New sights and experiences

Summer vacationers traverse the globe in search of new sights and experiences, but we’ve got them all right here! Socialize, create and see a different point of view. Celebrate a new season with these exciting online and onsite summer workshops.
Creative Macramé Workshop – Onsite
Saturday, June 5 • Create a rustic macramé hanging planter or make your own macramé French market bag! This one-day basic macramé workshop is great for beginners or those with a little more experience. Join us for this creative workshop and learn basic knots, you can use on all your projects!
Hula Hoop 101 (Ages 10+) – Outdoor Workshop
Saturday, June 5 • The classic hula hoop is a fun and creative circus apparatus with endless possibilities! Join circus professional Brittany Sparkles and delve into the exciting art of hooping with the basics of two different styles. This 90-minute workshop is open to all skill levels, ages 10 and up! Come get creative and fit at the same time with a fun and unique workout experience.
Uncover Pompeii with Archaeologist, Roberto Musio – Online Event
Thursday, June 10 • Archaeologist and an authorized guide of the Campania Region Roberto will tell you the history of the city, from the beginning to the eruption, and then to the discovery. Get an introduction to the daily life of 2000 years ago, discovering the private and public buildings that characterize the ancient city. This exciting and unique online experience has been featured in Vouge, Travel+ Leisure, Vanity Fair, BuzzFeed and more! Come escape into Roman times with your friends from the Alliance!
Paste Paper for Hand Stitched Books and Origami Star Lanterns – Onsite
Saturday, June 12 and June 19 • This two part workshop is exciting and fun for the whole family! The first Saturday features Paste Paper, a process used for centuries to create decorative paper pretty enough for greeting cards, wrapping paper, collages, and more. Pamphlet Stitched Books are made with those Paste Papers and hand-sewn for journaling and sketching. Origami Star Lanterns glow when Paste Paper is lit from within by electric candles. Create something unique with local artists instructor Zan Lombardo.
Death & Resurrection: The History of Notre Dame Part 1 – Online Event
Saturday, June 17 • The fire that engulfed the Cathedral of Notre Dame in April of 2019 was an international cultural disaster of the first magnitude. This series of lectures about the Cathedral will not bemoan what has been lost but celebrate what remains intact as a gift of historical significance in world art and architecture. Imperious in its majestic scale – housing some of the most impressive architectural innovations of its age, along with sculpture, painting, stained glass and applied arts – it is a monument to the transcendental power of faith.
This captivating lecture series continues with Part 2 on July 22.
Discovering SoulCollage®: An Introductory Workshop – Onsite
Saturday, June 26 • SoulCollage is a contemplative and insightful process of self-discovery. It gently opens you to a new way of exploring your inner wisdom. It is a practice by which you can communicate with the unique aspects of yourself while you deepen connections with self and others – all while engaging your creativity! Using simple tools – scissors, glue, magazine images, and mat board – you create cards that are uniquely yours.
Art & Soul of Black Broadway with Tim Wright – Online Art Lecture
Thursday, July 8 • Discover the musical heritage of Washington, DC’s U Street – also known as Black Broadway – from jazz to hip hop to punk and go-go. Through a vast collection of intimate, moving, neighborhood photographs, we will “walk” the streets and back alleys and learn how murals, theatres, music venues and memorials embrace the history of this amazing neighborhood. Also enjoy a complementary and diverse playlist that will match up with the murals and venues.
Couples Dance Connection – Onsite Class
Saturday & Sunday, July 10 – 11 • This workshop is designed to teach couples how to connect with each other through nonverbal communication. Couples will learn the importance of leading and following and how to honor each other through touch and movement by learning exciting dances like swing, rumba, salsa and bachata! You must bring a partner to participate in this fun class.
Zati Basket Weaving Workshop – Onsite
Saturday, May 15 • Baskets, though often used for decoration today, have for thousands of years served as useful containers, custom-made for the task at hand. In this workshop, learn to weave a basket from yarn and natural materials on a flat tapestry loom and surprise yourself with the shaping of a basket.
