue w Anne Harris. Riverwalk Pavilion, Rossi Park, 452 3rd Ave W, Bradenton. 5-9p. 941621-6471.

•Brubeck Brothers Quartet: Jazz concert. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center,

Rd, Naples. 9:30a. Register.

530-5972.

•Hank Woji: Americana concert, Chakulla opens. All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p.

691-4069.

•Lee Schools Holiday Showcase: Free outdoor concert. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 6-10p. Free.

33-1933.

•Mark Curry: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6 & 8p. 389-6901.

•Santa’s Block Party: Crafts, entertainment, treats. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers.

10a-2p. Free. 33-1933.

•Sarasota Orchestra: The Scottish concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-953-3434.

•The Fab Four: Beatles tribute concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p.

481-4849.

•The Home… for the Holidays!: Rick Compton & Betsy Bennett concert. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 2 & 7p.

495-8989.

•The Nutcracker: Gulfshore Ballet. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 2 & 6p. Free.

395-0900.

SUNDAY 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7:30p. 495-8989.

•Comedy Nite: Sheena Reagan.

Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•Festival of Trees Concert & Wreath Lighting: Music by Rosaline. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 7p. Free.

333-1933.

•Festival of Trees: Holiday decorated trees fundraiser.

Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 11a-6p. 333-1933.

•FGCU Chamber Strings: Concert. U Tobe Recital Hall, Music Bldg, FGCU, 1051 FGCU Blvd S, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 7454268.

•Heather Ivy & the SWFL Symphony: Outdoor concert.

Babcock Ranch bandshell.

Founders Square, 42850 Crescent Loop, 6-8p. Free. 941200-1482.

•JJ Grey & Mofro: Concert.

Alliance for the Arts amphitheater lawn, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 6p.

939-2787.

•Joe Bonamassa: Concert. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 8p. 948-7825.

•Mark Curry: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30 & 8:30p. 389-6901.

•Naples Philharmonic: Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

8p. 597-1900.

•Open House: BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 5-7p. Free.

395-0900.

SATURDAY

2

•24-Hour Playwriting Project: No rehearsal, no director, sealed script, one actor. Laboratory Theater of Florida, 1634 Woodford Ave, Ft Myers. 8p.

218-0481.

DECEM B ER 2023 – JA NUAR Y 2024

58

•Ancestral Table Exhibit Tour & Food Demo: Immokalee Pioneer Museum, 1215 Roberts Ave, Immokalee. 10a. Free.

252-2611.

•Art in the Park: Outdoor art & craft fair. Fleischman Park, 1600 Fleischmann Blvd, Naples.

10a-5p. Free. 262-6517.

•Beach Cleanup: With park ranger. Lovers Key State Park Discovery Center, 8700 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. 10a. Free, register. 463-4588.

•Bob DiBuono: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 6 & 8:30p.

479-5233.

•Bradenton Blues Festival: Memphis Lightning, John Primer & the Real Deal Blues Band, Lurrie Bell, Mark Hummel & the James Cotton Blues Band, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats. Riverwalk Pavilion, Rossi Park, 452 3rd Ave W, Bradenton. 11a-7:30p. 941-6216471.

•Bromeliad Sale: Experts, plant sale. Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Free plant sale, workshops Pre-register. 9a-4p.

334-7419.

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p. 323-6570.

•Estero Historical Society Holiday Open House: Estero Historical Society Museum, 9285 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero. 11:30a. Free. 272-1911.

•Festival of Trees: Holiday decorated trees fundraiser.

Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 11a-6p. 333-1933.

•Free Family Day: Arts activities. Arts Bonita Visual Arts Center, 26100 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. 10-11:30a. Free.

495-8989.

•Guided Forest Bathing: Rookery Bay National Research Reserve, Environmental Learning Center, 300 Tower

Ft . Mye rs magazine

3

•Bayside Concert: Riverside.

Bayside Park, Old San Carlos Blvd & 5th St, Ft Myers Beach.

4-7p. Lawn chairs suggested.

Free. 454-7500.

•Bromeliad Sale: Experts, plant sale. Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Free plant sale, workshops Pre-register. 9a-4p.

334-7419.

•Bruch String Quartet: Naples Philharmonic members chamber music concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 3p. 597-1900.

•Deck the Halls: Gulf Coast Symphony concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 277-1700.

•Festival of Trees: Holiday decorated trees fundraiser.

Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 11a-6p. 333-1933.

•Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers: Deck the Halls concert w Gulf Coast Symphony.

BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 2882535.

•Ft Myers Beach Christmas Boat Parade: Leaving Salty Sam’s Marina 6p, heading northwest under Matanzas Pass Bridge, past Coast Guard station, thru Estero Pass, Hurricane Pass, Pelican Pass, into San Carlos Bay, then along Ft Myers Beach shoreline and Matanzas Harbor. 6p. 4547500.

•Jeffrey Williams & Michael Baron: Vocal & piano concert. U Tobe Recital Hall, Music Bldg, FGCU, 1051 FGCU Blvd S, Ft Myers. 3p. 745-4268.

•Luis Chataing: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 8p.

389-6901.

•Mark Curry: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6p.

389-6901.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Punta Gorda Symphony: Holiday favorites concert.

Charlotte Performing Arts Center, 701 Carmalita St, Punta Gorda. 3:30p. 941-205-5996.

•Santa & Mrs. Claus: Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 6-8p.

334-7419.

•Sarasota Orchestra: The Scottish concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 2:30p. 941-953-3434.

•Spirit of the Gulf Chorus: Winter concert. First Christian Church, 2061 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 2p. 844-704-7464.

•SW-FloridaCon: Comic book & pop culture convention.

Celebrities, live entertainment, demos, vendors, cosplay contests, panels, kids’ activities, live wrestling, food. Hilton DoubleTree, Bel Tower Shops, 13051 Bell Tower Dr, Ft Myers.

10a-5p. 236-8189.

•The Home… for the Holidays!: Rick Compton & Betsy Bennett concert. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 2p.

495-8989.

•The Nutcracker: N Ft Myers Academy of the Arts. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 481-4849.

•The Rowdy Bards: Irish pub music. Point Ybel Brewing, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. 4-7p. Free. 603-6535.

MONDAY

4

•A Death Threat to Everglades Restoration: Documentary film. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. Free.

495-8989.

•Canadian Brass Holiday Concert: Classical music.

Sarasota Opera House, 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-966-6161.

•Holiday Market: Edison & Ford

Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 4-9p. 334-7419.

•Home for the Holidays: Voices of Naples holiday concert.

Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 777 Mooring Line Dr, Naples.

7p. Free. 455-2582.

•Indie Film Screening & Discussion: Hosted by Fort Myers Film Festival. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers.

Cocktails 6:30p, film 7p. talk after film. 810-6323.

•Sweet Caroline: Neil Diamond tribute Christmas concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-9533368.

TUESDAY

5

•A Tribute to Taylor Swift: Listeso String Quartet concert. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Ln, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 277-1700.

•Art Reception: Creative Liberties Artist Studios, Gallery & Academy, 927 Lime Ave, Sarasota. 5-7p. Free. 941-7996634.

•Art Reception: Harbour View Gallery, 5789 Cape Harbour Dr, #104, Cape Coral. 6-8p. Free.

540-5789.

•Best of Hans Zimmer: Listeso String Quartet concert. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Ln, Ft Myers. 9p. 2771700.

•FGCU Symphony Orchestra & Choirs: Joyful & Triumphant concert. Moorings Church, 791 Harbour Dr, Naples. 4 & 7p.

745-4268.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret.

4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. Free. 549-3000.

•Jose Feliciano: Concert.

Seminole Casino Hotel, 506 S 1st St, Immokalee. 8p. 800218-0007.

•Naples Philharmonic: America’s Wonders in 3D concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

8p. 597-1900.

•Vince August: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

WEDNESDAY

6

•Art Reception: Arts for ACT Gallery, 2265 1st St, Ft Myers.

6-9p. Free. 337-5050.

•Art Reception: Live music, wine, hors d’oevres. Coco Art Gallery, Coconut Mall, 8074 Mediterranean Dr, Estero. 5-7p.

Free. 949-3073.

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Florida Everblades vs South Carolina Stingrays: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero.

7:30p. 948-7825.

•Holiday Nights Inside-theHomes Tour: Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 3347419.

•Ikebana Meeting: Demo & Workshop. Naples Botanical Garden, Buehler Auditorium, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples.

9:30a. Free. 254-9999.

•Letters from Anne & Martin: Dramatic presentation & luncheon. Holocaust Museum fundraiser. The Vineyards Country Club, 400 Vineyards Blvd, Naples. 11:30a. rsvp.

263-9200.

•Sarasota Orchestra: The Scottish concert. Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 5:30p.

941-953-3434.

•Sebastian Plymette: Vocal recital. U Tobe Recital Hall, Music Bldg, FGCU, 1051 FGCU Blvd S, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 7454268.

•Vince August: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

THURSDAY

7

•A Christmas Carol: Live Radio Play. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita

Little Eddie & The Fat Fingers performs December 16 at Naples Botanical Garden.

F t . M yers magazine

59

Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p.

495-8989.

•Art Reception & Talk: Wasmer Gallery, FGCU Arts Complex, 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Ft Myers.

5-7p. Free. 590-7199.

•Art Reception: Hirdie Girdie Gallery, 2490 Library Way, Sanibel. 5-7p. Free. 395-0027.

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Art Reception: Wine & cheese. Cape Coral Art League, 516 Cultural Blvd, Cape Coral. 5-6:30p. Free. 772-5657.

•Dave Bennett - A Whole Lotta Shakin’: Concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

6 & 8:30p. 597-1900.

•FGCU Piano Ensemble: Concert. U Tobe Recital Hall, Music Bldg, FGCU, 1051 FGCU Blvd S, Ft Myers. 7:30p. Free.

745-4268.

•Holiday Taste of Opera: Gulfshore Opera concert.

The Club at The Strand, 5840 Strand Blvd, Naples. 6p. rsvp.

529-3925.

•Jazz Jam: Gulf Coast Jazz Collective concert – Swinging Holidays. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Ln, Ft Myers. 7p. 277-1700.

•Joey Callahan: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 479-5233.

•Mike Marino: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

•Open Studios: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

•Sarasota Orchestra: The Scottish concert. Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3434.

•The Tiny Art Show: Holiday art show & sale. Tower Gallery, 751 Tarpon Bay Rd. 5-8p. Free.

579-0659.

FRIDAY

8

•A Christmas Carol: Live Radio Play. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p.

495-8989.

•Art Reception: Cape Coral Art Center, Rubicond Park, 4533 Coronado Pkwy, Cape Coral.

5-7p. Free. 574-0802.

•Colt Ford: Country music concert, Kendall Tucker opens.

The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 985-9839.

•Comedy Nite: Jimmy Keys.

Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•Dave Bennett - A Whole Lotta Shakin’: Concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

6 & 8:30p. 597-1900.

•Florida Everblades vs South Carolina Stingrays: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero.

7:30p. 948-7825.

•Holiday Market: Crafts & food.

Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, 34725 W Boundary Rd, Clewiston. 10a-4p. Free. 863902-1113.

•It’s a Wonderful Life - A

DECEMBER 2023 – JAN U AR Y 2024

Live Radio Play: The Naples Players. Outdoors in Cambier Park, 755 8th Ave S, Naples. 8p.

263-7990.

•Joey Callahan: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 479-5233.

•Josue Gallardo: Percussion recital. U Tobe Recital Hall, Music Bldg, FGCU, 1051 FGCU Blvd S, Ft Myers. 3p. 745-4268.

•Naples Big Band: Christmas on Fifth concert. 5th Ave, downtown Naples. 6p. Free.

777-0416.

•Nurse Blake: Comedy. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 481-4849.

•Rafi Bastos: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30 & 8:30p. 89-6901.

•Sarasota Orchestra: The Scottish concert. Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 5:30p.

941-953-3434.

•Thunder Beach Band: Outdoor concert. Babcock Ranch bandshell. Founders Square, 42850 Crescent Loop, 6-8p.

Free. 941-200-1482.

•Whitney Grace: Concert.

Charlotte Players, Langdon Playhouse, 1182 Market Circle, Port Charlotte. 6p. 941-2551022.

SATURDAY

9

•A Christmas Carol: Live Radio Play. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 2 & 7p.

495-8989.

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p. 323-6570.

•Deck the Walls: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

•Derek Hough: Dance. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 8p. 941-953-3368.

•Fine Arts & Crafts Show: Naples Artcrafters. Cambier Park, 755 8th Ave S, Naples.

10a-4p. Free. 304-5258.

•Florida Everblades vs South Carolina Stingrays: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero.

7p. 948-7825.

•High Lonesome Sound: Songwriter’s concert. Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 772-5862.

•Holiday Concert: BIG ARTS Concert Band. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 7p.

395-0900.

•Holiday Market: Crafts & food.

Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, 34725 W Boundary Rd, Clewiston. 10a-4p. Free. 863902-1113.

•Holiday Taste of Opera: Gulfshore Opera concert.

Twin Isles Country Club, 1780 W Marion Ave, Punta Gorda. 6p. rsvp. 529-3925.

•Homemde Holidays Family Day: Holiday crafts & activities.

Collier Museum at Government Center, 3331 Tamiami Tr E, Naples. 10a-1p. Free. 252-8476.

What Goes On •It’s a Wonderful Life - A Live Radio Play: The Naples Players. Outdoors in Cambier Park, 755 8th Ave S, Naples. 8p.

263-7990.

•Joey Callahan: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 6 & 8:30p.

479-5233.

•Naples Jazzmasters: Free indoor concert. River Park Community Center, 301 11th St N, Naples. 2-4p. Free. 612-3273835.

•Open Artist Studios & Galleries: More than 30 galleries & studios in Sarasota Studio Artists Association.

Various locations throughout Sarasota. 11a-3p. Free.

•Open Studios: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

•Precious Pix: Take holiday photographs in Norris Gardens.

Historic Palm Cottage, 137 12th Ave S, Naples. 12-4p. Free.

261-8164.

•Rafi Bastos: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6 & 8p. 389-6901.

•Rob Schneider: Coemdy. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 481-4849.

•Santa’s Serenade: SWFL Symphony Holiday Pops concert w Andrew Lipke. Ft Myers High School, 2635 Cortez Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 418-1500.

