Public Art

A major new public art project is getting underway in Sarasota. The city is inviting artists to apply for a $100,000 public art commission for its One Stop Shop building. The application deadline is Aug. 31.

The Alliance for the Arts 10-acre campus is home to a number of permanent outdoor sculpture installations, including Michael Singer’s “Caloosahatchee Water Wall” and James DiGiorgio’s “You Are Here.” Hurricane Ian severely damaged “You Are Here,” but local artist and fabricator Jason “Sandman” Sanders has repainted, welded and returned the sculpture to its original angle.

The featured artists chosen to create four new large-scale public murals in downtown Fort Myers through the fourth annual Southwest Florida Mural Festival were announced this week. We’ll talk with artists, festival organizers, and co-founders of Artsemble Underground Cesar Aguilera and Brian Weaver to learn more about the festival and their broader mission of making art more accessible and transforming Fort Myers into a vibrant arts district.

The installation of the "Journey of Hope" has begun at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Veronica S. Shoemaker Boulevards in Fort Myers. The sculpture by artist Cecilia Lueza celebrates hope, equality, and freedom. Completion is expected by the end of the summer.

A new, larger-than-life public art exhibit "The Face of Immokalee" captures the true face of the community with black and white portraits of residents.

Southwest Florida artists and founders of Artsemble Underground Cesar Aguilera and Brian Weaver are using their artistic talents to encourage dialogue and provide community representation through large-scale murals.

Something exciting is happening in Sarasota. Public artworks are cropping everywhere you look and residents and tourists aren’t just taking notice. They’re stopping, engaging, and basking in the ambiance. It's all part of the Sarasota Office of Public Art’s master plan.

After two murals of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy were vandalized in April at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, Florida, a larger project was born. Now, an accordion of twenty 4×8 foot murals painted by local artists line the Alliances’ festival grounds. All using vivid colors - most emphasizing the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag.

Two murals by local artists in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis were vandalized last month on the campus of the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers. The art center is reacting by commissioning 20 more murals by local artists to show solidarity for the people of Ukraine.

A conversation with Artsemble Underground artists and founders Cesar Aguilera and Brian Weaver about the organization and about the power and function of public art murals.