June 5 Art Walk features exhibits, music, a play

The sixth monthly Art Walk of 2009 takes place Friday, June 5, in the downtown Fort Myers River District. The June Art Walk will showcase several new art exhibitions, performances by students from the Young Artists Awards Program, and a one-act play.

June is the ninth time for the monthly Art Walk that debuted in October of 2008. Held the first Friday of every month from 6 to 10 p.m., Art Walk features local and national artwork in the downtown art galleries of the Fort Myers River District. The evening culminates with an after party at 10 p.m. The June after party will be held at Spirits of Bacchus on Hendry Street.

Participants in June's monthly Art Walk include the Alliance for the Arts, Art League of Fort Myers, Arts for ACT Gallery and Boutique, ArtFest Fort Myers, Karen L. Benson Interior Designs and Inspire, The Burroughs Home, The Butterfly Estates, daas Gallery, Enjewel, H2, Hotel Indigo, HOWL Gallery, Space 39 Gallery, Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center, and the Veranda.

Highlights of the June 5 Art Walk include:

. Alliance for the Arts: Opening of the 23rd annual 2D/3D All Florida Juried Exhibit from 5-8 p.m.

. Art League of Fort Myers: Opening of the Summer Time fine arts show with awards and reception from 6-7:30 p.m.

. Arts for ACT Gallery: Opening reception for three exhibits titled "Hot Shots," "Recurring Patterns," and "The Art of Music," featuring more than 50 artists. Musical entertainment will be provided by Daniel Klimoski.

. The Burroughs Home: Exhibit featuring artist Ellen Sheppard from 6-9 p.m. All paintings, which are impressionistic art in the acrylic medium, will be available for sale. All proceeds from this show will benefit the Uncommon Friends Foundation.

. The Veranda will be serving complimentary appetizers starting at 5 p.m. to Art Walkers.

. The Butterfly Estates: Exhibit from 6-9 p.m., showcasing the work representing the cutting-edge, high-definition photography by Detlef Schattner.

. daas Gallery: Opening of an exhibit featuring numerous pop artists. Titles for best in show, second place, third place and honorable mentions will be given to deserving Pop-Art masterpieces. Also a student singer from the Young Artists Awards Program will perform.

. HOWL Gallery: Reception for "Retro Pop" featuring the pop art paintings of Andy Howl. A student singer from the Young Artists Awards Program will also perform.

. Inspire: Featured artist is cabinet maker Wes Cypher. Ten percent of sales go to Community Cooperative Ministries Inc.

. Space 39: An exhibit showcasing the works of the students of Florida Gulf Coast University.

. Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center: An extension of the gallery's Latin Art Show, and a free, one-act play called "Sure Thing" by David Ives (comedy) showing at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Another highlight of the evening is the weekly Friday Night Live in the Patio de Leon. Slide guitarist and singer John Mooney will perform from 6 to 9 p.m.

Along with the art galleries, many restaurants and other businesses will support the monthly walk by being open and offering various specials. Now becoming quite the collector's item, Art Walk buttons will be available at the galleries that night.

A free shuttle service, with stops planned near the art venues, and free parking at the Harborside Event Center, will be available for Art Walk patrons. A map of Art Walk, transportation, and parking is distributed by participating galleries. For more information on Art Walk, participating galleries and links to gallery Web sites, visit www. fortmyersartwalk.com.