•Sarasota Orchestra: The Scottish concert. Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3434.

•The Nutcracker: Gulfshore Ballet. Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point, 17281 On Par Blvd, Ft Myers. 2 & 7p. 415-5667.

SUNDAY

10

•A Christmas Carol: Live Radio Play. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 2 & 7p.

495-8989.

•Bayside Concert: Jacob’s Ladder. Bayside Park, Old San Carlos Blvd & 5th St, Ft Myers Beach. 4-7p. Lawn chairs suggested. Free. 454-7500.

•Beethoven String Quartet: Naples Philharmonic members concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

3p. 597-1900.

•Bonita Springs Concert Band: Christmas concert. Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St, Bonita Springs. Bring lawn chair or blanket. 7-8:30. Free. 405-3320.

•Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers: Holiday concert.

Caloosa Sound Amphitheater, 2101 Edwards Dr, Ft Myers. 5p.

Free. 288-2535.

•Holiday Harmony: The Venice Chorale concert. Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave, Venice. 7p. 941-218-3779.

•Lee County Community Band: Mariner High School, 701 Chiquita Blvd N, Cape Coral. 3p.

Free. 600-9052.

•Naples Concert Band: Free outdoor concert – Joy to the World. Cambier Park bandshell,

DECEMBER-JANUARY Park St, downtown Naples. 2-4p.

Free. 270-1221.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Rafi Bastos: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6p.

389-6901.

•Rock the Stage Fest - The Finals: Music competition concert fundraiser w Deb & the Dynamics, Roxx Revolt & the Velvets, Bargain Bin Heroes, School of Rock House Band, Radio Ghost & Friends. Miner’s Plaza, 15501 Old McGregor Blvd.

12p-8p. 887-1428.

•Santa’s Serenade: SWFL Symphony Holiday Pops concert w Andrew Lipke. First Presbyterian Church, 9751 Bonita Beach Rd SE, Bonita Springs. 4p. 418-1500.

•Sarah Brightman: Christmas concert w Naples Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

7p. 597-1900.

•Sarasota Orchestra: The Scottish concert. Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 4p.

941-953-3434.

MONDAY

11

•Christian Johnson: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p. 389-6901.

•Holiday Market: Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers.

4-9p. 334-7419.

•Holiday Pops: SWFL Symphony concert. The Village Church at Shell Point, 15100 Shell Point Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p.

415-5667.

•Naples Big Band: Christmas concert. Cambier Park, 755 Park St S, Naples. 7-9p. Free.

777-0416.

•Santa’s Serenade: SWFL Symphony Holiday Pops concert w Andrew Lipke. Shell Point, Village Church, 15100 Shell Pt Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p.

418-1500.

•Stardust Memories Big Band: Big band concert. Broadway Palm Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. Lunch 11:30a, show 1p & dinner 5:30p, show 7p. 278-4422.

TUESDAY

Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p. 389-6901.

•Dirty Dancing – in Concert: BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 481-4849.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Hos Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. Free.

549-3000.

•La Santa Cecelia: Latin world music concert. Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theatre, 5555 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 6p.

941-359-5700.

•Lecture: American Holiday Food Traditions. Collier Museum at Government Center, 3331 Tamiami Tr E, Naples. 2p. Free.

252-8476.

•Marie Osmond Orchestral Christmas: Concert. Seminole Casino Hotel, 506 S 1st St, Immokalee. 8p. 800-218-0007.

•Michael W. Smith: Holiday concert. The Village Church at Shell Point, 15100 Shell Point Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 415-5667.

•Songwriters on the Plaza: Free acoustic concert w Tim McGeary, Barbara Chamberlain,Ray Boone.

Downtown Ft Myers Library amphitheater, S Cornog Plaza, 1651 Lee St, Ft Myers. 6-7:30p.

Free. 691-4069.

WEDNESDAY

13

•Art Reception: Live music, wine, hors d’oevres. Coco Art Gallery, Coastland Center, 1924 Tamiami Tr S, Naples. Wed-Sun 5-7p. Free. 436-3530.

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Bob Lauver Comedy Hypnosis Show: Snappers Comedy Club,

8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers.

7:30p. 479-5233.

•Christian Johnson: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p. 389-6901.

•Daniel O’Donnell: Concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8p. 481-4849.

•Herdrik Meurkens: Jazz concert w Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

6 & 8:30p. 597-1900.

•Holiday Nights Inside-theHomes Tour: Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 334-7419.

•Marie Osmond: Christmas concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3368.

•Steve Miller Band: Concert, Samantha Fish Band opens open. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7:30p.

948-7825.

•Winter Recital & Exhibition: Davis School of Visual Arts.

Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 6p. Free. 333-1933.

THURSDAY

14

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Blue Highway Band: Bluegrass concert. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7:30p.

495-8989.

•Brian Scolaro: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 4795233.

•Eric Lu: Grand Piano Series concert. St Leo Auditorium, 28290 Beaumont Rd, Bonita Springs. 7:30p. 469-333-3231.

•Evening on Fifth: Live music, dancing, art demos & exhibits, dining, shopping along 5th

Artis—Naples presents Yo-Yo Ma in conversation and concert on January 7.

12

•A Charlie Brown Christmas: Music of Vince Guaraldi - Zach Bartholomew concert. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 2 & 7:30p. 495-8989.

•Allman Betts Family Revival: Rock concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7p.

941-953-3368.

•Beethoven String Quartet: Naples Philharmonic members concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

3p. 597-1900.

•Christian Johnson: Off the

DECEM B ER 2023 – JA NUAR Y 2024

60

Ft . Mye rs magazine

Ave S, Naples. 6:30-9:30p.

Free. 692-8436.

•Handel’s Messiah: Voices of Naples holiday concert. St Leo’s Catholic Church, 28290 Beaumont Rd, Bonita Springs.

7p. 455-2582.

•Holiday Concert: BIG ARTS Community Chorus concert. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel.

8p. 395-0900.

•Holiday Pops: Naples Philharmonic Christmas concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

8p. 597-1900.

•Irish Jam: Live music. Point Ybel Brewing, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. 6-9p. Free.

603-6535.

•Open Studios: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

•Sarah Brightman: Christmas concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3368.

•The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Musical. Charlotte Performing Arts Center, 701 Carmalita St, Punta Gorda.

7:30p. 941-255-1022.

•Wheel of Fortune - Live: BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 481-4849.

•Winterfest: Beer, food trucks, live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 2-10p. Free.

313-6576.

FRIDAY

15

•Art Reception: BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 5-7p. Free.

395-0900.

•Art Reception: Venice Art Center, 390 Nokomis Ave S, Venice. 5-7p. Free. 941-4857136.

•Brian Scolaro: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 479-5233.

•Briz & Lady: Live music.

Sidney’s Rooftop Sculpture Garden, Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Free.

333-1933.

•Choral Artistry Concert: Holiday Soiree. Shangri-La Springs, 27750 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. 6:30p. 5605695.

•Daniel O’Donnell: Concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-953-3368.

•Edith Diamond: Outdoor concert. Babcock Ranch bandshell. Founders Square, 42850 Crescent Loop, 6-8p.

Free. 941-200-1482.

•Florida Everblades vs Orlando Solar Bears: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7:30p.

948-7825.

•Holiday Pops: Naples Philharmonic Christmas concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

8p. 597-1900.

•Home for the Holidays: Concert presented by TheatreZone. G&L Theatre, Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Rd, Naples. 7:30p. 888-966-3352.

•Music Walk: Live music & dancing at several cafes, clubs & galleries. Downtown Ft Myers’

What Goes On historic River District. 6-10p.

Free. 313-5129.

•Nanny Assis: Brazilian music concert. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7:30p.

495-8989.

•Nature Walk: Guided walk.

Lovers Key State Park Discovery Center, 8700 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. 10a. Register.

463-4588.

•The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Musical. Charlotte Performing Arts Center, 701 Carmalita St, Punta Gorda.

7:30p. 941-255-1022.

•Winterfest: Beer, food trucks, live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 2-10p. Free.

313-6576.

SATURDAY

16

•Brian Scolaro: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 6 & 8:30p.

479-5233.

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p.

323-6570.

•Cowboy Christmas: Pictures with Santa. Immokalee Pioneer Museum, 1215 Roberts Ave, Immokalee. 10a-2p. Free.

252-2611.

•Florida Everblades vs Orlando Solar Bears: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7p.

948-7825.

•Gulf Coast Writers Association Meeting: Guest speaker. Word of Life Church, 6111 South Pointe Blvd, Ft Myers. 10a-12p. Free.

770-906-7885.

•Holiday Pops: Naples Philharmonic Christmas concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

2 & 8p. 597-1900.

•Home for the Holidays: Concert presented by TheatreZone. G&L Theatre, Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Rd, Naples. 2 & 7:30p. 888-9663352.

•Jason Marsalis: Jazz concert.

Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7:30p.

495-8989.

•Magic for the Holidays: The Illusionists. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3368.

•Music in the Garden: Little Eddie & the Fat Fingers.

Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples. 2-4p. 6437275.

•SWFL Fine Craft Guild: Member meeting. Cape Coral Art Center, Rubicond Park, 4533 Coronado Pkwy, Cape Coral. 11a-1p. Free. 5740802.

•The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Musical. Charlotte Performing Arts Center, 701 Carmalita St, Punta Gorda.

7:30p. 941-255-1022.

•The Nutcracker: Gulf Coast Symphony concert w Gulfshore Ballet. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 2 & 7:30p. 277-1700.

•Winterfest: Beer, food trucks, live music. Ft Myers Brewing

Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 12-11p. Free.

313-6576.

SUNDAY

17

•A Very Victorian Murder: GibsonHouse Mystery Performers interactive mystery.

Cape Cabaret, 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 6p. 867-6098.

•Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers: Christmas concert. Peace Church, 9850 Immokalee Rd, Naples. 5:30p.

Free. 288-2535.

•Holiday Pops: Naples Philharmonic Christmas concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

7p. 597-1900.

•Home for the Holidays: Concert presented by TheatreZone. G&L Theatre, Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Rd, Naples. 2p. 888-966-3352.

•Nikolas Bushi: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 479-5233.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Winterfest: Beer, food trucks, live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 2-10p. Free.

313-6576.

MONDAY

18

•Daybreak: Barry Manilow tribute concert. Venice Performing Arts Center, Venice High School, 1 Indian Ave, bldg.

5, Venice. 7:30p. 941-488-1115.

•Holiday Market: Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 4-9p. 334-7419.

•Stephen Ho & Jack Assadourian: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

TUESDAY

19

•A Holiday Song Celebration: BIG ARTS Community Chorus & Sanibel School Seahorse Chorale & Elementary Choir concert. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 6:30p. 395-0900.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret.

4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. Free. 549-3000.

•Will Burkart: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

WEDNESDAY

20

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Holiday Nights Inside-theHomes Tour: Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 334-7419.

Della Mae perform at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers’ River District on January 12.

•Il Divo: Holiday concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-953-3368.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Cheers to the Music of Dance concert.

Sarasota Opera House. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3434.

•Will Burkart: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30 & 8:30p. 389-6901.

THURSDAY

21

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Bryan Callen: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

•Celtic Angels Christmas: Concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3368.

•Cookies & Cocoa: Families decorate cookies & see holiday lights. Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 6-8p. Pre-register.

334-7419.

•John Carfi: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 479-5233.

•Lecture: Illegal Liquor in the Everglades. Museum of the Everglades, 105 W Bwy, Everglades City. 2p. Free.

695-0008.

•Michael D’Amore: Concert.

Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral.

7p. 772-5862.

•Sanibel Captiva Art League Meeting: Guest speaker David Acevedo. Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. 1-3p. Free. 322-8593.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Beethoven & Berio concert. Holley Hall,

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Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 5:30p.

941-953-3434.

FRIDAY

22

•Bryan Callen: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30 & 8:30p. 389-6901.

•Comedy Nite: RC Smith. Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•Cookies & Cocoa: Families decorate cookies & see holiday lights. Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 6-8p. Pre-register.

334-7419.

•DJ Mason: Outdoor concert.

Babcock Ranch bandshell.

Founders Square, 42850 Crescent Loop, 6-8p. Free. 941200-1482.

•John Carfi: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 479-5233.

•Rose Max & Ramatis: Bossa nova concert. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7:30p. 495-8989.

•Sheena Brook: Americana music. Sidney’s Rooftop Sculpture Garden, Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers.

8-11p. Free. 333-1933.

•Ventriloquist & Magic: Ventriloquist Nikolas Bushi & Chris, magician Dashnor Bushi. Arts Center Theatre, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island.

7:30p. 404-5198.

SATURDAY

23

•Bryan Callen: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6 & 8p. 389-6901.

•Cirque Musica: Holiday show.

Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7p. 941-953-3368.

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p. 323-6570.

Ft . Mye rs magazine

•Il Divo: Christmas concert.

Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•John Carfi: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 6 & 8:30p. 479-5233.

SUNDAY

24

•A Scrooged Up Murder: Dinner & show. Murder Mystery Dinner Train Theater, 2805 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 5:30p.

275-8487.

TUESDAY

26

•A Pioneer Christmas: Crafts, games, activities. Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S Heathwood Dr, Marco Island.

10a-2p. Free. 642-1440.

•Dale Jones: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret.

4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. Free. 549-3000.

•Sailor Circus: Candyland.

Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia St, Sarasota. 941-355-9805.

WEDNESDAY

27

•A Pioneer Christmas: Crafts, games, activities. Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S Heathwood Dr, Marco Island.

10a-2p. Free. 642-1440.

•Art After Hours: Live music, food & drinks. Baker Museum, Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 6-9p. Free.

597-1900.

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Dale Jones: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

DECEMBER-JANUARY •Sailor Circus: Candyland.

Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia St, Sarasota. 941-355-9805.

•Sounds of the Season: Voices of Naples holiday concert. Grace Lutheran Church, 860 Banyan Blvd, Naples. 7p. 455-2582.

THURSDAY

28

•A Pioneer Christmas: Crafts, games, activities. Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S Heathwood Dr, Marco Island.

10a-2p. Free. 642-1440.

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Dale Jones: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

•Family Fun Night: Live music, dance demos, crafts, games, mini zoo w exotic animals. Bell Tower Shops, Daniels Pkwy & US 41, Ft Myers. 5-7p. Free.

318-8560.

•Florida Everblades vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7:30p. 948-7825.

