Fine art on display downtown

COURTESY PHOTO Joan Sonnenberg "Totem Plantain" (Pastel) was judged the best in the "Art Council of Southwest Florida Spring Juried Show", the Community Art Showcase, Spring Show. The exhibit is currently on display at the Harborside Event Center in downtown Fort Myers. Harborside Event Center presents the "Art Council of Southwest Florida Spring Juried Show", in conjunction with the Community Art Showcase. This fine art exhibition, featuring works from members of the Art Council of Southwest Florida, runs through April 15 and is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at Harborside Event Center in downtown Fort Myers.

The exhibition is free and entrance to the exhibition is through the Administrative Office located on Monroe Street.

The Art Council of Southwest Florida consists of twelve member leagues in Lee, Collier and Charlotte Counties with a combined membership of over 4000. With a mission to promote the appreciation of art and artists, the Art Council biannually sponsors the Spring Juried Show. This year, 246 works of two-dimensional art were submitted for judging, and 90 pieces were juried in to exhibit at the Harborside Event Center.

Susan Bridges, Executive Director/ CEO of the Art League of Bonita Springs, was the judge for this exhibit. Bridges is a noted artist and lecturer with a Masters Degree from the internationally esteemed School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her own works are held in private and corporate collections around the world.

The Community Art Showcase, curated by ArtFest Fort Myers, is an exciting program initiated by Harborside Event Center and the Fort Myers Conference & Convention Council to offer artists and the community an opportunity to enjoy wonderful artwork in a grand setting. The event center hosts over 250 events per year with attendance levels reaching just under 300,000 annually. As Southwest Florida's premier fine art festival, ArtFest Fort Myers is delighted to bringing great artists to Harborside Event Center in a year-round series of art exhibits.

For more information about "Art Council of Southwest Florida Spring Juried Show" or the Community Art Showcase, please contact: Sharon McAllister, Director of ArtFest Fort Myers, at 239-768-3602 or email info@ ArtFestFortMyers.com.

if you go

>> What: "Art Council of Southwest Florida Spring Juried Show", the Community Art Showcase, Spring Show

>> When: Through April 15 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays

>> Where: Harborside Event Center, Downtown Fort Myers on Edwards Drive

>> Cost: Admission is free

>> Parking: Adjacent parking lot, City of Palms Garage, street parking

winners

>> The 2008 Award Winners for the Spring Juried Show

>> 1st Place Joan Sonnenberg "Totem Plantain" (Pastel)

>> 2nd Place Dannica Walker "Syncopated Bottles" (Watercolor)

>> 3rd Place Jo Mullen "Mountain Meadow" (Acrylic)

>> Merit Awards: Anne Kittel "Cubist's Table" (Watercolor) Janet Mach Dutton "Color A Turtle" (Watercolor) Barbara Albin "Pandora's Box" (Watercolor) Peg Cullen "Big Blues" (Mixed Media)

>> Honorable Mention: Mary Reardon "Springstorm Geisha" (Watercolor) Manfred Behr "Broadway" (Photography) Dena Shepherd "Bell Tower" (Watercolor) John Swank "Sunflower Bee" (Photography)