Playing with Pastels Workshop – Onsite
Saturday, July 17 • Pastel is an increasingly sought after medium for its beauty, vibrancy, durability and endless possibilities for technique and style. Whether you’re a beginner who wants to explore this medium, or an experienced pastelist who wants a fresh perspective, this step by step workshop is for you.
Recycled Assemblage Jewelry Design – Onsite Workshop
Saturday, July 24 • Turn your unused jewelry into something, fun, beautiful and new! Create a statement necklace by sorting through your jewelry box, using bits and pieces of old, broken or forgotten treasures and found objects to assemble into your own, one of a kind repurposed creation. Broken jewelry is great for crafting local artist and instructor Jayne Baker will show you just how to twist it into something inspired and gorgeous for you to wear and enjoy.
Landscapes: Painting with Thread (Ages 14+) – Onsite Workshop
Saturday, August 7 • Shape and spawn a 3D mini-landscape from embossing imported paper, painting a landscape with watercolors, and stitching portions of the project – a truly unique way to create! This class is suitable for ages 14 or older and attendees must be able to thread a needle and hand stitch
A Woman of Style: Mary Cassatt – Online Art Lecture
Thursday, August 19 •Mary Cassatt depicted the “New Woman” of the 19th century from the woman’s perspective. Cassatt often created images of the social and private lives of women, with particular emphasis on the intimate bonds between mothers and children. Although Cassatt did not explicitly make political statements about women’s rights in her work, her artistic portrayal of women was consistently done with dignity and the suggestion of a deeper, meaningful inner life. She was described as one of “les trois grandes dames of Impressionism” alongside Marie Bracquemond and Berthe Morisot and her work was compared to that of her good friend Degas, as they both sought to depict movement, light, and design in the most modern sense.
Call for Artists: Different Strokes – Members Exhibition
Exhibits: July 9 – July 31 • We invite our current members to submit one work following the theme “Different Strokes” to be displayed in the main gallery during this month-long group exhibition and asks artists to reflect on their unique styles and approaches to making art.
Our diversity as a community is what makes us strong and our perspectives and viewpoints for making art are just as important. The Alliance strives to support and foster all styles and mediums ranging from traditional 2 and 3-dimensional mediums like painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, fiber and mixed media to emerging and contemporary trends such as digital, installation, performance and experiential based works.
Showcase what you have been making and let your freak flag fly by exhibiting those pieces that didn’t quite fit into other calls to artists over the past year.
Summer Arts Camp for Grades 1 – 7
Sessions June 21 – July 30 • Fill your child’s summer with an exhilarating array of activities like art, theatre, photography and movement! Don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to experience, explore and engage with both visual and performing arts this summer. Kids will love creating one-of-a-kind masterpieces, playing improv games, exploring our galleries and so much more – all taught and led by our team of experienced artists and educators.
Please note: our summer arts camp is kept at a low-capacity to keep students responsibly distanced. Campers, camp instructors, camp volunteers and Alliance staff are required to wear face masks at all times when inside the building and when social distancing is not possible. Spots are limited to keep campers responsibly distanced, so enroll early! Please be sure to read and review our Covid-19 protocols.
Musical Theatre Intensive Camp at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre for Grades 7 – 12
Sessions July 5 – 30 • Step on stage and shine with the excitement and magic of live musical theatre! This popular week-long camp is taught and led by Broadway Palm Director and Choreographer Amy McCleary, local performer Kiersten Benzing and features special guests – actors and actresses straight from the Broadway Palm stage.
Each session offers specialized courses in auditioning, vocal techniques, improv, scene study and dance. The week culminates with a performance at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre facilities, which provides plenty of space for responsible distancing.
Please note: this camp is kept at a low-capacity to keep students responsibly distanced. Campers, camp instructors, camp volunteers and Broadway Palm staff are required to wear face masks at all times when inside the building and when social distancing is not possible. Please be sure to read and review our Covid-19 protocols.
Alliance for the Arts • ArtInLee.org
239-939-2787 • 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers
Membership • Donate • Classes • Exhibits • Theatre
Janet & Bruce Bunch · The Claiborne & Ned Foulds Foundation
Leigh Frizzell Hayes · Mary Lou & Richard Helms
Meisenberg Family Trust · Jon & Megan Romine · Arthur Zupko
And incredible people like you!