•Irish Jam: Live music. Point Ybel Brewing, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. 6-9p. Free.

603-6535.

•Nutcracker: Christmas ballet.

Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 3 & 7p. 941-9533368.

•Sailor Circus: Candyland.

Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia St, Sarasota. 941-355-9805.

•Sloan: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers.

7:30p. 479-5233.

FRIDAY

29

•A Pioneer Christmas: Crafts, games, activities. Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S Heathwood Dr, Marco Island.

10a-2p. Free. 642-1440.

•Anthony Rodia: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30 & 8:30p. 389-6901.

•Chasing Denver: Live music.

Sidney’s Rooftop Sculpture Garden, Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Free.

333-1933.

•Comedy Nite: Al Ernst. Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•Earl David Reed: Comedy. Arts Center Theatre, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 7:30p.

404-5198.

•Florida Everblades vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7:30p. 948-7825.

•Nutcracker - Magical Christmas Ballet: Concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 481-4849.

•Sailor Circus: Candyland.

Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia St, Sarasota. 941-355-9805.

•Sloan: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers.

7p. 479-5233.

•Thomas O’Brien: Outdoor concert. Babcock Ranch

bandshell. Founders Square, 42850 Crescent Loop, 6-8p.

Free. 941-200-1482.

SATURDAY

30

•Anthony Rodia: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6 & 8p. 389-6901.

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p. 323-6570.

•Jerrod Niemann: Country music concert. The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p.

985-9839.

•Sailor Circus: Candyland.

Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia St, Sarasota. 941-355-9805.

•Salute to Vienna: Concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7p. 941-953-3368.

•Sloan: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 6 & 8:30p. 479-5233.

SUNDAY

31

•Anthony Rodia: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6 & 9p. 389-6901.

•Evening on Fifth: Live music, dancing, art demos & exhibits, dining, shopping along 5th Ave S, Naples. 6:30-9:30p.

Free. 692-8436.

•New Year’s Eve Celebration: Live music, open bar, hors d’oeuvres. Sidney’s Rooftop Sculpture Garden, Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers.

9p-1a. rsvp. 333-1933.

•New Year’s Eve Gala: Dinner & show. Murder Mystery Dinner Train Theater, 2805 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 8p. 275-8487.

•New Year’s Eve Show: Concert.

Charlotte Players, Langdon Playhouse, 1182 Market Circle, Port Charlotte. 7:30. 941-2551022.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Sailor Circus: Candyland.

Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia St, Sarasota. 941-355-9805.

•Scott Novotny: Snappers Comedy Club, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8:30p. 4795233.

Cocktails 6:30p, film 7p. talk after film. 810-6323.

•Salute to Vienna: Concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 3p. 481-4849.

TUESDAY

2

•Art Reception: Harbour View Gallery, 5789 Cape Harbour Dr, #104, Cape Coral. 6-8p. Free.

540-5789.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret.

4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. Free. 549-3000.

WEDNESDAY

3

•Ahren Belisle: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

•Art Reception: Live music, wine, hors d’oevres. Coco Art Gallery, Coconut Mall, 8074 Mediterranean Dr, Estero. 5-7p.

Free. 949-3073.

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Ikebana Meeting: Demo & Workshop. Naples Botanical Garden, Buehler Auditorium, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples.

9:30a. Free. 254-9999.

THURSDAY

4

•Ahren Belisle: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 8p.

389-6901.

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Brad Upton: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6p.

389-6901.

•Cher & Elton Tribute: Kara Chandler & Dave La Fame.

The Venue at Mudge Ranch, 1323 Loblolly Bay Rd SW, LaBelle. Dinner 6p, concert 7p.

410-1999.

•Naples Philharmonic: Ravel Piano Concerto concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Open Studios: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

FRIDAY

5

•Art Reception: Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 5-7p. Free. 939-2787.

•Art Reception: Arts for ACT Gallery, 2265 1st St, Ft Myers.

6-9p. Free. 337-5050.

•Art Reception: DAAS Co-op Gallery, in Butterfly Estates, 1815-3 Fowler St, Ft Myers.

6-9:30p. Free. 590-8645.

•Art Reception: Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 6-10p. Live music. Free.

333-1933.

•Art Reception: Things I Like

by Catherine, 3954 Bayshore Dr, Naples. Tue-Sat 5-8p. Free.

778-4665.

•Art Walk: Receptions, exhibits, demos, live music at several galleries & studios in downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 6-10p. Free.

313-5129.

•Beach & Estuary Walk: Guided 1 hr walk. Lovers Key State Park Discovery Center, 8700 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. 10a.

Register. 463-4588.

•Brad Upton: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6 & 8p. 389-6901.

•Chazz Palminteri: Raconteur.

Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Chris Bepko: Live music.

Sidney’s Rooftop Sculpture Garden, Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 7-11p. Free.

333-1933.

•Chris MacDonald’s Memories of Elvis Rockin’ Birthday

Bash: Concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8p.

481-4849.

•Comedy Nite: Mark ‘Southern Nit Stupid’, Lori Evans. Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Friends & Inspirations concert. Neel Performing Arts Center, State College of Florida, 5840 26 St W, Bradenton, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3434.

•The Poelker Brothers: Outdoor concert. Babcock Ranch bandshell. Founders Square, 42850 Crescent Loop, 6-8p.

Free. 941-200-1482.

SATURDAY

•A Great Gatsby Funeral for a Gangster: GibsonHouse Mystery Performers interactive mystery.

Edison Restaurant, 3583 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers, 6p.

867-6098.

•Art & Crafts Show: Outdoor art show. Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Dr, Marco Island. 10a-4p. Free.

642-7270.

•Beach Cleanup: With park ranger. Lovers Key State Park Discovery Center, 8700 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. 10a. Free, register. 463-4588.

•Brad Upton: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6 & 8p. 389-6901.

•Carmen Lundy: Jazz concert.

Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7:30p.

495-8989.

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p.

323-6570.

•Comedy Nite: Gid Pool, Sheetha the Comedian. Cape Cabaret.

4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•Detroit Doors: Doors tribute concert. Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 7p. 323-6570.

•Exhibition Reception:

The Screaming Orphans perform January 15 at the Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point in Fort Myers.

Jan1 MONDAY

•Coconut Point New Year’s Eve Art Festival: Art fair, live music. Coconut Point Mall parking lot, 23130 Fashion Dr, Estero. 10a-5p. Free. 561-7466615.

•Indie Film Screening & Discussion: Hosted by Fort Myers Film Festival. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers.

F t . M yers magazine

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DECEMBER 2023 – JAN U AR Y 2024

6

What Goes On Ancestral Table. Immokalee Pioneer Museum, 1215 Roberts Ave, Immokalee. 10a-12pp. Free.

252-2611.

•Guided Forest Bathing: Rookery Bay National Research Reserve, Environmental Learning Center, 300 Tower Rd, Naples. 9:30a. Register.

530-5972.

•Naples Jazzmasters Dixieland Band: Free indoor concert. River Park Community Center, 301 11th St N, Naples. 2-4p. Free.

612-327-3835.

•Naples Philharmonic: Ravel Piano Concerto concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Outdoor Art & Craft Show: Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Dr, Marco Island. 10a-4p. Free.

394-4221.

•Reckless Saints: Americana concert, Ken Dunn opens. All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers.

7p. 691-4069.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Friends & Inspirations concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-9533434.

•SWFL Symphony: Beethoven No. 5. Masterworks concert w Charles Yang, violin. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. Lecture 6:30p, concert 7:30p. 418-1500.

•The Champ Saxon band Concert. Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 772-5862.

•Til Death Do Us Part… You First!: Play. Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 1p. 323-6570.

SUNDAY

7

•Adam Hunter: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6p.

389-6901.

•Canadian Brass: Concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 693-4849.

•Naples Big Band: Concert.

Veterans Park, 901 Park Ave, Marco Island. 2-4p. Free.

777-0416.

•Naples Dixieland Jazz Band: Free indoor concert.

Cambier Park, 6th Ave S & 8th St S, Naples. 2-4p. Free. 612327-3835.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Outdoor Art & Craft Show: Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Dr, Marco Island. 10a-4p. Free.

394-4221.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Friends & Inspirations concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 2:30p. 941-953-3434.

•The Rowdy Bards: Irish pub music. Point Ybel Brewing, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. 4-7p. Free. 603-6535.

•Yo-Yo Ma: Conversation & music. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

7p. 597-1900.

MONDAY

8

•Adam Hunter: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

•Author Lecture & Lunch: Arshay Cooper. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 12p. 333-1933.

•Dwight Icenhower - Tribute to Elvis: Concert. Venice Performing Arts Center, Venice High School, 1 Indian Ave, bldg.

5, Venice. 7:30p. 941-488-1115.

•The Texas Tenors: Concert.

Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point, 17281 On Par Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 415-5667.

TUESDAY

9

•Adam Hunter: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret.

4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. Free. 549-3000.

•Mozart & Clara Schumann: Naples Philharmonic members concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

3p. 597-1900.

•Naples Philharmonic Pops: Megan Hilty concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Songwriters on the Plaza: Free acoustic concert w Fred Ball, Matt Hannam, JD Lashley.

Downtown Ft Myers Library amphitheater, S Cornog Plaza, 1651 Lee St, Ft Myers. 6-7:30p.

Free. 691-4069.

WEDNESDAY

10

•Ann Hampton Callaway: Concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

6 & 8:30p. 597-1900.

•Art Reception: Live music, wine, hors d’oevres. Coco Art Gallery, Coastland Center, 1924 Tamiami Tr S, Naples. Wed-Sun 5-7p. Free. 436-3530.

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy

Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Chief William Bratton: Former Chief of Police in NYC, LA & Boston - lecture. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 7:30p.

395-0900.

•Florida Everblades vs Savannah Ghost Pirates: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero.

7:30p. 948-7825.

•Lecture: From the Cape to California - Artists that Shaped America. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 12p. 495-8989.

•Naples Philharmonic Pops: Megan Hilty concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Sarasota Orchestra: By Special Arrangement concert.

Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 5:30p. 941-9533434.

•Shannon Ford: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p.

389-6901.

•The Music of Abba: Tribute concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p.

481-4849.

THURSDAY

11

•Art Reception: Creative Liberties Artist Studios & Gallery, 901-B Apricot Ave, Sarasota. xp. 941-799-6634.

•Art Reception: Creative Liberties Artist Studios, Gallery & Academy, 927 Lime Ave, Sarasota. 5-7p. Free. 941-7996634.

•Art Reception: Hirdie Girdie Gallery, 2490 Library Way, Sanibel. 5-7p. Free. 395-0027.

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Festival of Birds: Presentations, guided

The Amernet String Quartet perform January 21 in the U Tobe Recital Hall on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus in Fort Myers.

DECEM B ER 2023 – JA NUAR Y 2024

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field trips, birding walks, buggy rides, boat tours, speakers.

Rookery Bay National Research Reserve, 300 Tower Rd, Naples.

9a-4p. Register. 530-5977.

•Irish Jam: Live music. Point Ybel Brewing, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. 6-9p. Free.

603-6535.

•Jazz Jam: Gulf Coast Jazz Collective concert - Music of Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Chick Corea & more. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Ln, Ft Myers. 7p. 2771700.

•Lecture & Book Signing: Barbara Kingsolver. ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel.

10a. 472-1100.

•Naples Philharmonic Pops: Megan Hilty concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Open House & Art Reception: Arts Bonita Visual Arts Center, 26100 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. 6-8p. Free.

495-8989.

•Open Studios: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

•Piano Talks: Two Pianos, Six Hands concert w Jodie DeSalvo.

Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 7p. 597-1900.

•R&B Legends: Concert w Russell Thompkins Jr & the New Stylistics, Harold Melvin’s Bluenotes. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8p.

481-4849.

•Sarasota Orchestra: By Special Arrangement concert.

Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-9533434.

•Silent Auction: Fundraiser for CROW. Tower Gallery, 751 Tarpon Bay Rd. 5-8p. Free.

579-0659.

•Tesla: Concert. Seminole Casino Hotel, 506 S 1st St, Immokalee.

8p. 800-218-0007.

FRIDAY

12

•Art Reception & Open House: Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 6-8p.

495-8989.

•Art Reception: Cape Coral Art Center, Rubicond Park, 4533 Coronado Pkwy, Cape Coral.

5-7p. Free. 574-0802.

•Art Reception: Ft Myers Beach Art Assoc. Cape Coral Art Center, 4533 Coronado Pkwy, Cape Coral. 5-7p. Free.

463-3909.

•Art Reception: Venice Art Center, 390 Nokomis Ave S, Venice. 5-7p. Free. 941-4857136.

•Comedy Nite: Jimmy Keys.

Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•Della Mae: Bluegrass concert.

Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. Cocktails 6:30p, concert 7:30p. 333-1933.

•Festival of Birds: Presentations, guided field trips, birding walks, buggy rides, boat tours, speakers.

Ft . Mye rs magazine

Rookery Bay National Research Reserve, 300 Tower Rd, Naples.

9a-4p. Register. 530-5977.

•Florida Everblades vs Savannah Ghost Rabbits: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7:30p. 948-7825.

•Los Palaminos: Concert. The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.

8p. 985-9839.

•Naples Philharmonic Pops: Megan Hilty concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Nostaljah: Reggae band.

Sidney’s Rooftop Sculpture Garden, Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Free.

333-1933.

•Sarasota Orchestra: By Special Arrangement concert.

Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 5:30p. 941-9533434.

•The Bronx Wanderers: Concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

8p. 597-1900.

SATURDAY

13

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Bonita Springs National Art Festival: Outdoor fine art & fine craft fair. Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St, Bonita Springs. 10a-5p. 495-8989.

•Celebration in the Sky: Largest fireworks show in Florida.

Seminole Casino Hotel, 506 S 1st St, Immokalee. 9p. 800218-0007.

•Clowning Around Comedy Show: Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 772-5862.

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p. 323-6570.

•Festival of Birds: Presentations, guided field trips, birding walks, buggy rides, boat tours, speakers.

Rookery Bay National Research Reserve, 300 Tower Rd, Naples.

9a-4p. Register. 530-5977.

•Fine Arts & Crafts Show: Naples Artcrafters. Cambier Park, 755 8th Ave S, Naples.

10a-4p. Free. 304-5258.

