Fort Myers Art Walk to celebrate 1st anniversary Oct. 2

The monthly Art Walk will celebrate its one-year anniversary on Friday, Oct. 2, in the downtown Fort Myers River District. The October Art Walk will feature new art exhibitions, live music, a one-act play and a huge after party.

Art Walk that was started by a group of art galleries and art enthusiasts and debuted in October 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 and several art stops in the Fort Myers River District. The evening culminates with an After Party at 10 p.m. The October party will be held at the Hotel Indigo.

Participants in the monthly Art Walk include the Alliance for the Arts, Art League of Fort Myers, Arts for ACT Gallery and Boutique, ArtFest Fort Myers, The Bar Association Bistro, Burroughs Home, Café Matisse, daas Gallery, Delicious Things, Enjewel, Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency, Happenings A&E Magazine, Hotel Indigo, HOWL Gallery, Inspire!, Morgan House Restaurant, The Oasis Luxury Condos, Potomac Bead Co., Red Door & Picture This Studios, Salon Nicholas, Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center, Space 39 Gallery, Spirits of Bacchus, Southwest Florida Museum of History, The Veranda Restaurant and the Young Artists Awards Program.

Here are some highlights of this month's event:

Art League of Fort Myers: The league will observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its fourth annual "Cele-bra-tion" show opening. Young Artist Awards Program will perform.

Arts for ACT Gallery: Opening reception for exhibit featuring artists Lennie Jones, Allen Tiller and Philip Heubeck, with vocal entertainment by the Uptown Girls, Kat Stramara, and Kim Masters.

Bar Association Bistro: Artist Scott Dozier will be painting at the bar that night.

The Burroughs Home: Exhibit featuring paper-castings artist Ellen Bianchi.

Enjewel: Featured artist is Charles Albert, who creates one-of-a-kind, high quality jewelry designs inspired by nature.

daas Gallery: Opening of an exhibit called "Dark," featuring artist Tony "Chainsaw" Myles.

HOWL Gallery: Reception for "The Art of Norman Korpi," paintings by artist and first season MTV "Real World" star Norman Korpi. Meet the artist during Art Walk.

Inspire: Featured artist is oil painter Sara Masters.

Oasis Luxury Condominiums: "Oneness" exhibit, featuring visual artists, jewelry artists and sculptors from all over the world displaying their interpretation of our human race honoring "el Dia de la Raza" (The day of our human race) and wrapping up the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.

Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center: A free, one-act play at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. called "The Bear." Also on display will be the annual show, "Dark Art 3."

Southwest Florida Museum of History: Exhibit featuring the color and black and white photographs of Niki and Clyde Butcher (reduced admission of $5 that night).

Space 39: A group exhibit of modern and contemporary art.

Another highlight of this special evening will be live street performers throughout the downtown in between art stops. Also, the weekly Friday Night Live will take place in the Patio de Leon. John Mooney, a New Orleans slide guitarist, will perform from 6 to 9 p.m.

Art Walk buttons will be available at galleries that night.

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

Veranda takes part in Art Walk

The Veranda Restaurant will once again be serving up free appetizers from 5-7 p.m. in celebration of Art Walk on Friday, Oct. 2. The Veranda is located at 2122 Second Street in two turn-of-thecentury Victorian homes. The restaurant features Southern Regional cuisine with a full-bar, extensive wine list and first class service in a romantic setting. The Veranda is consistently honored as one of the most award-winning restaurants in the area.