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 From our exciting January gallery exhibition ,IT MAKES ME WONDER, to a mini arts camp for kids, to the first theatre production of the year, you can start 2024 off artfully at AFTA! Check out the details below and plan your creative start to the new year! January’s Featured Gallery Exhibit  IT MAKES ME WONDER In the Gallery January 5-27 • Opening Reception: January 5, 5-7pm • This event is open to the public. Come meet your neighbors and enjoy beverages and light refreshments from Jayne Baker at this event! Kim McAninch is a Sarasota based painter. She earned a B.F.A. in Surface Pattern Design from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio in 1982. Her 20-year career as a wall- paper, fabric and interior designer, has laid the groundwork for her unique painterly style. Her process begins as pure fiction, allowing limitless possibilities. Fueled by wonder and curiosity of what may emerge, she employs multiple tools and media. It is through this process that she extracts order, creating the exact balance between figuration and abstraction. Without a premeditated outcome, the compositions naturally emerge. She seeks harmony of color, rhythm, depth and energy, and most important to her goal, offering a visual invitation to enter. Theatre Gallery: Everyday by Anna Forrest Fischler This exhibition holds a year’s worth of experiences in small glass frames. It is Anna’s hope is that visitors will walk away with a new appreciation for tiny, beautiful moments, feeling inspired to dive into their own daily practice, art-related or not. Member Gallery: Keith Chamberlain & Pat St. Onge Armed with a degree in physics, Keith Chamberlain has held a number of senior manage- ment positions during his 50-year career in the aerospace investment casting industry. Keith and his wife, Hennie, followed his career to New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, New Hamp- shire, Pennsylvania and southern California. The final move was to Florida in 2012, where he started a consulting business. During the COVID lockdown, Keith explored other interests. His love of science, manufacturing and design made painting a natural outlet. With no formal training, Keith found plenty of guidance and inspiration in books, magazines and museum visits, along with lots of practice. Since relocating to Fort Myers in 2016, Pat St. Onge experimented with incorporating fluid art and traditional brushwork in acrylics. She finds that pouring challenges and delights her imagination to combine something abstract with something familiar. She particularly enjoys creating unique portraits of wildlife. Pat ties the textures and patterns created by the pouring process with the patterns in fur, feathers and environmental textures in her paintings. She strives to engage viewers’ imagination as well as their vision. Find Out More → View All Events → In the Theatre This January  Which Way to the Stage by Ana Nogueira, Directed by Carmen Crussard January 18-February 3 • A playful yet profound comedy about friendship, ambition, and what happens when dreams fall just out of reach. Broadway super fans Jeff and Judy eagerly await their idol Idina Menzel after her performance in If/Then at the stage door every night. But when a sexy stranger enters the scene and upends their decades-long friendship, the musical theater aficionados have to go off book to rewrite their own finale. Which Way to the Stage stars Cassie Sampson as Judy, TJ Albertson as Jeff, Steven Michael Kennedy as Mark and Tatiana Rodriguez in multiple roles as the Actress, Bachelorette and the Casting Director. Get Tickets → View All Events →  Registration Open Now for Our Winter Break Arts Camp January 4 & 5, 2024 • Winter in Florida is ideal for people who love to be outside. Most days are mild and sunny and perfect for enjoying the beaches. Manatees can be seen more often swimming in warmer inland waters. Over 200 different species of birds can be viewed migrating in our area, and so much more! Winter Break is also a great time to create at a youth arts camp! Students can participate in our two-day mini art camp and learn from Florida naturalist guest speakers, create theme-focused art projects, play fun outdoor games and more. Campers in grades 1 – 6 will spend the day in various workshop rotations, have plenty of out- door break time, and get together for whole-group games with before and aftercare available. Find Out More → View All Events →  Mind, Body & Soul Mini Retreat Saturday, January 6, 9:30 am-12:30 pm • Join us for a 3-hour class designed to enhance your creative side and deeply relax and restore contentment, featuring restorative yoga, crystal bowls meditation, and a simple but enlighten- ing art exercise with renowned artist Julie Dean Griffin, Christar Damiano LMT, and Flying Heart Yoga founder, Carla Hyde. Includes an art piece to take home, tea, and snacks, and feel- ings of extraordinary peace and contentment. Find Out More → View All Events →  3D Game Art and Animation Wednesdays, January 10 – February 14, 5:30-8:30 pm • Discover the art of creating 3D characters, props, and environments reminiscent of the awe-inspiring visuals found in today’s animated films and video games. In this course, you will be immersed in a comprehensive exploration of every facet of 3D creation, encompassing modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging, and animation. Whether you aspire to become a skilled content creator, are eager to construct personal- ized maps, or harbor dreams of joining big studios like Pixar Animation Studios or Epic Games, this class will provide you with an impactful initiation, granting you invaluable insight into the world of 3D content development. Find Out More → View All Events →  Wednesday Night Market Wednesday, January 10, 5-8:00 pm • Join us under the stars every second Wednesday of the month from 5 pm to 8 pm for our pop-up Night Market. We feature a selection of art, live music, food trucks and beer and wine. There will be a free family art activity hosted by our own Youth