•Florida Everblades vs Savannah Ghost Rabbits: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7p. 948-7825.

•Garden Talk: Growing Crotons.

Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers.

10a. 334-7419.

•Gulf Coast Symphony: Beethoven Symphony No. 4 concert. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Ln, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 2771700.

•Inspire Your Inner Artist: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

•Lecture: Estero Historical Society - Prehistoric Florida.

Country Creek Country Club,

DECEMBER-JANUARY 21180 Country Club Dr, Estero.

9:30a. Free. 272-1911.

•Live Wrestling: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 4p. 323-6570.

•Naples Philharmonic Pops: Megan Hilty concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Nightbird Stevie Nicks tribute band. The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 985-9839.

•Open Artist Studios & Galleries: More than 30 galleries & studios in Sarasota Studio Artists Association.

Various locations throughout Sarasota. 11a-3p. Free.

•Sarasota Orchestra: By Special Arrangement concert.

Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-9533434.

•The Cher Show: Musical. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8p. 481-4849.

•The Greatest Piano Men: Billy Joel & Elton John tribute concert. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 8p. 395-0900.

SUNDAY

14

•Bonita Springs National Art Festival: Outdoor fine art & fine craft fair. Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St, Bonita Springs. 10a-5p. 495-8989.

•Celebrating of Martin Luther King Jr: Reenactments of MLK Jr speeches, live music & dance. Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N Orange Ave, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-366-1505.

•Gulf Coast Symphony: Beethoven Symphony No. 4 concert. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Ln, Ft Myers. 3p. 277-1700.

•Lee County Community Band: Mariner High School, 701 Chiquita Blvd N, Cape Coral. 3p.

Free. 600-9052.

•Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo: Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7p.

941-953-3368.

•Love is in the Air: Voices of Naples concert. St Leo’s Catholic Church, 28290 Beaumont Rd, Bonita Springs. 3p. 455-2582.

•Mozart & Clara Schumann: Naples Philharmonic members concert. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

3p. 597-1900.

•Naples Concert Band: Free outdoor concert - Cinemagic.

Cambier Park bandshell, Park St, downtown Naples. 2-4p. Free.

270-1221.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Punta Gorda Symphony: Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition & Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto concert.

Charlotte Performing Arts Center, 701 Carmalita St, Punta Gorda. 3:30p. 941-205-5996.

•Sarasota Orchestra: By Special Arrangement concert.

Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman

Grand Piano Series presents the Callisto String Quartet & Milana Strezeva, January 18 at the St. Leo Auditorium in Bonita Springs.

Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 4p. 941-9533434.

•The Cher Show: Musical. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 1 & 6:30p. 481-4849.

•Windjammers: Circus music concert & Sailor Circus show.

Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia St, Sarasota. 1p. 941-355-9805.

MONDAY

15

•Craig Shoemaker: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30p.

389-6901.

•Glen Miller Orchestra: Concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30p.

481-4849.

•Screaming Orphans: Pop rock concert. Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point, 17281 On Par Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 415-5667.

•Society Scotch & Chocolate: Sip & learn about scotch, paired with sweets. Historic Palm Cottage, 137 12th Ave S, Naples.

4-6p. Register. 261-8164.

•Sofia Philharmonic: Concert w Liya Petrova. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota.

7:30p. 941-966-6161.

•Stardust Memories: Big Band music. The Venue at Mudge Ranch, 1323 Loblolly Bay Rd SW, LaBelle. Dinner 6p, concert 7p. 410-1999.

•Tribute to Linda Ronstadt: Elizabeth Ward Land concert.

Presented by TheatreZone. G&L Theatre, Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Rd, Naples. 4 & 7:30p. 888-9663352.

TUESDAY

16

•Artful Arrangements Special Preview: Japanese tea ceremony & Ikebana floral demos. Naples Art District, Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

2-4p. 247-1977.

•Craig Shoemaker: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30p.

389-6901.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret.

4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. 549-3000.

•Screaming Orphans: Pop rock concert. Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point, 17281 On Par Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 415-5667.

•Sofia Philharmonic Orhcestra Concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30p.

693-4849.

WEDNESDAY

17

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Classic Seger: Bob Seger tribute concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers.

7:30p. 481-4849.

•Craig Shoemaker: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30p.

389-6901.

•Michael Steele: Former Lt. Governor of Maryland & MSNBC contributor - lecture. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 7:30p.

395-0900.

•The Four Phantoms: Concert.

Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 8p. 941-953-3368.

THURSDAY

18

•‘Ding’ Wild Days of Wellness: Programs, lectures, guided hiking, biking, walks. ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel.

10a-4p. Free. 472-1100.

•Art Reception & Artist Talk: Artist talk in U Tobe Recital Hall, Music Bldg. 6p; reception in Wasmer Gallery, FGCU Arts Complex, 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Ft Myers. 6:308p. Free. 590-7199.

•Art Reception: Creative Liberties Artist Residencies at Gaze Modern Gallery, 340 Central Ave, Sarasota. 5-7p.

Free. 941-799-6634.

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Art Reception: Visual Arts

F t . M yers magazine

65

Center, 210 Maud St, Punta Gorda. 5-7p. Free. 941-6398810.

•Artful Arrangements Opening Night Preview Parties: Naples Art District artists’ works re-imagined by floral designers.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

5-7p. 247-1977.

•Callisto String Quartet & Milana Strezeva: Grand Piano Series concert. St Leo Auditorium, 28290 Beaumont Rd, Bonita Springs. 7:30p. 469333-3231.

•Jeremy Denk: Classical music concert. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 7:30p. 395-0900.

•L-Yen: Cuban music concert.

Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Dr, Marco Island. 5:30p. 642-7270.

•Lecture & Book Signing: Dr Sabine Grunwald - Unplug to Reconnect. ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel. 10a & 1p.

Free. 472-1100.

•Lecture: Ebbets in the Everglades. Museum of the Everglades, 105 W Bwy, Everglades City. 2p. Free.

695-0008.

•Murder Mystery Dinner: Gulfshore Opera concert. Shangri-La Springs, 27750 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. 6p. rsvp. 529-3925.

•Open Studios: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

•Sanibel Captiva Art League Meeting: Guest speaker Nancy Nowack. Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. 1-3p. Free. 322-8593.

•The Rocket Man Show: Elton John tribute concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8p. 481-4849.

FRIDAY

19

•‘Ding’ Wild Days of Wellness: Programs, lectures, guided hiking, biking, walks. ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel.

10a-4p. Free. 472-1100.

•Andrew Dice Clay: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 7p. 389-6901.

•Artful Arrangements: Naples Art District artists’ works re-imagined by floral designers.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. 247-1977.

•Comedy Nite: RC Smith. Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•David Mayfield Parade: Bluegrass concert. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers.

Cocktails 6:30p, concert 7:30p.

333-1933.

•Exhibition Reception: Ebbets in the Everglades. Museum of the Everglades, 105 W Bwy, Everglades City. 5-7p. Free.

695-0008.

•Kansas: Concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8p. 481-4849.

•Michael Ian Black: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 9p. 389-6901.

•Music Walk: Live music &

DECEMBER 2023 – JAN U AR Y 2024

dancing at several cafes, clubs & galleries. Downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 6-10p.

Free. 313-5129.

•Nature Walk: Guided walk.

Lovers Key State Park Discovery Center, 8700 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. 10a. Register.

463-4588.

•Rockabillaque Florida Kick-Off Party: Free concert.

Seminole Casino Hotel Zig Zag Lounge, 506 S 1st St, Immokalee. 6-11p. Free. 800218-0007.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Broadway Showstoppers concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-953-3434.

•The Lineup Band: Live music.

Sidney’s Rooftop Sculpture Garden, Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Free.

333-1933.

SATURDAY

20

•‘Ding’ Wild Days of Wellness: Programs, lectures, guided hiking, biking, walks. ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel.

10a-4p. Free. 472-1100.

•Andrew Dice Clay: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30p. 389-6901.

•Artful Arrangements: Naples Art District artists’ works re-imagined by floral designers.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. 247-1977.

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p. 323-6570.

•Dan Navarro: Americana concert, Andy Getch opens. All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers.

7p. 691-4069.

•Gulf Coast Symphony: A Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue.

BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 2771700.

•Gulf Coast Writers Association Meeting: Guest speaker. Word of Life Church, 6111 South Pointe Blvd, Ft Myers. 10a-12p. Free.

770-906-7885.

•Michael Ian Black: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 8:30p. 389-6901.

•Murder Among the Stars: GibsonHouse Mystery Performers interactive mystery.

Cape Cabaret, 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 6p. 867-6098.

•Music in the Garden: Kelly Neff Quartet. Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples. 2-4p. 643-7275.

•Rockabillaque Florida: Free outdoor concert - JD McPherson, Hillbilly Moon Explosion, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Messer Chups, Deke Dickerson & The Whippersnappers, Reckless Ones, Abby Girl & The Real Deal, The McCharmleys, The Centuries, Patina Turners, The Intoxicators, Jared Petteys & The Headliners, Skinny McGee & the Handshakes. Classic car & vintage motorcycle show.

Seminole Casino Hotel, 506 S 1st St, Immokalee. 11a-8p. Free.

800-218-0007.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Broadway

What Goes On Showstoppers concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 2:30 & 7:30p. 941953-3434.

•SWFL Fine Craft Guild: Member meeting. Cape Coral Art Center, Rubicond Park, 4533 Coronado Pkwy, Cape Coral. 11a-1p. Free. 5740802.

SUNDAY

21

•‘Ding’ Wild Days of Wellness: Programs, lectures, guided hiking, biking, walks. ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel.

10a-4p. Free. 472-1100.

•Amernet String Quartet: Concert. U Tobe Recital Hall, Music Bldg, FGCU, 1051 FGCU Blvd S, Ft Myers. 3p. 745-4268.

•Atomic Splash Pool Party: Live music, contests. Seminole Casino Hotel Pool, 506 S 1st St, Immokalee. 12-3p. 800-2180007.

•Beatles Beat: Tribute band.

The Venue at Mudge Ranch, 1323 Loblolly Bay Rd SW, LaBelle. Dinner 4p, concert 5p.

410-1999.

•Bonita Springs Concert Band: Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St, Bonita Springs. Bring lawn chair or blanket. 2-4p. Free.

405-3320.

•Flagship Romance, The Rough & Tumble: Americana concert.

Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 5p.

939-2787.

•Gianmarco Soresi: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 8:30p. 389-6901.

•Michael Ian Black: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30p. 389-6901.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Readers Theater: New Play Festival. One-act plays. The Naples Players. Beverly Hall, Naples United Church, 5200 Crayton Rd, Naples. 7:30p.

263-7990.

•Sarasota Orchestra: String & Piano Quartets chamber concert. Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 4p.

941-953-3434.

•The Life & Music of George Michael: Tribute concert. BB Mann Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7p. 481-4849.

•The She Gees: Bee Gees tribute concert. Broadway Palm Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. Dinner 5:30p, show 7p.

278-4422.

MONDAY

22

•Ensemble New SRQ: Night & Day. Classical music concert.

First Congregational Church, 1031 S Euclid Ave, Sarasota.

7:30p.

•Little Shop of Horrors: Director’s cut film screening.

Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 495-8989.

•Michael Palascak: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30p.

389-6901.

•Portrait of Aretha: Aretha Franklin tribute concert.

Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave S, Venice. 7:30p.

941-488-1115.

•The She Gees: Bee Gees tribute concert. Broadway Palm Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. Lunch 11:30a, show 1p & dinner 5:30p, show 7p.

278-4422.

TUESDAY

23

•A Toast to Steve & Eydie: Valerie Snead-Roy & Jim Rice concert tribute to Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormet.

Charlotte Players, Langdon Playhouse, 1182 Market Circle, Port Charlotte. 6p. 941-2551022.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret.

4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. 549-3000.

•Michael Palascak: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30p.

389-6901.

•Taste of Opera: Gulfshore Opera concert. Hideaway Beach Club, 250 S Beach Dr, Marco Island.

6p. rsvp. 529-3925.

WEDNESDAY

24

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Cher, Billy Joel & Lady Gaga Tribute Concert: Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S Heathwood, Marco Island.

6:30p. 389-6447.

•David Wasserman: What’s the Roadmap to the 2024 Elections lecture. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 7:30p. 395-0900.

•Florida Everblades vs Atlanta Gladiators: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7:30p.

948-7825.

•Harlem Quartet: Classical music concert. Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-9666161.

•Michael Palascak: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 6:30p.

389-6901.

•Steve Davis: Jazz concert w Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra. Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples.

6 & 8:30p. 597-1900.

•Yacht Rock Review: Rock concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p.

941-953-3368.

THURSDAY

25

•Anthony McGill, Susanna Phillips, Myra Huang: Classical music concert. BIG ARTS, 900

Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 7:30p.

395-0900.

•Art Reception: Joel Shapses Gallery, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. 1-5p. Free. 954-8303156.

•Dueling Pianos: Concert.

Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. Cocktails 6:30p, concert 7:30p. 333-1933.

•Family Fun Night: Live music, dance demos, crafts, games, mini zoo w exotic animals. Bell Tower Shops, Daniels Pkwy & US 41, Ft Myers. 5-7p. Free.

318-8560.

•Full Moon Tour: Guided tour, wine. Historic Palm Cottage, 137 12th Ave S, Naples. 6p. Reserve.

261-8164.

•Irish Jam: Live music. Point Ybel Brewing, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. 6-9p. Free.

603-6535.

•Lecture & Book Signing: Richard Crossely - The Power of Birding. ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel. 10a & 1p. Free.

472-1100.

•Naples Philharmonic: Death & Transfiguration concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Night in Italy: Gulfshore Opera concert. St. Leo Parish Life Center, 28290 Beaumont Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 529-3925.

•Off the Walls: Fundraiser.

Art, music, dining. Arts Bonita Visual Arts Center, 26100 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. 6-8p.

Free. 495-8989.

•Open Studios: Naples Art District Studios & Galleries.

Receptions, exhibits, demos.

Shirley St & J&C Blvd, Naples.

1-5p. Free. 247-1977.

•Stephanie Trick & Paolo Aldrighi: Jazz concert. Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point, 17281 On Par Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p.

415-5667.

•The Broadway Hollywood Songbook: Concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 6 & 8:30p. 597-1900.

•The Guess Who: Rock concert.

Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 7:30p. 941-9533368.

