Alliance for the Arts

Ink. It’s not just for tattooing. Its use in art dates back to cave drawings and ancient Egypt around 2500 BCE. On Oct. 3, the Alliance for the Arts will celebrate its re-opening with “I Ink, Therefore I Am,” a show that celebrates the long history of ink as a medium.

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 September, there are 32 shows at these venues, underscoring the importance of the arts in our part of the country.

Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million in arts and culture grants that had been approved by the Florida Legislature. This year, the state’s $115.5 billion budget includes $18.3 million in arts and culture grants, but only a handful of Southwest Florida arts organizations qualified for a share of that money. For the second year in a row, 14 Lee county arts organizations were denied state funding, including the Alliance for the Arts and Florida Repertory Theatre. Each of Lee’s arts organizations is employing a medley of measures to make up for the loss of state grants.

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 August, there are 29 shows at these venues, underscoring the importance of the arts in our part of the country.

Ramon Chirinos is considered one of the most influential Latin American masters of the 20th century. He continues to exercise a big influence on contemporary artists, collectors and investors worldwide. Alliance for the Arts Gallery and Artists Relations Manager Julio Gonzalez Batista says Chirinos also has a Southwest Florida connection.

The Alliance for the Arts will close the month of September for renovations that will include upgrades focused on safety, efficiency and enhancing the visitor experience.

A town hall meeting at the Alliance for the Arts on Saturday drew a capacity crowd to the Foulds Theatre to discuss the future of the arts. Gov. DeSantis’ decision to deny arts and cultural grants to the vast majority of qualifying arts organizations in the state sparked the discussion.

This October, the Alliance for the Arts will transform the Foulds Theatre into a terrifying maze of disorienting corridors filled with twisted clowns and theatrical carnage. To bring this terrifying vision to life, the Alliance is holding open auditions for a variety of roles, including performers for a horror-filled one-act play, iconic villain cosplay appearances, and a charismatic emcee to guide guests through nightly "frightivities" that will take place over 13 consecutive nights.

The future of the arts locally and throughout Southwest Florida is front and center in the aftermath of Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision to deny arts and cultural grants to the vast majority of qualifying arts organizations in the state of Florida. So on July 19, the Alliance for the Arts will host a town hall to discuss this topic.

The Alliance Youth Theatre is producing “In the Heights” this weekend. To a person, the cast was familiar with Lin-Manuel Miranda before being cast in the show because of “Hamilton.” But they had no idea just how good he is until they began rehearsing “In the Heights.” Now, they’re now lifelong admirers.