ArtFest Fort Myers

Returns to

Riverfront

     ArtFest Fort Myers, February 6-8, features more 200 artists from around the country and worldwide, showcasing paintings, sculptures, glasswork, and ceramics. Artworks are originals and limited reproductions. The festival also features live music, a variety of vendors, and family-friendly entertainment and activities.

     ArtFest is free and open Saturday, February 7, 10am-5pm & Sunday, February 8, 10am-4pm. There is a opening night party is Friday, February 6, 6-9pm.

     Opening night’s Artful Friday Evening Under the Stars offers attendees dining and entertainment, as well as an opportunity to meet artists. The night also features Symphony on the Sound, a free pops Gulf Coast Symphony concert at 7pm in the Caloosa Sound Amphitheater, located across from the Luminary Hotel. Seating is limited; lawn chairs and blankets encouraged.

     In addition to the exhibition and sale of artworks, ArtFest includes: 

     Publix Art Yard, interactive activities and performances for children by local arts organizations.

     Art Under 20 Exhibit & Competition, an art competition for high school artists.

     Chalk Block, chalk street painting by professional and teams from Lee County High Schools.

     Publix Run to the Arts, a 5K run, walk or stroll on Sunday, February 8, starting at 8am and followed by breakfast  8:30-9:45am

VIP Club tickets are available with exclusive benefits; private indoor restrooms, convenient reserved parking; an opening Night VIP Party including wine, beer, cocktails, appetizers, front-row seats for the Symphony on the Sound concert; and VIP Brunch Saturday & Sunday 11:30am-1:30pm, with complimentary mimosas. 

     ArtFest Fort Myers is located along Caloosahatchee River waterfront at Edwards Dr. at Hendry St. in Fort Myers’ Historic River District. The entrance is at 1375 Monroe St. Free LeeTran trolleys will run to and from the parking lots along Monroe St. & Broadway to the festival entrance. For information, 768-3602.​​​

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Shell Show

on Sanibel

     The Sanibel Shell Show & Festival will be held March 5-7. The event will feature shells from around the world displayed in artistic and scientific exhibits, as well as works of art using shells, and world-class shell vendors.    

     In addition to the shell show and sale, there will be an outdoor dining area, family-friendly daily scavenger hunts, a kid’s activity area, face painting, and a Living Shell exhibit to entertain and educate youngsters about the wonders of conchology (seashells).

     The Shell Festival is open Thursday & Friday, March 5 & 6, 9am-3pm and Saturday, March 7, 9am-4pm.

     Proceeds from the show will support both The Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club’s annual grants program, given towards education and research in the fields of conchology and malacology, as well as for conservation and water quality projects, as well as The Community House programs and operating budget.  

     The Sanibel Shell Show & Festival is hosted by the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club and the Sanibel Community Association, and will be held at the Sanibel Community House, located at 2173 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel. For information, visit the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club sanibelshellclub.com.

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Annual Cattle Drive

in Immokalee

     Collier County Museums’ Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch presents its annual Immokalee Cattle Drive & Jamboree on March 28. The event is free and will begin with a pancake breakfast fundraiser at 7:30am, followed by a cattle herd driven down Immokalee’s Main St. at 10am, led by cattle boss Heather Cleckler. 

     The event, celebrating the pioneer spirit and agricultural history of Florida’s heartland, will feature a Jamboree, 11am-3pm, with live entertainment, vendors, food trucks, and activities for children. 

     Immokalee Pioneer Museum is located at 1215 Roberts Ave W. in Immokalee. Call 252-2611 for information.

Ansel Adams at

the Baker Museum

     The Baker Museum hosts the exhibition, ‘Discovering Ansel Adams’, March 14-August 2, an exploration into the making of the world-acclaimed photographer and his iconic images.

     Visitors will follow his progression from early experimentation to mastery, his transition from soft-focus Pictorialist influences to the sharply detailed style of Group f/64, his successful commercial venture, and his professional work in Yosemite, and how he forged a visual language that defined his career and cemented his role as an advocate for landscapes in the United States.  

     Drawn from the extensive Ansel Adams Archive at the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography, the exhibition presents an extensive collection of photographs, documents, and personal artifacts, offering a rare window into the formative years of Adams’ career.

     Beginning with Adams’ first photographs of Yosemite National Park, taken in 1916 as a 14-year-old tourist from San Francisco, ‘Discovering Ansel Adams’ explains how a teenage snap-shooter from the city became a virtuosic cameraperson, darkroom technician, expert mountaineer, enterprising visual artist, and committed advocate for conservation in the United States.

     The Baker Museum is located at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. in Naples. The museum is open Tue-Sat 10am-4pm & Sun 12-4p. For information, call 597-1900.

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Jewish Film

Festival in

Fort Myers

     The Jewish Federation of Lee & Charlotte Counties celebrates the 30th Anniversary of their Jewish Film Festival of Southwest Florida throughout February & March with screenings at the Regal Belltower cinemas in Fort Myers. 

     The festival includes 18 films from several countries in several languages, including both narrative and documentary films. Films will be screened on 13 days from February 1-March 26.

     All screenings are at 6:30pm except matinees at 3pm on February 1 (opening matinee), February 13 & March 15.

SCHEDULE

Open seating at all films

for general admission tickets.

     February 1: Tatami

     February 3: The Ring

     February 11: Once Upon My Mother,

          The Last Jews of Guantanamo

     February 13: Matchmaking 2 

     February 17: Never Alone, Ice Cream Man

     February 19: Air War

     February 26: Welcome to Yiddishland,

          Jews in Music

     March 5: Pink Lady

     March 11: Marathon Mom

     March 15: Charles Grodin - 

          Rebel with a Cause 

     March 19: The Road Between Us

     March 24: Song of Ascent,

          Alon My Brother

     March 26: Turn Left at the End

          of the World, Cut Off

     Regal Belltower cinemas are located at 13499 Bell Tower Dr. in Fort Myers. Call 481-4449 for information.​