FRIDAY

26

•Al Ernst: Comedy. M Arts Center Theatre, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 7:30p.

404-5198.

•Comedy Nite: Sheena Reagan.

Cape Cabaret. 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7p. 549-3000.

•Florida Everblades vs Atlanta Gladiators: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7:30p.

948-7825.

•Garden Side Chickee Chat: Future of Collier County.

Historic Palm Cottage & Norris Garden, 137 12th Ave S, Naples.

11ap. 261-8164.

•Jaded Aerosmith: Tribute concert. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. Cocktails 6:30p, concert 7:30p. 333-1933.

•Naples Philharmonic: Death & Transfiguration concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Titans

DECEM B ER 2023 – JA NUAR Y 2024

66

J.D. McPherson performs during the Rockabillique music festival, January 20 at the Seminole Casino Hotel in Immokalee. concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 2:30 & 7:30p. 941-953-3434.

•The Broadway Hollywood Songbook: Concert. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 6 & 8:30p. 597-1900.

SATURDAY

27

•Comedy Night: Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 9:30p. 323-6570.

•En Plein Air Painting Festival: Naples Art District artists.

Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples. 10a-2p.

247-1977.

•Ernest: Country music concert, Jake Worthington & Cody Lohden open. The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p.

985-9839.

•Florida Everblades vs Atlanta Gladiators: Minor league ice hockey. Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Pkwy, Estero. 7p.

948-7825.

•International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Film screening. Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center, 975 Imperial Golf Course Blvd, #108, Naples. 11a. Reservations required. 263-9200.

•Iva Ugrcic & Satoko Hayami: Flute & piano concert. U Tobe Recital Hall, Music Bldg, FGCU, 1051 FGCU Blvd S, Ft Myers.

7:30p. 745-4268.

•Judith Hill: Soul concert. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel.

8p. 395-0900.

•Plein Air Fest: Artists paint throughout gardens. Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples. 10a2p. 643-7275.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Titans concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 2:30 & 7:30p. 941-953-3434.

•Seth Walker: Americana concert, Dhruva Stephenson opens. All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 691-4069.

SUNDAY

28

•AJ Croce: Croce Does Croce - Jim Croce tribute concert.

Seminole Casino Hotel, 506

Ft . Mye rs magazine

S 1st St, Immokalee. 8p. 800218-0007.

•Beaux Arts Trio: Chamber music concert. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Ln, Ft Myers. 7p. 277-1700.

•Cleveland Orchestra: Concert.

Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 7p. 597-1900.

•Love is in the Air: Voices of Naples concert. First Presbyterian Church, 250 6th St S, Naples. 4p. Free. 455-2582.

•Naples Big Band: Concert.

Cambier Park, 755 Park St S, Naples. 2-4p. Free. 777-0416.

•Night in Italy: Gulfshore Opera concert & dinner. Carmelo’s Ristorante, 321 W Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda. 6p.

529-3925.

•Open Blues Jam: Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 3-6p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Titans concert. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 2:30 & 2:30p. 941-953-3434.

•Terry Lee as Johnny Cash: Tribute band. The Venue at Mudge Ranch, 1323 Loblolly Bay Rd SW, LaBelle. Dinner 4p, concert 5p. 410-1999.

MONDAY

29

•BobMarley: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 5:30 & 7:30p. 389-6901.

•Dunlap & Mabe Bluegrass Band: Bluegrass concert.

Charlotte Harbor Event Center, 75 Taylor St, Punta Gorda.

7:30p. 941-255-1022.

•Naples Big Band: Concert.

Norris Center, 755 8th Ave S, Naples. 7-9p. 777-0416.

TUESAY

30

•BobMarley: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 5:30 & 7:30p. 389-6901.

•Bodytraffic: Dance concert.

BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 7:30p. 395-0900.

•Jazz & Blues Jam: Heavilin Jazz Ensemble. Cape Cabaret.

DECEMBER-JANUARY 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. 7-9:30p. 549-3000.

•Love’s First Blush: Gulfshore Opera concert. Artis-Naples, 58333 Pelican Bay Blvd. Naples.

7p. 529-3925.

•Naples Philharmonic Pops: Symphony of Illusions concert w Michael Grandinetti. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Storytelling: Tim Tingle.

Wasmer Gallery, FGCU Arts Complex, 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Ft Myers. 6p. Free. 590-7199.

WEDNESAY

31

•Al Franken: Former Minnesota Senator & SNL member – live streamed lecture. BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. 7:30p.

395-0900.

•Art After Hours: Live music, food & drinks. Baker Museum, Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 6-9p. Free.

597-1900.

•Blues Jam: Hosted by Tommy Lee Cook & the Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 8-11p. Musicians welcome. Free. 693-7111.

•BobMarley: Off the Hook Comedy Club, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. 5:30 & 7:30p. 389-6901.

•Lunch & Lecture: The History of Ragtime Music. Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 12p. 495-8989.

•Naples Philharmonic Pops: Symphony of Illusions concert w Michael Grandinetti. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 8p. 597-1900.

•Sarasota Orchestra: Revolutionary Music concert.

Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Tr. 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota. 5:30p. 941-9533434.

•Storytelling: Time Tingle.

Wasmer Gallery, FGCU Arts Complex, 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Ft Myers. 6p. Free. 590-7199.

ongoing

•A Grand Night for Singing: Jan 18-Feb 3. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Lane, Ft Myers. 277-1700.

•A Merry Little Murder: thru Dec 24. Murder Mystery Dinner Train. Seminole Gulf Railway, 2805 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.

275-8487.

•A Sherlock Carol: Dec 1-17. Florida Repertory Theatre, Historic Arcade Theatre, 2267 1st St, Ft Myers.

332-4488.

•A Soldier’s Play: Jan 18-Feb 18. Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N Orange Ave, Sarasota. 941-366-1505.

•A Tuna Christmas: thru Dec 17. The Players Centre. The Crossings at Siesta Key, 3501 S Tamiami Tr, #1130, Sarasota.

941-365-2494.

•Beehive - The 60s Musical: Jan 12-28. Florida Repertory Theatre, Historic Arcade Theatre, 2267 1st St, Ft Myers.

332-4488.

•Bonnie & Clyde - the Musical: Jan 11-21. TheatreZone, G & L Theatre, Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Rd, Naples. 888966-3352.

•Butterflies are Free: Jan 2-28.

Players Circle Theater, 13211 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers.

800-3292.

•Calendar Girls: Jan 12-Feb 11.

Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave W, Venice. 941-488-1115.

•Clue: Jan 19-28. Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 323-6570.

•Company: Jan 16-21. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 597-1900.

•Crazy For You: thru Jan 4. Asolo Repertory Theatre, Mertz Theatre, Florida State Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota.

941-351-8000.

•Dreamwork’s Madagascar - a Musical Adventure Jr: thru Dec 24, selected matinees.

Broadway Children’s Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.

980-5674.

•Elf - the Musical: Dec 14-31.

Fort Myers Theatre, 16120

San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers.

323-6570.

•Elf - the Musical: thru Dec 25. Broadway Palm Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.

278-4422.

•Elvis - A Musical Revolution: Dec 30-Feb 17.

Broadway Palm Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.

278-4422.

•Evolving/Revolving: Sarasota Contemporary Dance. Jan 18-21. Jane Cook Theater, 555 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 941260-8485.

•Funny Girl: Dec 26-31. ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 597-1900.

•Hadestown: Jan 23-28. BB Mann Performing Arts Hall, 13350 FSW Pkwy, Ft Myers.

481-4849.

•Hadestown: Jan 30-Feb 4. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 941-953-3368.

•Harvey: Jan 10-28. The Naples Players. McSpadden Hall, Naples United Church, 5200 Crayton Rd, Naples. 263-7990.

•Ho! Ho! Ho! - The Christmas Show: thru Dec 17. Players Circle Theater, 13211 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers. 800-3292.

•Home for the Holidays: Dec 1517. TheatreZone, G & L Theatre, Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Rd, Naples.

888-966-3352.

•Inherit the Wind: Jan 17-Feb 24. Asolo Repertory Theatre, Mertz Theatre, Florida State Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota.

941-351-8000.

•Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: Dec 12-17. Fort Myers Theatre. Arts Center Theatre, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 642-7270.

•It’s a Wonderful Life - A Live Radio Play: Dec 8 & 9. The Naples Players. Outdoors in Cambier Park, 755 8th Ave S, Naples. 263-7990.

•James & the Giant Peach: Jan 18-28. Cultural Park Theatre Company youth cast, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral.

772-5862.

The Americana Community Music Association presents Seth Walker, January 27 at All Faiths Unitarian Congregation in Fort Myers.

Theater •24-Hour Playwriting Project: Dec 2.

Laboratory Theater of Florida, 1634 Woodford Ave, Ft Myers. 218-0481.

•A Brave New Wonderland: thru Dec 31. Nik Wallenda.

Circus Arts Conservatory Big Top, behind Mall at University Town Center, Nathan Benderson Park, 195 University Town Center Dr, Sarasota. 941-3559805.

•A Christmas Carol: Dec 1-20.

Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave W, Venice. 941-488-1115.

•A Doublewide Texas Christmas: thru Dec 25. Off Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.

278-4422.

F t . M yers magazine

67

•Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville: Jan 19-Feb 18.

Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave W, Venice. 941-488-1115.

•Judith: Jan 5-Feb 18. Urbanite Theatre, 1487 2nd St, Sarasota.

941-321-1397.

•Little Shop of Horrors: thru Jan 7. 1241 Florida Studio Theatre. Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St, Sarasota. 941366-9000.

•On Track for Murder: Dec 27Mar 24. Murder Mystery Dinner Train. Seminole Gulf Railway, 2805 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.

275-8487.

•Our Town: Jan 18-20. Staged reading.Royal Palm Players.

Boca Grande Community Center, 131 1st St W, Boca Grande.

941-2694.

•Pictures from Home: Dec 13Feb 18. Florida Studio Theatre.

Keating Theatre, 1241 N Palm Ave, Sarasota. 941-366-9000.

•Private Lives: Jan 3-21. Marco Players. Arts Center Theatre, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island.

642-7270.

•Rumors: Jan 12-28. Charlotte Players, Langdon Playhouse, 1182 Market Circle, Port Charlotte. 941-255-1022.

•Run for Your Wife: Jan 11-Feb 25. Off Broadway Palm Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.

278-4422.

•Sailor Circus - Candyland: Dec 27-31. Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista, Sarasota.

941-355-9805.

•SCD + WBTT: thru Dec 3.

Sarasota Contemporary Dance & Westcoast Black Theater Troupe. Jane Cook Theater, 555 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 941260-8485.

•Snowbird Follies: thru Dec 23. Music & Arts Community Center, 13411 Shire Lane, Ft Myers. 277-1700.

•Solo Fest: Dec 8-17. Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave W, Venice. 941-488-1115.

•Stew: Jan 12-Feb 3 (previews Jan 10 & 11). Laboratory Theater of Florida, 1634 Woodford Ave, Ft Myers. 218-0481.

•Take It to the Limit: thru Apr 7. Florida Studio Theatre.

Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N Palm Ave, Sarasota. 941-366-9000.

•The Cher Show - a New Musical: Jan 10-12. Van Wezel Hall, 777 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. 941-953-3368.

•The Christmas Express: thru Dec 17. Lemon Bay Playhouse.

96 W Dearborn St, Englewood.

941-475-6756.

•The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Revised) (Again): thru Dec 10. Marco Players. Arts Center Theatre, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island.

642-7270.

•The Fantastiks: Jan 18-Feb 11.

The Naples Players. Beverley Hall, Naples United Church, 5200 Crayton Rd, Naples.

263-7990.

•The Lehman Trilogy: Jan 31Mar 24. Florida Studio Theatre.

Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St, Sarasota. 941-366-9000.

•The Lifespan of a Fact: Jan 19Feb 4. The Studio Players, Joan Jenks Auditorium, Golden Gate

DECEMBER 2023 – JAN U AR Y 2024

Community Center, 4701 Golden Gate Pkwy, Naples. 389-9192.

•The Little Town of Christmas: Dec 13-17. Cultural Park Theatre Compnay, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral.

772-5862.

•The Mountaintop: Dec 15-Jan 14. Florida Repertory Theatre, ArtStage Studio Theatre, 2267 1st St, Ft Myers.

332-4488.

•The Refugees: Jan 11-Feb 4.

Gulfshore Playhouse. Norris Center, 755 5th Ave S, Naples.

261-7529.

•The Sound Inside: thru Dec 3.

Urbanite Theatre, 1487 2nd St, Sarasota. 941-321-1397.

•The Sunshine Boys: Jan 17-Feb 11. Lemon Bay Playhouse. 96 W Dearborn St, Englewood. 941475-6756.

•Tick, Tick… Boom!: Jan 11-28. The Players Centre. The Crossings at Siesta Key, 3501 S Tamiami Tr, #1130, Sarasota.

941-365-2494.

•Til Death Do Us Part… You First!: Jan 6. Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers. 323-6570.

•To Die For: Dec 2-Jan 13.

Florida Studio Theatre Improv.

Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St, Sarasota. 941-366-9000.

•Up on the Roof: thru Feb 12.

Florida Studio Theatre. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St, Sarasota.

941-366-9000.

•Which Way to the Stage: Jan 18-28. Theatre Conspiracy.

Foulds Theatre, Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 936-3239.

•White Christmas: Dec 7-10.

Fort Myers Theatre, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #5, Ft Myers.

323-6570.

•Winter Wonderettes: thru Dec 17. Gulfshore Playhouse. Norris Center, 755 5th Ave S, Naples.

261-7529.

•Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas - A Die Hard Musical Parody: Dec 8-23 (previews Dec 6 & 7). Laboratory Theater of Florida, 1634 Woodford Ave, Ft Myers. 218-0481.

Art Galleries •Aldo Castillo Gallery: Miromar Design Center, 10800 Corkscrew Rd, Estero. Mon-Sat 10a-5p.

312-375-8887.

•Aldo Castillo Gallery: 1634 5th Ave S, Naples. Tue-Sun 11a-7p.

312-375-8887.

•Alliance for the Arts: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. thru Dec 30: Small Works Off the Walls: Jan 5-27: It Makes Me Wonder - Kim McAnish; Tue-Fri 9a-5p & Sat 9a-1p. Receptions 1st Fri 5-7p. 939-2787.

