Alliance for the Arts

In November, there are 35 shows at art centers from Sarasota to Marco Island.

From musicals to ballet, from improv to fright nights, this Halloween, six Southwest Florida shows offer something eerily novel.

On Nov. 7, the Alliance for the Arts will host an immersive festival of burlesque, live body painting, aerial performances, music and interactive art experiences. It’s called “Nude Nocturne,” and it celebrates the human form through artistic expression, live entertainment and creative encounters.

From Sarasota to Marco Island and Venice and Sanibel to Arcadia and LaBelle, Southwest Florida is home to more than a dozen art centers. Most host visual art exhibitions showcasing member, regional and nationally renowned artists that change every month. In October, there are 30 shows at these venues.

The Alliance for the Arts and the Cape Coral Art Center are hosting a town hall meeting tonight to discuss art and culture issues impacting Southwest Florida. The town hall will focus on key priorities shaping the future of arts and culture in Southwest Florida, with a special emphasis on the arts in Cape Coral and the Amendment 3 ballot initiative that could impact local funding for arts programming and education.

The state has issued the second and final round of cultural and museum grants for the fiscal year. Four Southwest Florida arts organizations received financial support – South Florida State College in Highlands County, the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda and the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society and Shell Museum and Educational Foundation on Sanibel Island. No organizations in Sarasota, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry or Collier counties shared in this round of grants.

“Passage of Time: A Themed Members Show” considers everything from shifting seasons and aging to physical journeys and symbolic crossings from where we have been to where we are going. Artist Dahye Kim uses video, photography, light, sound and reflective screens to create an environment where past, present and future converge. Marian Fuller employs reclaimed materials and found objects to uncover unexpected meanings in ordinary things. These exhibitions are on view Oct. 2-31.

In September, there are 26 shows at area art centers.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the Alliance for the Arts will screen an interactive film that explores how we consume, interpret, and respond to information in an increasingly complex media landscape. “Sprinkles: Decoded” is an award-winning interactive film and media literacy program that explores alternative media, conspiracy theories and the rise of extremist violence.

Roland Ruocco is a studio artist, but he’s best known for the dozens of murals he’s painted across Southwest Florida. Wendy White is an abstract impressionist painter, but she’s renowned for her award-winning short film “Roses Are Blind” and one-woman play, “The Jewish Nun,” performed Off-Broadway and internationally. Their September show, “Counterparts,” at DAAS CO-OP features their studio work.