Education Coordinator, Minna Maillakakis. Interested in becoming a vendor? Fill out the vendor application here. Find Out More → View All Events →  Open Mic at Wednesday Night Market Wednesday, January 10, 5-8:00 pm • Join us for Open Mic at the Night Market, celebrating local musicians. Enjoy live perform- ances in a vibrant atmosphere. Register online to participate. Basic sound system provided. Limited to one song or 5 minutes per performer. Spread the word and join us for an evening of talent and community spirit! Interested in participating? Click here. Find Out More → View All Events →  ACMA Presents Flagship Romance and The Rough & Tumble Sunday, January 21, 3-5:00 pm • Get ready for more great music! A rare double bill featuring Flagship Romance AND The Rough and Tumble. The two dynamic duos will bring their musical magic to The Green Mar- ket Stage at the Alliance for the Arts. Flagship Romance is an unforgettable alternative folk duo known for their breathtaking vocal harmonies, inspired songwriting, dynamic live show, and a remarkable on and off-stage chemistry that will leave you with the feeling that you made two new best friends. The Rough & Tumble, a dynamic duo comprised of Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler, have been captivating audiences with their unique blend of dumpster-folk and thrift store-Americana for over a decade. The Pennsylvania-born Graham and Central California’s Tyler have a knack for weaving together elements of joy, sorrow, comedy, and drama in their music, leaving audiences on the edge of their seats. Now the band is set to release Only This Far, a 12-song collection drawing from the highs and lows of their lived experiences over all those years. Get Tickets → View All Events →  Intro to Creating a Children’s Book Saturday, January 20, 10:00 am- 12:00 pm • Have you ever had a wonderful idea for a children’s book, but didn’t know how to begin to bring it to life? If so, this is the workshop for you! Join Illustrator Oliver Dominguez for this intro into how to begin creating a children’s book. Find Out More → View All Events →  Wheel Master Class ‘ Wednesday, January 31, 6:30-8:30 pm • In this Wheel Master Class, Breana and PJ Barber of Common Room Clay will be demonstrating, practicing the techniques, and showing you the tools needed to throw larger vessels. Find Out More → View All Events →  Check Out Our Gift Shop Tues.-Fri. 9 am-7 pm • Did you know we have a Gift Shop FULL of unique, one-of-a-kind items crafted by our Alliance Members? Everything from jewelry and greeting cards to artwork and books! The Gift Shop is open during business hours, so be sure to swing by and find your next treasure. The Alliance is open Tuesday-Friday 9 am – 7 pm and Saturday 9 am – 1 pm. Check Out Our E-Store → Become a Vendor →  Art Classes for All Ages and Abilities Your creative journey starts with you, so pick your level and don’t stop until you get to your destination. Upcoming classes include: ADULT & TEEN –Back to Basics: Stroke Work (Beginner Level) –Beyond Basics: Florida Everglades –Step-by-Step Batik-Sea Turtle –Painting with Francesco (18+) –Painting Portraits with Terry LynnHula Dance (10+) –Evening Instructed Life Drawing with Francesco (18+) –Mind, Body and Soul Mini Retreat –Grandma’s Club Acrylics –Fine Art Acrylics A –Zentangle for the Season –Fine Art Acrylics B –Instructed Life Drawing –3D Game Art & Animation –Beginning and Intermediate Belly Dance A –Beginning and Intermediate Belly Dance B –Two-Day Workshop: Pot Person Mosaic –Fashion First Adult & Child Sewing Workshop –Qigong –Discovering Soul Collage –Watercolor Painting –Flash Fiction Challenge Workshop –Getting Your Art into Retail Environments Workshop Series –NeurographicaFridays with Francesco –AI for Dreamers –Intro to Creating a Children’s Book Workshop –Painting with Terry Lynn AM –Painting with Terry Lynn PM –Painting Studio with Terry Lynn –Alcohol Ink: Dynamic Florals –Beginner Bonsai –Wiring your Bonsai Workshop –Fridays with Francesco –Wheel Master Class YOUTH –Hula Dance (Ages 3-9) –Intro to Animation –Beginner Drawing –Fashion First Sewing Workshop (Ages 10-18) –Fashion First Sewing Workshop (Ages 7-10) –Fashion First Sewing Workshop (Ages 11+) –Manga Night (Ages 12-18) –Art Seekers K-3rd –The Seven Elements of Art (Ages 8-12) –Art Seekers: 4th-6th –Free Family ArtLab –Art Seekers: PreK –Friend-Swift Bracelets –Make a Holiday Gnome Register → View All Classes →  Free Family ArtLab Saturday, January 20 • Make creativity part of your family routine the 3rd Saturday of each month during Family ArtLab! Drop in for free, hands-on family fun from 10 a.m. to noon. Explore something new every month like art making, gallery activities, games and more – all inspired by art- works on view in the gallery, famous artists, national holidays and artistic traditions around the world. All ages and abilities are encouraged to participate. Family ArtLabs are free and open to the public, but a $10 suggested family donation keeps programming affordable and accessible. Find Out More → View All Events → Call To Artists  38th Annual All Florida Exhibition Calling all Florida artists: submissions end January 15! This annual show is the most anticipated of the year. As the name suggests, this exhibition features pieces created by artists working in a wide variety of media from all over the 65,000 square miles that make up Florida. The juried entries come together for an award-winning and exciting exhibition representing today’s contemporary Florida artists. The exhibition will be on display March 1–30, 2024. Open to all artists residing in Florida. Only original artwork will be accepted, no giclee. An entry consists of one to three artworks. Non-refundable entry fee is $25.00 for one entry and $5 for each additional entry up to three. Alliance for the Arts members may use coupon code Member10 to receive $10 off the entry fee.   Alliance for the Arts • ArtInLee.org 239-939-2787 • 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers Membership • Donate • Classes • Exhibits • Theatre • Digital Arts Lab  |