•Arsenault Studio & Banyan Arts Gallery: Judith Liegeois Designs, 1199 3rd St, Naples.

Mon-Sat 10a-5p & Sun 1-5p.

Free. 263-1214.

•Art Center Sarasota: 707 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. Thru Jan 13: Aimee Jones, Ethan Fielder, Tom Casmer, Still Life. Mon-Sat 10a-4p. 941-365-2032.

•Art Lab: Naples Art District, 1819 J&C Blvd, Naples. Open studios Thu & 2nd Sat 1-5p.

646-358-2531.

What Goes On •Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center: 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. Thru Jan 2: Clyde Butcher - America’s Everglades. Mon-Fri 9a-5p & Sat 9a-2p. 495-8989.

•Arts Bonita Visual Arts Center: 26100 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. Thru Jan 2: Clyde Butcher - America’s Everglades; Jan 12-Feb 5: Connections. Mon-Sat 10a-5p.

495-8989.

•Arts for ACT Gallery: Dec 8-Jan 2: Tom Breckinridge; Jan 5-31: Shah Hadjebi. 2265 First St, Ft Myers. Daily 12-8p.

337-5050.

•Baker Museum: Artis-Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. thru Jan 7: Frank Stewart’s Nexus; thru Jun 30: Florida Contemporary; thru Mar 10: The Art of Food; thru Apr 28: The Face of Immokalee; thru Apr 7: Tamara Kostianovsky Botanical Revolution. Ongoing: Chihuly Collection; Magritte - Reflections of Another World; Louise Nevelson - Dawn’s Forest. Guided tours Tue-Sat 11a & Sun 1p. Art After Hours: Free last Wed 6-9p - live music, food, drinks. Tue-Sat 10a-4p, Sun 12-4p. 597-1900.

•Behind the Buddha Artists’ Studios: 9290 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10a-4p, Wed 10a-9p, Sat 1-4p.

691-3225.

•Bert’s Pine Bay Gallery: Temporarily Closed.4332 Pine Island Rd, Matlacha. 283-1335.

•BIG ARTS: 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. thru Dec 10: Involution; thru Jan 21: In the Blink of an Eye; thru Jan 21: Bea Pappas Retrospective; thru Jan 28: Imaginary Lines; Jan 26-Apr 21: Beth Schroeder. Mon-Fri 9a-4p.

395-0900.

•Bob Rauschenberg Gallery: FSW State College, Humanities Hall, 8099 College Pkwy SW, Ft Myers. thru Dec 9: DEVO 5-0 - The Beginning was the End. Mon-Fri 10a-4p & Sat 11a-3p. 489-9313.

•Bokeelia Art Gallery: 8315 Main St, Bokeelia. OCT-JUN Wed-Sun 10a-5p. 738-5280.

•Cape Coral Art Center: Rubicond Park, 4533 Coronado Pkwy, Cape Coral. Dec 1-28: Have No Fear; Jan 5-25: Let It Be - Ft Myers Beach Art Assoc Winter Show. Mon-Sat 9a-4p. Receptions second Fri of month. 574-0802.

•Cape Coral Art League: 516 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral.

Dec 4-21: Water Wonderland; Jan 8-Feb 5: Food for Thought.

Mon-Thu 11a-4p. Receptions 1st Thu. Open painting Wed 1-4p.

Meetings 1st Mon 11a. 772-5657.

•Clip Joint Barber Shop & Art Gallery: 7431 College Pkwy, unit 120, rm 136, Ft Myers. Mon & Wed-Sat 10a-8p. 281-8180.

•Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery: 52388 Tamiami Tr, Ochopee. Daily 10a-5p. 6952428.

•Clyde Butcher’s Venice Gallery & Studio: 237 Warfield Ave, Venice. Tue-Fri 10a-4:30p.

486-0811.

•Coco Art Gallery: Art Council of SWFL gallery. Coconut Point Mall, 8074 Mediterranean Dr,

Estero. Dec 6-30: SWFL Fine Craft Guild; Jan 3-24: Art Quilters Unlimited. Receptions 1st Wed 5-7p. Tue-Sun 11a-5p.

949-3073.

•Coco Art Gallery: Art Council of SWFL gallery. Ongoing: Art Council of SWFL members.

Coastland Center, 1924 Tamiami Tr N, Naples. Receptions 2nd Wed 5-7p. Wed-Sun 12-6p.

436-3530.

•Creative Liberties Artist Residencies at Gaze Modern Gallery: 340 Central Ave, Sarasota. thru Dec 31: Jim Carroll; Jan 1-Feb 29: Michael Stevenson, Rebecca Levine Quigley, Ellen Goodman. Open studio: 2nd Sat 11a-3p. Mon-Fri 9a-6p & Sat 10a-5p. 941-7996634.

•Creative Liberties Artist Studios & Gallery: 901-B Apricot Ave, Sarasota. Thru Dec 30: featured artists; Jan 4-Mar 30: featured artists. Open studio: 2nd Sat 11a-3p. Thu-Sat 10a-3p, Sun-Wed by appt, 3rd Thu 5-7p.

941-799-6634.

•Creative Liberties Artist Studios, Gallery & Academy: 927 Lime Ave, Sarasota. Thru Dec 30: featured artists; Jan 4-Feb 24: featured artists. Open studio: 2nd Sat 11a-3p. Thu-Sat 10a-3p, Sun-Wed by appt, 3rd Thu 5-7p. 941-799-6634.

•DAAS Co-op Art Gallery: 1815-3 Fowler St, Ft Myers. thru Dec 31: Reiniery Mariani aka Macramedelrey. Wed-Sun 10a-3p. Receptions 1st Fri 6-10p.

590-8645.

•East West Fine Art: Mercato, 9115 Strada Pl, #5130, Naples.

Mon-Sat 10a-7p & Sun 12-6p.

821-9459.

•Emily James Art Gallery: 720 5th Ave S, # 111, Naples. Mon 3-7p, Tue & Wed 11a-7p, Sat 11a8p, Sun 12-5p. 777-3283.

•Englewood Art Center: Ringling College of Art & Design, 350 S McCall Rd, Englewood. Tue & Thu 9a-9p, Wed-Sat 9a-4p. 941-474-5548.

•Estero Art League: Estero Park Community Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero.

Open paint Mon & Thu 9a-3p.

•Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries: 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Ft Myers. Wasmer Gallery– Dec 8-15: Senior Projects; Jan 19-Feb 29: A Tenuous Framework - Shana McCaw & Brent Budsberg. Mon-Fri 10a4p. 590-7199.

•Fort Myers Beach Art Association & Gallery:Temporarily Closed.3030 Shell Mound, Ft Myers Beach. Exhibits– Jan 5-25: Let It Be – Winter Show (Cape Coral Art Center, Cape Coral). 463-3909.

•Gallery of Matlacha: Temporarily Closed. 4625 Pine Island Rd NW, Matlacha. 443350-3188.

•Gardner Colby Gallery: 386 & 365 Broad Ave S, Naples. MonSat 10a-5p. 403-7787.

•Grand Illusion Gallery: 2443 First St, Ft Myers. Tue-Sat 10:30a-5:30p, 1st & 3rd Fri 6-10p. 461-7245.

•Guess-Fisher Gallery: Crayton Cove, 810 12th Ave S, Naples.

Mon-Thu 11a-5p, Fri & Sat 11a9p. 403-8393.

Nik Wallenda & Circus Arts Conservatory present Brave New Wonderland, thru December 31 in Nathan Benderson Park at the Mall at University Center in Sarasota.

•Harbour View Gallery: 5789 Cape Harbour Dr, #104, Cape Coral. Dec 4-31: Dana Enders, Pat Johnson; Jan 1-Feb 4: Beth Blewett, Rosemary Post.

Receptions 1st Tue 6-8p. Daily 11a-8p. 540-5789.

•Harmon-Meek Modern: 382 12th Ave S, Naples. Tue-Sat 12-4p. 261-2637.

•High Tide Studio & Gallery: 995 Central Ave, Naples. Tue-Sat 10a-4p & by appt. 228-6934.

•Hirdie-Girdie Art Gallery: 2490 Library Way, Sanibel. Dec: Terry Lynn Spry; Jan: Janinne Primus. 395-0027.

•HW Gallery: 462 9th St N, Naples. Mon-Sat 10a-5p. 2636640.

•Island Conclave: Temporarily Closed. 5101 Pine Island Rd, Bokeelia. Tue-Sat 11a-5p. 2828488.

•Island Visions: 2224 First St, Ft Myers. Sun-Thu 11a-6p, Fri & Sat 11a-9p. 282-0452.

•Joel Shapses Gallery: Naples Art District, 6240 Shirley St, #102, Naples. Receptions Thu & 2nd Sat 1-5p. By appt. 954830-3156.

•LaBelle Gallery & Cultural Center: 471 N Lee St, LaBelle.

Fri-Sun 1-5p. 863-843-2929 •Larimart Gallery: 2359 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, Galleria Shoppes, #410, Naples. Mon-Fri 10a-7p & Sat 10-3p. 276-0448 •Lovegrove Gallery & Garden: 4637 Pine Island Rd NW,

DECEM B ER 2023 – JA NUAR Y 2024

68

Matlacha. Thu-Mon 9a-2p.

203-8332.

•Marc Harris Wildlife Photography Gallery: The RitzCarlton Tiburon, 2600 Tiburon Dr, Naples, By appt. 789-7027 283-3354.

•Marco Island Center for the Arts: 1010 Winterberry Dr, Marco Island. Main Galleries— Dec 4-Jan 2: Clay Guild; Jan 8-Feb 27: Tattoos as Art. MonFri 9a-4p. 394-4221.

•Method & Concept: 26 10th St. S, Naples. Mon-Fri 10a-5p.

529-2633.

•Naples Art Studios: Naples Art District, North Line Plaza, 2172 J & C Blvd, Naples. Thru Jan 3: Richard W Rosen - Form in Sculpture. By appt. 821-1061.

•Naples Art District: Dozens of artists’ studios & galleries.

Shirley St & J&C. Jan 2-31: Frida Re-visited; Jan 16, 19, 20: Artful Arrangements. Open studios. Thu 1-5p & 2nd Sat 10-2p. 249-1977.

•Naples Art Institute: 585 Park St, Naples. thru Jan 28: Victor Vasarely. Mon-Fri 9a-5p.

262-6517.

•Norris Center: 755 5th Ave S, Naples. Mon-Fri 9a-5p & Sat 1-3p. 261-7529.

•Quidley & Company Fine Art Gallery: 375 Broad Ave S, Naples. Mon-Sat 10a-7p & Sun 11a-5p. 261-4300.

•Rachel Pierce Art Gallery: 1571 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.

Daily 10a-3p. 292-3327.

Ft . Mye rs magazine

•Rene Miville Gallery: Franklin Shops, 2200 1st St, 2nd fl, Ft Myers. Mon-Sat 10a-8p & Sun 12-7p. 333-3130.

•Ringling College of Art & Design: 2700 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota (Basch & Smith Galleries: Thompson Academic Center, 2363 Bradenton Rd; Cooley Photography Center: Bradenton Rd; Crossley Gallery: Hughes Studio Bldg, 2698 Bradenton Rd; Selby Gallery: 2700 N Tamiami Tr; Skylight & Thompson Galleries: Keating Center, Bradenton Rd; Stulberg Gallery: 1188 MLK Way).

Stulberg Gallery— thru Mar 25: Fluid Impressions - Syd Solomon. Mon-Sat 10a-4p. 941359-7563.

•Ringling Museum of Art: 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. Thru Jan 5: Shinique Smith; Thru Jan 7: As Long as There is Sun, as Long as There is Light; thru Jan 7: Guercino’s Friar with Gold Earring; thru Jan 21: 500 Years of Italian Drawings; thru Mar 3: Working Conditions; thru Jun 2: Michele Oka Doner; thru Jun 23: Mountains of the Minds - Scholars’ Rocks from China & Beyond. Circus Museum. Bayfront Gardens.

Daily 10a-5p, Thu 10a-8p. 941359-5700.

•Sanibel Captiva Art League: Temporarily Closed.Exhibitions at Sanibel Public Library, 770 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel— thru Jul 3: Fab 5 Artists. Meetings 3rd Thu 1-3p. Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.

322-8593.

•Sanibel Public Library: 770 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. Sanibel Captiva Art League exhibits– thru Jul 3: Fab 5 Artists. MonFri 9a-35p. 472-2155.

•Sarasota Art Center: 707 N Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. Thru Jan 13: Still Life. Mon-Fri 101-5p 7 Sat 12-5p. 941-365-2032 •Sarasota Art Museum: Ringling College, 1001 S Tamiami T, Sarasota. Thru Feb 11: Juana Valdes; thru Feb 11: Selection from the Basch Glass Collection; thru Mar 24: Judy Pfaff. Mon-Sat 10a-5p, Sun 11a5p. 941-309-4300.

•Sheldon Fine Art: 460 Fifth Ave S, Naples. Sun-Thu 10a-6p, Fri-Sat 10a-9p. 649-6255.

•Sidney & Berne Davis Arts Center: 2301 First St, Ft Myers.

Jan 5-25: Joan Sonnenberg; Jan 5-25: Lesley Morrow. Mon, Tue & Thu 10a-5p, Wed & Fri 10a-10p. 337-1933.

•smallwalls: Naples Art District, 6240 Shirley St, #103, Naples.

By appt & 1st Wed 3-7p, 1st Thu 11a-5p, 3rd Sat 11a-5p. 402201-6160.

•Sweet Art Gallery: 852 1st Ave S, Naples. Mon-Fri 10a-5p & Sat 11a-2p. 597-2110.

•Tammra Sigler Studio: 5760 Shirley St, # 11, Naples. By appt.

821-1017.

•Things I Like by Catherine: 3954 Bayshore Dr, Naples.

Jan: Jeff McDougal. Receptions 1st Fri, 5-8p. Tue-Sat 11a-5p.

778-4665.

•Timeless: 2218 First St, Ft Myers. Daily 11a-6p; Fri & Sat 11a-8p. 332-8463.

•Tower Gallery Artist Cooperative: 751 Tarpon Bay

DECEMBER-JANUARY Rd, Sanibel. Dec 7-Jan 7; Tiny Art Show; Jan 11-Feb 4: CROW. Tue-Sun 11a-6p. 579-0659.

•Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point: 17281 On Par Blvd, Ft Myers. Thru Dec 23: Flora & Fauna; thru Dec 23: Pat Meredith - Art of the Quilt; Jan 9-Mar 30: Hubcap as Art. TueSat 10a-3p. 415-5667.

•Union Artists Studios: Alliance of the Arts, 10051 McGregor Blvd, #202, Edwards Bldg, Ft Myers. Sat 10a-2p & by appt. 980-1394.

•Venice Art Center: 390 Nokomis Ave S, Venice. Dec 15Jan 4: The Bold & the Beautiful; Jan 12-Feb 7: Over the Edge.

Mon-Fri 9a-4p. 941-485-7136.

•Visual Arts Center: 210 Maud St, Punta Gorda. Thru Jan 2: Holiday Showcase; Jan 9-Feb 1: Through the; Jan 9-Feb 1: Ice. Mon & Fri 10a-4p, Tu-Thu 10a7p, Sat 10a-2p. 941-639-8810.

Attractions •Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Tribe of Florida Museum: Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, 30290 Josie Billie Hwy, Clewiston. Exhibit— ongoing: Explore Seminole Traditions, Art of Seminole Crafts, Seminole Pride Artwork of Jimmy Osceola.

Daily 9a-5p (entry to boardwalk closes at 4pm). 877-902-1113.

•America’s Museum of the Military & First Responders: Naples Airport, North Road Terminal, 500 Terminal Dr, Naples. Mon-Sat 10a-4p & Sun 12-3p. Free. 614-205-0357.

•Architecture Sarasota: McCullough Pavilion, 265 S Orange Ave, Sarasota. Thu-Sat 10a-4:30p & Sun 11a-4:30p.

941-364-2199.

•Artis-Naples: Baker Museum of Art, Daniels Pavilion, Hayes Hall, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. 597-1900.

•Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum: Temporarily Closed. 3075 Sanibel-Captiva Rd, Sanibel. Tue-Fri 11a-3p.

395-2233.

•Berne Davis Botanical Garden: 2166 Virginia Ave, Ft Myers. Tue & Thu 10a-1p.

Guided tours. Plein Air painting

workshops: Tue & Thu 9a-1p.

332-4942.

•Bishop Museum of Science & Nature: 201 10th St W, Bradenton. Exhibits, manatee habitat, planetarium Tue-Sat 10a-5p & Sun 12-5p. 941-7464131.

•Burroughs Home & Gardens: 2505 First St, Ft Myers. Tours Tue-Thu 11a.

Register. 337-9505 •Calusa Heritage Trail: Randall Research Center, 13810 Waterfront Dr, Pineland. Guided tours Tue-Sat 10a; Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat 1p. Sunrise-sunset.

283-2062.

•Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium: 3450 Ortiz Ave, Ft Myers. Museum, butterfly aviary, walking trails, animal talks, butterfly talks, planetarium shows daily.

Holiday Lights: Dec 8-30 6-9p.

Guided walks select Tue, Thu, Sat 10a; Full moon night hikes & haunted Walks select nites 8p.

Planetarium shows Mon-Sat 12 & 2p & Sun 12, 2, 3:30p. Holiday Lights Dec 9-23 & 26-30. TueSun 10a-4p. 275-3435.

•Cape Coral Historical Museum: 544 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. Wed-Fri 11a-4p & Sat 10a-2p. 772-7037.

•Children’s Museum of Naples: North Collier Park, 15080 Livingston Rd, Naples. Sun-Tue & Thu-Sat 10a-5p. 514-0084.

•Collier County Museum at Government Center: 3331 Tamiami Tr E, Naples. thru Dec 2: Preserving Collier - 20 Years of Conservation Collier; thru Jan 6: A Cottage Christmas. Mon-Sat 9a-4p. Free. 252-8476.

•Conservancy of SWFL: 1495 Smith Preserve Way, off Goodlette Frank Rd. Nature Center, exhibits, kayaking, nature walks, electric boat ecotours. Guided walks Mon-Sat. Register. Tue-Sat 9:30a-4p.

Free. 262-0304.

•Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary: 375 Sanctuary Rd. Visitor center, boardwalk, exhibits, guided walks, swamp walks, night events. Daily 8a-1p.

348-9151.

•CREW: Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed. Marsh Hiking Trails, 4600 Corkscrew Rd, Immokalee. Guided

Judith Hill performs January 27 at BIG ARTS on Sanibel.

wildlife walks & hospital tours, presentations 11a daily, trails open daily sunrise-sunset. Free.

657-2253.

•CROW: Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife. 3883 Sanibel-Captiva Rd, Sanibel.

Visitor Education Center, wildlife presentations daily 11a; speakers. Mon-Sat 10a-4p. Free.

472-3644.

•’Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge: 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel. Wildlife viewing, education Center. Exhibit– Dec 21-Feb 25: Niki Butcher. Wildlife drive: Sat-Thu dawn-dusk; Visitor center: Sat-Thu 9a-5p.

472-1100.

•Edison & Ford Winter Estates: 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Historic homes, gardens, laboratory, museum. Exhibits.

Guided homes tours daily; Automotive Tour: Mon 10:30a; Inside homes tour: Tue & Thu 10a (pre-register); Yoga by the River: Wed 10a; piano concert every other Wed 9:30a. Holiday Nights Celebration: thru Dec 30, 5:30-9p. Daily 9a-5:30p.

334-7419.

•Estero Historic Cottage Museum: One-room schoolhouse & historic cottage.

Estero Park, 9285 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero. Sat 1-4p.

Free. 272-1911.

•Estero Historical Society: Estero Park, 9285 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero. Sat 1-4p.

Free. 272-1911.

•Historic Palm Cottage Museum & Norris Gardens: Naples Historical Society, 137 12th Ave. S, Naples. Tours: TueSat 12-4p (register). Christmas at Palm Cottage: Dec 1-30. TueSat 12-4p. Free. 261-8164.

•Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center: 975 Imperial Golf Course Blvd, # 108, Naples.

Exhibits— thru Dec: Forgeries & the Holocaust. Guided tours.

Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 1-4p. 2639200.

•IMAG History & Science Center: Exhibits, activities, live sea life touch-tank & feedings, films. 2000 Cranford St, Ft Myers. Mon-Sat 10a-5p & Sun 12-5p. 321-7420.

•Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch: 1215 Roberts Ave W, Immokalee. Oct 7-Jan 6: Ancestral table. Tue-Sat 9a-4p.

Free. 252-2611.

•Marco Island Historical Museum: 180 S Heathwood Dr, Marco Island. Dec 26-Jan 3: A Pioneer Christmas 10a-2p; thru Mar 2: The Origins of Golf on Marco Island; thru Jun: Key Marco Deer. Tue-Sat 9a-4p.

Free. 642-1440.

•Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: 1534 Mound St, Sarasota. Jan 5-21: Rainforest Masks of Costa Rico; Feb 11-Jun 30: Yayoi Kusama - A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe.10a-5p daily.

941-366-5731.

•Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: Historic Spanish Point, 337 N Tamiami Tr, Osprey. Dec 8-Jan 3: Lights in Bloom; thru Aug 31: Clyde Butcher - Nature Through the Lens. Daily 10a-5p. 941-3665731 •Mound House: 451 Connecticut St, Ft Myers Beach. Guided

F t . M yers magazine

69

tours Tue, Wed & Sat 9a-3p; programs Tue, Wed, Sat 10a; Shell Mound tours Tue-Sat 11a & 1p; Garden tours Tue & Fri 1p; Untold Stories tours Thu 2p; Free guided beach walks Tue & Thu 9a at Newton Park, 4650 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. Wed-Sat 7:30a-6:30p.

765-0865.

•MOTE Marine Laboratory & Aquarium: 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota. Daily 10a-5p.

941-388-4441.

•Museum of the Everglades: 105 W Bwy, Everglades City. thru Jan 20: Ebbets in the Everglades. Mon-Sat 9a-4p.

Free. 695-0008.

•Museum of the Islands: 5728 Sesame Dr, Bokeelia. Tue-Sat 11a-3p. 283-1525.

•Naples Botanical Garden: 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples.

Exhibitions– Jan 27-Apr 20: Musical Swings. Fogg Café exhibit— thru Jan 21: Patricia Zalisko. Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden: thru Jan 7. Music in the Garden: 2nd Sat. Birding tours: Tue 8a. Tours daily 10a-1p on hour. Daily 9a5p, Wed 9a-8p. 643-7275.

•Naples Depot Museum: Temporarily Closed.1051 Fifth Ave S, Naples.

Mon-Sat 9a-4p. Free. 262-6525.

•Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens: 1590 Goodlette-Frank Rd, Naples. Wildlife & botanical exhibits. Daily 9a-4:30p. 2625409.

•Ostego Bay Foundation Marine Science Center: Temporarily Closed. 718 Fisherman’s Wharf, Ft Myers Beach. Mon-Sat 10a4p. 765-8101.

•Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens: 5827 Riverside Dr, Punta Gorda.

Exhibits— thru Apr 18: Glass in the Gardens. Gardens Aglow: Dec 8-10 & 15-23. Sat 10a-1p.

Dogs welcome Tue. Tue-Sun 9a-4p. 941-621-8299.

•Randell Research Center: 7450 Pineland Rd, Pineland.

Calusa Heritage Trail, South Florida archeology & ethnography exhibits. Guide Calusa Heritage Trail tours TueSat 10a; Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat 1p.

Sunrise-sunset. 283-2062.

•Revs Institute: 2500 Horseshoe Dr S, Naples. Tours & workshops. Tue, Thu, Sat 10a4p. Tix in advance. 687-7387.

•Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center: 300 Tower Rd, Naples. Exhibits, daily programs, guided boat & kayak eco-tours. Tue-Sat 9a-4p.

530-5940.

•Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Native Landscapes & Garden Center: 1300 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.

Exhibits, demonstration gardens, workshops. Dawndusk. 472-1932.

•Sanibel Historical Museum & Village: 950 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. Exhibits– xxxx. Guided tours daily 10:30a. Tue-Sat 10a4p. 472-4648.

•Sarasota Jungle Gardens: 3701 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. Live animal shows, tours. Daily 10a4p. 941-355-5305 •Shangri-La Springs: 27750 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. Organic spa, garden & dining. Garden

DECEMBER 2023 – JAN U AR Y 2024

tours Tue & Wed 10a. Daily 9a4p. 949-0749.

•Shell Factory & Nature Park: 16554 N Cleveland Ave, N Ft Myers. Shell exhibits, Animal exhibits, petting farm, Christmas house, natural history exhibits, water games, video arcade, miniature golf, playgrounds, zip line. Live music Tue-Sun afternoons.

Daily 10a-5p. 995-2141.

•True Tours: River District History Walking Tour: select Thu & Sat 10:30a; Haunted History Tours Wed & Sat 8p (register). Franklin Shops, 2200 1st St, Ft Myers. 945-0405.

•Williams Academy Black History Museum: Clemente Park, 1936 Henderson Ave, Ft Myers. Ongoing: 50 Years of Hip Hop, Anderson Avenue Economic Renaissance, MLK Corridor’s Revival. Wed-Fri 11a-4p & Sat by appt. Free.

332-8778.

•Wonder Gardens: 27180 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. Botanical gardens, animals, alligator feedings. Guided tours Thu-Mon 1p. Daily 10a-2p. 992-2591.

Parks &

Beaches •Alison Hagerup Beach: 14790 Captiva Dr, Captiva. Dawn-dusk.

Parking fee. 472-2472.

•Alva Park: 21471 N River Rd, Alva. Dawn-dusk. Free.

694-0398.

•Bailey Homestead Preserve: Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. 1300 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Home open Jan-Apr. Walking tours Mon 2p & Thu 10a. thru Apr 1: Natives in the Garden exhibit. Free.

472-1932.

•Bonita Beach Park: 27954 Hickory Blvd., Bonita Springs.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 533-7444.

•Boca Grande Park: 131 1st St, Boca Grande. Dawn-dusk. Free.

839-6008.

•Bowditch Point Park: 50 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 463-3764.

•Bowman’s Beach Park: 1700 Bowman’s Beach Rd, Sanibel.

Dawn-dusk. 533-7575.

•Brooks Park: 50 South Rd, Ft Myers. Dawn-dusk. Free.

340-0397.

•Buckingham Park: 9800 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 237-9306.

•Bunche Beach: 18201 John Morris Rd, Ft Myers. Guided beach walks Wed 9a thru Apr. Dawn-dusk. Free. 707-6794.

•Caloosahatchee Park: 18500 North River Rd, Alva. Dawndusk. Free. 693-2690.

•Cayo Costa State Park: 4 nautical miles west of Pine Island. Accessible only by boat or kayak. Camping, boating, bicycling trails. 8a-sunset daily.

941-964-0375.

•Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park: 12301 Burnt Store Rd, Punta Gorda. Environmental Center, hiking & bicycling trails, guided hikes. 8a-sunset daily.

941-575-5816.

•Collier-Seminole State Park: US 41, S Naples. Hiking & bicycling trails, boating,

What Goes On camping, boardwalk. 8a-sunset.

394-3397.

•Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park: 11135 Gulfshore Dr, Naples. Beach. Hiking trail, paddling, boating, boardwalk, restaurant. 8a-sunset. 597-6196.

•Dog Beach: 14436 Bonita Beach Causeway, Bonita Springs. Dogs can run free. Dawn-dusk. Free.

229-0632.

•Estero Bay Preserve State Park: 4940 Broadway W, Estero. Hiking trails, off-road bicycling trails, boating.

8a-sunset daily. 992-0311.

•Estero Park: 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero. Rec Center.

6a-9p. Free. 248-1609.

•Everglades National Park: Gulf Coast Visitor Center, 815 Oyster Bar Ln. Everglades City.

695-3311.

•Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park: 8137 Coastline Dr, Copeland. Hiking & bicycling trails, boardwalk, paddling, historic site. 8a-sunset daily.

695-4593.

•Four Freedoms Park: 4818 Tarpon Ct, Cape Coral. Dawndusk. Free. 574-0804.

•Gasparilla State Park: 880 Belcher Rd, Boca Grande.

8a-sunset daily. Bicycling & hiking trails, paddling, museum.

8am-sunset daily. 941-9640375.

•Harlem Heights Park: 7340 Concourse Dr, Ft Myers. Dawndusk. Free. 839-7062.

