Former Exhibits

 

Fly Me to the Moon

Various Student Artists

 

"How would you get to the moon?" Lee County School District art teachers used this question as a starting point and let their students' imaginations take flight. Students were invited to work with 32-inch by 40-inch canvases and create original artwork for the Fly Me to the Moon exhibit. Thirty-two pieces were submitted by 30 local elementary, middle and high schools. This unique collection is colorful and vibrant, reflecting outer space, rockets, moons, airplanes, hot air balloons and more!

 

 

Turn, Turn, Turn: The Artistic Synthesis of Vinyl into Art

David Acevedo, R.Jackson, Amy Luettich Kellum and Angela Weiss

 

After purchasing an abandoned storage unit containing 60,000 vinyl records, renowned Captiva artist Rene Miville faced the tough question of what to do with all those records. His answer was to have Florida artists use the albums or their covers, or both, to create art. The result is "Turn, Turn, Turn," an exhibition of artists' uses of the vinyl records through multimedia sculptures curated by Miville. A selection of the exhibit is on display at Southwest Florida International Airport featuring the pieces Hombre by David Acevedo, The Guardian of Vinyl by R. Jackson, Let It Quilting Bee by Amy Luettich Kellum and Universal Language by Angela Weiss.

 

 

Remembrance of 9-11

Leoma Lovegrove

 

Artist Leoma Lovegrove painted this piece during an event to commemorate those who lost their lives in New York City and to honor those who conducted rescue efforts during the 9-11 tragedy. The lyrics of "God Bless America" are emblazoned on the flag itself. Surrounding Lovegrove's work are smaller canvases painted by audience members who seized the opportunity to express their own feelings about that historic day.

 

 

Manfred Behr

 

Manfred Behr's work features large canvas photography prints with an artistic composition, featuring Florida landscapes, flowers and wildlife. Behr is a multi-talented artist who began his career as a commercial artist. Behr earned two awards from the German Ministry of Economy for outstanding furniture designs. Then, as an illustrator and photographer, he was the recipient of an American Advertising Award. He was also a nominee for the Alliance for the Arts' 2004 Angels of the Arts Award and was presented with the Florida's Finest Award for exceptional achievement from the Governor of Florida. In addition, he received an Award of Excellence and became a finalist in Photographer's Forum magazine's annual spring photography contest.

 

 

Discovering Southwest Florida with Thomas Edison and Henry Ford

The Edison & Ford Winter Estates

 

Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and their families came to Southwest Florida more than a hundred years ago when Fort Myers boasted only a few hundred families. They established riverside neighboring estates, a botanical laboratory and research gardens from 1885 through the 1930s. They vacationed here, exploring Florida and enjoying the beaches, waterways, fishing, hunting and visits from their famous friends. The Discovering Southwest Florida with Thomas Edison and Henry Ford exhibit features a collection of historic photographs of Edison and Ford's favorite pastimes in Southwest Florida accompanied with contemporary photographs and artifacts from the estates' collection.