Alliance for the Arts

Among the 28 art exhibits on view in August at area art centers is “Shaping Sarasota: A Century of Art” at Art Center Sarasota – which showcases the artists, volunteers and visionaries who have helped establish Sarasota as one of the leading arts communities in Florida. Also on view is “The Art of Healing: Prescriptions for the Soul” – which will turn the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center’s Grand Atrium into an immersive wellness emporium on August 7 – and “Currents” at BIG ARTS – which will convert the Dunham Family Gallery into a 125-foot-long underwater mural over the next eight weeks.

DAAS CO-OP at the Alliance for the Arts is exhibiting new work from top area creatives in August in a variety of mediums and sizes. “Fresh Offerings” will feature additions to Ocasiocasa’s Flower Power collection, ‘Midnight Voyeur’ by Danielle Branchaud and pieces by Nick Masiello, David Acevedo, Xavier Brignoni more than a dozen other career artists.

The Alliance for the Arts will break ground on Aug. 7 on a unique community space dedicated to honoring the lives, love and memories of cherished pets. The Alliance is calling it the Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial, and it will be part of the Alliance’s planned ArtsPark.

When Melody Lane Theatre selected “Chicago” for its summer stock show, Sami Doherty knew the theater couldn’t afford the rights to Bob Fosse’s original choreography. So, she and Assistant Choreographer Athena Rose Belis did the next best thing. They created original choreography that would make Bob Fosse proud. The result is a splendiferous show guaranteed to razzle dazzle Southwest Florida audiences.

This week, three shows open, five continue their runs and there are four limited engagements at Southwest Florida equity and community theaters.

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 July, there are 28 shows at these venues.

The Alliance Youth Theatre’s production of “Rent” is a tour de force rock musical that features three locals home from college for the summer. Under the direction of Artistic Director Carmen Crussard, Director Miguel Cintron and Choreographer Kiana Raine Cintron, the entire ensemble cast of high school and college students is, in a word, outstanding.

“Rent’s” legacy is inseparable from the fight against HIV/AIDS. The musical describes a time when an AIDS diagnosis was a death sentence, and the show conveys the climate of fear, depression and despair felt by those infected with the virus.

This week, four shows opens, two close, four continue their runs and there are two limited engagements at Southwest Florida equity and community theaters.

On June 15, Fort Myers City Council awarded $150,000 in arts and culture grants. Of the 47 applicants this year, grants were awarded to over a dozen arts organizations, one group and one individual artist. The total awarded, $150,000, was the same amount the city awarded last year.