•Hickey Creek Park: 17980 Palm Beach Blvd, Alva. Dawndusk. Free. 693-2690.

•John Yarbrough Park: 14608 Six Mile Cypress Pkwy, F Myers. Dawn-dusk. Free.

218-1032.

•Judd Park: 1297 Parkview Ct, N Ft Myers. Dawn-dusk. Free.

357-5443.

•Koreshan State Historic Site State Park: US Hwy 41 & Corkscrew Rd, Estero. Access to Mound Key Archeological State Park. Historic settlement, hiking trials, boating, paddling, camping. 8a-sunset daily, historic site 8a-5p daily. 9920311.

•Kurt Donaldson Park: 180 Hunter Blvd, Cape Coral. Dawndusk. Free. 357-5443.

•Lake Manatee State Park: 20007 State Rd 64 E, Bradenton. Hiking & bicycling trails, paddling, boating.

8a-sunset. 941-741-3028.

•Lakes Park: 7330 Gladiolus Dr, Ft Myers. 7a-dusk. 533-7575.

•Lehigh Acres Park: 1400 W 5th St, Lehigh Acres. Dawndusk. Free. 204-1165.

•Lehigh Acres Trailhead Park: 213 David Ave, Lehigh Acres.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 204-1165.

•Lighthouse Beach Park: 110/153 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. 7a-dusk. 472-0345.

•Lovers Key State Park: 8700 Estero Blvd. Ft Myers Beach.

Bicycling & hiking trails, boating, paddling. Guided walks select Fri & Sat 10:30a; wildlife lectures Wed 10:30a; sunset meditations Mon 1.5 hrs before sunset; seashell walk 1st Fri 10:30a; wildlife hikes 1st Sat 10:30a; beach & estuary walk 3rd Fri 10:30a. 8a-sunset daily.

463-4588.

•Lynn Hall Beach Park: 950

DECEMBER-JANUARY Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 229-7356.

•Manatee Park: 10901 Palm Beach Blvd, Ft Myers. Free butterfly garden tours Sun 9a thru Mar. Free. 690-5030.

•Matanzas Pass Preserve: Temporarily Closed.

119 Bay Rd, Ft Myers Beach.

Free. 707-3015.

•Matlacha Park: 4577 Pine Island Rd, Matlacha. Community Center. 7a-9p. Free. 771-1078.

•Myakka River State Park: 13207 SR 72, Sarasota.

Canoeing, camping, paddling, hiking & bicycling horseback riding trails, wildlife tours by air-boat & tram, scenic drive, guided walks. 8a-sunset daily.

941-361-6511.

•Nalle Grade Park: 8350 Nalle Grade Rd, N Ft Myers. Dawndusk. Free. 357-5443.

•Naples Preserve: Eco-center.

1690 Tamiami Tr N, Naples.

Free. 261-4290.

•North Collier Park: 15000 Livingston Rd, Naples. Free.

652-4512.

•North Fort Myers Park: 2000 N Recreation Park Way, N Ft Myers. Rec Center. Dawn-dusk.

Free. 533-7200 •North Shore Park: 13001 N Cleveland Ave, N Ft Myers.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 357-5443.

•Olga Park: 2325 S Olga Dr, Ft Myers. Community Center.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 694-2291.

•Oscar Scherer State Park: 1843 S Tamiami Tr, Osprey.

Hiking & bicycling trails, paddling, camping. 8a-sunset daily. 941-483-5956.

•Phillips Park: 5675 Sesame Dr, Bokeelia. Dawn-dusk. Free.

771-1078.

•Pinewood Trails Park: 5901 Pine Island Rd NW, Bokeelia.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 771-1078.

•Rutenberg Park: 6500 South Pointe Blvd, Ft Myers. Dawndusk. Free. 340-0397.

•San Carlos Bay-Bunche Beach Preserve: 18201 John Morris Rd, Ft Myers. Free. 765-6794.

•Schandler Hall Park: 419 Royal Palm Park Rd, Ft Myers.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 533-7200.

•Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve: 7791 Penzance Blvd, Ft Myers. Boardwalk, interpretive center open TueSun 10a-4p. Guided boardwalk walks daily 9:30a. Guided ‘wet walks’ select Sat & Wed 9:30a & 1p Sep & Oct. Dawn-dusk. Free.

533-7550.

•Stump Pass Beach State Park: 900 Gulf Blvd (south end of Manasota Key, Englewood).

Hiking, paddling, guided tours.

8a-sunset daily. 941-964-0375.

•Three Oaks Park: 18251 Three Oaks Pkwy, Ft Myers. Dawn9:15p. Free. 478-6998.

•Veterans Park: 55 Homestead Rd, Lehigh Acres. Rec Center.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 369-1521.

•Wa-Ke-Hatchee Park: 16730 Bass Rd, Ft Myers. Rec Center.

Dawn-dusk. Free. 533-7468.

Libraries •Bonita Springs: 10560 Reynolds St, Bonita Springs.

Mon, Wed, Thu 10a-6p, Tue 128p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4860.

•Cape Coral-Lee County: 921

HERTZ ARENA 11000 Everblades Pkwy.

Estero 948-7825 Dec 6: vs South Carolina Stingrays Dec 8: vs South Carolina Stingrays.

Dec 9: vs South Carolina Stingrays Dec 15: vs Orlando Solar Bears Dec 16: vs Orlando Solar Bears Dec 28: vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits Dec 29: vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits Jan 10: vs Savannah Ghost Pirates Jan 12: vs Savannah Ghost Rabbits Jan 13: vs Savannah Ghost Rabbits Jan 24: vs Atlanta Gladiators: Jan 26: vs Atlanta Gladiators Jan 27: vs Atlanta Gladiators: Feb 7: vs Adirondack Thunder Feb 9: vs Adirondack Thunder Feb 10: vs Adirondack Thunder Feb 14: vs Orlando Solar Bears Feb 21: vs Worcester Railers Feb 23: vs Worcester Railers Feb 24: vs Worcester Railers Mar 6: vs Jacksonville Icemen Mar 8: vs Orlando Solar Bears Mar 20: vs Savannah Ghost Pirates Mar 22: vs Savannah Ghost Pirates Mar 23: vs Savannah Ghost Pirates Mar 29: vs Jacksonville Icemen Mar 30: vs Jacksonville Icemen Apr 10: vs Jacksonville Icemen Apr 12: vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits Apr 13: vs Greenville Swamp Rabbits

S.W. 39th Ter, Cape Coral. MonWed 9a-8p. Thu 9a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4500.

•Captiva: 11560 Chapin Ln, Captiva. Mon, Wed, Fri 10a-4p.

533-4890.

•Collier County Library Headquarters: 2385 Orange Blossom Dr, Naples. Mon-Thu 9a-8p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 2527311.

•Dunbar-Jupiter Hammon: 3095 Blount St, Fort Myers. Tue 12-8p, Wed & Thu 10a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 5334150.

•East County: 881 Gunnery Rd N, Lehigh Acres. Mon-Wed 9a-8p, Thu 9a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4200.

•East Naples: 8787 Tamiami Tr N, Naples. Tue-Thu 10a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p.

•Estates: 1266 Golden Gate Blvd W, Naples. Mon-Thu 10a-6p Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 252-7109.

•Everglades City: 102 Copeland Ave N, Everglades City. Mon-Fri 9a-12p & 1-4:30p. 295-2511.

•Fort Myers: 2450 First St, Ft Myers. Min-Wed 9a-8p, Thu 9a6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4600.

•Fort Myers Beach: Temporarily Closed. 2755 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. Mon-Sat 9a-5p.

765-8162.

•Golden Gate: 2432 Lucerne Rd,

DECEM B ER 2023 – JA NUAR Y 2024

70

Naples. Mon-Thu 10a-6p, Fri &Sat 9a-5p. 252-4542.

•Immokalee: 417 N First St, Immokalee. Tue-Thu 10a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 252-7073.

•Johann Fust: 1040 W 10th St, Boca Grande. Tue-Thu 10a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 941-964-2488 •Lakes: 15290 Bass Rd, Ft Myers. Mon-Wed 9a-8p, Thu 9a6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4000.

•Marco Island: 210 S Heathwood Dr, Marco Island. Mon-Thu 10a6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 252-7064.

•Naples: 650 Central Ave, Naples. Mon-Thu 9a-8p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p.

•North Fort Myers: 2001 N Tamiami Tr, N Ft Myers. Mon, Wed, Thu 10a-6p, Tue 12-8p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4320.

•Northwest: 519 Chiquita Blvd N, Cape Coral. Mon, Wed, Thu 10a-6p, Tue 12-8p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4700.

•Pine Island: 10701 Russell Rd, Bokeelia. Tue-Thu 10a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4350.

•Riverdale: 21471 N River Rd, Ft Myers. Mon-Fri 10a-4p.

533-4370.

•Sanibel: 770 Dunlop Rd Sanibel. Mon & Thu 9a-8p; Tue, Wed, Fri 9a-5p; Sat 9a-1p.

472-2483.

•South County: 21100 Three Oaks Pkwy, Estero. Mon-Wed 9a-8p, Thu 9a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p. 533-4400.

•South: 8065 Lely Cultural Pkwy, Naples. Mon-Thu 9a-8p, Fri & Sat 9a-5p.

•Talking Books: 1651 Lee St, Ft Myers. Mon-Fri 9a-5p. 5334780.

•Vanderbilt Beach: 788 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, Naples.

Tue-Thu 10a-6p, Fri & Sat 9a5p. 252-7160.

Live Music

& Comedy

•Americana Community Music Association Listening Room: All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Select Fri- Sun 7p. 691-4069.

•Buckingham Blues Bar: 5641 Buckingham Rd., Ft Myers.

Live music select nites. Free open blues jam Wed 8-11p & Sun 3-6p: Tommy Lee Cook & The Buckingham Blues Band w Rex Bongo & Harry Cassano.

693-7111.

•Buddha Bar: 12701 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Live music select Wed-Sun nites. 4828565.

•Cape Cabaret: 4725 Vincennes Blvd, Cape Coral. Tue nites: jazz & blues jams 7-9:30p; Comedy nites: Fri & select Sat nites 7p; live music select nites 7-10p. Tue. 549-3000.

•Coastal Dayz Brewery: 2161 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers, Live music select nites & Sat 2-5p.

Free. 204-9665.

•Downtown Social House: 1406 Hendry St, Ft Myers.

Live music in garden Wed-Tue 4-8p & Sun 3-7p: Mon- Roy Schneider; Wed- Eddie Bartley; Thu- PJ Carroll; Fri- Rich Lancaster; Sat- Countryfied Duo, Sun- The Beatless. Free.

337-7646.

Ft . Mye rs magazine

•Eight-Foot Brewing: 4417 SE 16th Pl, #11, Cape Coral. Live music select Sat 6-9p. Free.

337-7646.

•Fort Myers Brewing Company: 12811 Commerce Lake Dr, #27, Ft Myers.

Winterfest: Dec 14-17. Live music Wed 6-9p, Fri & Sat 7-10p, Sun 2-5p. Free. 3136576.

•Howl: 4160 Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers. Open mic Wed 8-11p; live music select nites.

332-0161 •Lobby Bar: Luminary Hotel, 2200 Edwards Dr, Ft Myers.

Free. 314-3723.

•Matanzas on the Bay: 414 Crescent St, Ft Myers Beach.

Live music nitely 5-9p & Sun 12-4p; last Wed 7-9p Comedy Nite. Free. 463-3838.

•Millennial Brewing: 1811 Royal Palm Ave, Ft Myers.

Live music Fri nites 6-9p. Free.

271-2255.

•Off the Hook Comedy Club: 2500 Vanderbilt Beach, Naples.

Comedians Thu-Sat & select Sun, Tue, Wed nites. 540-7867.

•Ollie’s Pub: 1019 Cape Coral Pkwy, Cape Coral. Tue: Open jam; live music select Fri & Sat nites. 540-7867.

•Palace Pub & Wine: 1317 Cape Coral Pkwy, Cape Coral. Live music & burlesque select nites.

217-0919.

•Point Ybel Brewing Company: 16120 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. 2nd & 4th Thu 6-9p: Irish Music Jam; 1st Sun 4-7p: The Rowdy Bards; Sat 1-5p: Jeff Lyons. Free. 603-6535.

•Rack ‘em Spirits & Times: 1011 SE 47th Ter, Cape Coral.

Live music select Fri & Sat nites. Free. 540-7225.

•Roadhouse Café: 15660 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. Live jazz 6:30-9:30p. Wed: Danny Sinoff Trio; Thu: Jazz-Matics; Fri: Tony Boffa & Friends; Sat: Danny Sinoff Quartet; Sun: Ricky Howard. 415-4375.

•Snappers Laugh-In Comedy Café: 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. Comedians Thu-Sat nites. 479-5233.

•South Street City Oven & Grill: 1410 Pine Ridge Rd, # 4, Naples. Live music select FriSun 8-11p. Free. 435-9333.

•South Street City Oven & Grill: 8845 Founders Square Dr, Naples. Live music select Fri-Sun 8-11p. Free. 4359333.

•Space 39 Art Bar & Martini Lounge: 39 Patio de Leon, Ft Myers. Live music select WedSat nites. 204-9949.

•The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon: 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. Live music select Fri & Sat nites. 985-9839.

•The Rhythm House: 16440 S Tamiami Tr, Ft Myers. Tue & Sat 6:30-9:30p. 466-8326.

•The Stage: 9144 Bonita Beach Rd SE, Bonita Springs. Live tribute bands select nites.

405-8566.

•Whiskey Park: 3300 Mercantile Ave, Naples. Live music Fri & Sat 9:30p-1a.

263-6777.

•Z’s Music Kitchen: 12655 Tamiami Tr E, Naples. Live music select Fri & Sat 6-9p.

304-9552.

Florida Artists Hall of Fame Inductee

CLYDE BUTCHER FINE ART

BLACK

&

WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY

Visit one of Clyde's exquisite galleries:

VENICE GALLERY & STUDIO

Clyde Butcher with his 8" x 10" large format camera

237 Warfield Ave, Venice, FL 941 .486.0811

Home of Clyde's Darkroom BIG CYPRESS GALLERY

52388 TamiamiTr. E,Ochopee, FL 23 9.695.2428

In the Heart of the Everglades

To view Clyde's photographs or to learn more, visit clydebutcher.com