The Alliance for the Arts’ Jan. 29 Arts & Culture Town Hall at FGCU will discuss five priority areas shaping the future of arts and culture in Southwest Florida:
- Access to the arts
- Community collaboration
- Art education
- Artist empowerment
- Special projects
The 10 a.m. event will feature a panel discussion, Creative Career Showcase and an opening conversation titled "What is Advocacy?" during which Alliance for the Arts Executive Director Neil Volz, FGCU Sr. Director of Experiential Learning and Career Development Jessica Rhea, and FGCU student Macy Noll will discuss how and why they got involved in advocating for the arts.
The FGCU Bower School of Music & the Arts is located at 10501 FGCU Blvd S, Fort Myers, FL 33965.
Doors open at 9:30 a.m. for networking and social time, with the town hall beginning at 10 a.m.
MORE INFORMATION:
The Jan. 29 Arts & Culture Town Hall is the third installment of the Alliance’s Arts & Culture Town Hall series. The first was held at the Alliance, with the second taking place at the Collaboratory.
This third installment marks a new collaboration with Florida Gulf Coast University.
“This town hall is about turning conversation into collaboration,” said the Alliance for the Arts’ Director Neil Volz. “By bringing together leaders, artists, and advocates from across sectors, we’re building the foundation for long-term growth and sustainability in our arts community.”
The event will open with the “What Is Advocacy” roundtable discussion by Volz, Rhea and Noll.
Noll is currently installing a mural titled “Knowledge in Motion” adjacent to the Information Desk in the Wilson G. Bradshaw Library at FGCU. [For more, read/listen to "Fifth-year FGCU student Macy Noll installing 'Knowledge in Motion' mural in campus library."]
The panel discussion will feature four arts leaders driving change and innovation across the region:
- Elysia Dawn, executive director, United Arts Collier
- Dr. Skip Pardee, Collier County Public Schools coordinator of fine arts
- Alyona Ushe, Arts Bonita executive director
- Caleb Neff, Juniper recording studio
WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall will moderate the panel discussion.
The panel discussion will be followed by a community Q&A session and networking opportunity, giving attendees a platform to share insights, ideas, and collaborative visions for the region’s creative future.
Following the panel discussion and Q&A, attendees are invited to participate in the Creative Career Showcase. Lunch will be provided, and arts organizations will have the opportunity to connect with FGCU students studying art, music, theater and related disciplines. Area arts organizations are encouraged to share their missions, programs and professional pathways, offering students insight into career possibilities within the arts.
The showcase is designed to foster meaningful connections that can develop into internships, mentorships and long-term career opportunities.
This event is free and open to the public. Everyone is encouraged to attend, whether an artist, student, educator, business leader, or passionate supporter of the arts.
For more information and to RSVP, visit ArtInLee.org.
For full disclosure, FGCU holds the broadcast license for WGCU. WGCU is a member-supported service of FGCU.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
