Water Lilies (Yellow Nirvana), 1920 Claude Monet
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hrough a first-time partnership of Shell Point Retirement Community and the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center (SBDAC), a month-long exhibition titled Ageless Creativity: The Artists of Shell Point featuring the work of jury-selected Shell Point artists will be on display at 2301 First Street in downtown Fort Myers during February 2017. “The goal of the exhibition is to demonstrate that creativity is neither limited nor defined by age,” said Marge Lee (Lucina), a museum consultant and exhibition interpretive planner who conceived this event. “This is an opportunity to showcase the vibrancy of this retirement community with its robust amenities for residents to nurture their creative interests and help enrich their lives.” Sponsored by FineMark National Bank & Trust, the exhibition will open concurrently with ArtFest Fort Myers, a large art fair that typically attracts hundreds of juried exhibiting artists and more than 80,000 visitors each year. “At FineMark, we believe the arts are an investment in our community, and we are proud to support Shell Point and the artists who call Shell Point home,” said Anna Anna Smith Smith, managing executive at FineMark National Bank & Trust. “We also have a wonderful relationship with the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center and believe this will be an exceptional collaboration. We are excited to be a part of the exhibition as a supporting sponsor.” A significant public relations effort is planned to promote the exhibition, which represents unique exposure for Shell Point and its talented artists, who will have a chance to introduce their work to a large, fresh audience – and a potential new market for sales. In addition, awards will be presented, courtesy of The Legacy Foundation at Shell Point, for Best of Show ($500 prize),
“Think of Monet, who was producing art late in life.” —JIM GRIFFITH
Director’s Choice ($250 prize), and People’s Choice ($250 prize).
Nurturing Culture With a mission to nurture innovation and excellence in the visual and performing arts, SBDAC brings world-renowned local and international artists and performers to Southwest Florida for exhibitions, galas, and performances. Several hundred members support SBDAC, which welcomed more than 100,000 visitors last year. Run by Florida Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, SBDAC was named for its benefactors, the late Sidney Davis and his wife, Berne, who continues to actively support its programs. The center’s entertainment and educational outreach programs benefit local youth and the disadvantaged who may not otherwise have the opportunity or access to experience world-class cultural enrichment at such an intimate level. Recent exhibitions featured a German artist who combines unconventional elements like tar and coffee in her mixedmedia artwork, a collection of Caribbean oil-on-canvas pieces, a photography exhibit, and several group shows. Visit the center’s website at www.sbdac.com. In addition to its artistic mission, Florida Arts, Inc., has a 99-year lease with the City of Fort Myers and works to preserve history and restore the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. The site on which the building now stands was a Native American Calusa Indian settlement hun-
dreds of years ago. The structure itself is a work of art – an impressive example of Neoclassical Revival architecture, with 20-foot ceilings and 10,000 square feet of exhibition space on two floors. This historic federal building opened in 1933 as a U.S. Post Office, was converted to a courthouse in the 1960s, and later vacated and left in disrepair. Today, the center is impressively renovated with original decorative steel-cased windows, granite flooring, and art nouveau-style chandeliers; ongoing restoration plans include converting the rooftop into a sculpture garden. The building’s open-air loggia contains massive ionic columns made of Florida Keys limestone; its walls are embedded with coral formations and sea shells. “Our patrons range from school-aged children just recently exposed to the arts to seasoned retirees,” said Jim Griffith, founder and executive director of SBDAC. Jim Griffith “Walking through our galleries, you will meet art novices, collectors, and connoisseurs.” “The center is a premium gallery in Southwest Florida to show artwork, from large-scale to intricate pieces. As such, this exhibition space provides a brilliant venue to showcase the wide variety of work that is being produced by Shell Point artists.”
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