FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2013) – The Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s art exhibit of local juried art will hold another monthly open house on Friday, Feb. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m.
The exhibit is located in the Community Foundation’s public spaces at 8771 College Parkway, Building 2, Suite 201 in Fort Myers. It will include pieces on loan and for sale from 32 local artists and one organization.
There are 86 pieces currently on display ranging from photography and carved wood to textiles, fused glass and various sculptures, as well as traditional acrylic, watercolor and medium paintings, in addition to works by February’s featured artists Sarah Edwardson, Alex Lago and Maria Sanchez.
Florida native Sarah Edwardson received her bachelor’s degree in the history and criticism of art from Florida State University and the American Institute for Foreign Study in Florence, Italy. Specializing in mixed media, Edwardson’s artwork has been exhibited at Daas Gallery, the Alliance for the Arts, BIG ARTS and Tower Gallery. She has held management, marketing and fundraising positions with the Ringling Museum of Art, the Sarasota Opera, the Sarasota Ballet and NARSAD Florida, a mental health research charity.
Originally from Havana, Cuba, Alex Lago received a degree in biochemistry from the University of Havana but finally made art his definitive passion after he studied painting at San Alejandro Academy of Art in Havana. His work has a distinctive playful and symbolic accent related to the search of a transcendent knowledge. It is inspired by old imaginaries and myths as well as from the Lago’s own experiences and reflections about contemporary life. His art has been exhibited in personal and group shows in Latin America, the United States and Europe, and appeared in many well-known art fairs such as Art Miami, the Santa Fe Art Fair, Red Dot Art Fair and the Chicago Art fair, and museum exhibitions such as the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, the Naples Museum of Art and Bellas Artes Museum in Havana. Many of Lago’s paintings are part of private collections worldwide. He has also illustrated children’s books for prestigious Hispanic publishers, such as Panamericana, Santillana, Alfaguara S.A., and Everest.
Self-taught artist Maria Sanchez is also a graduate from the University of Havana with a degree in Spanish literature. Many of her larger works on wood are of admired buildings in Havana and Varadero in Cuba and are part of private collections worldwide. Sanchez’s work has been exhibited in personal and group shows in Latin America, the United States and Europe and appeared in many well-known art fairs such as Art Miami, the Santa Fe Art Fair, Red Dot Art Fair and the Chicago Art fair, and museums exhibitions such as Bellas Artes Museum in Havana, the Santa Fe Museum of History and the Naples Museum of Art. Sanchez has also illustrated children’s books for Scholastic/Lectorum in the United States and Everest in Spain.
The next open house will be held Friday, March 1, and continue to be held the first Friday of every month until next August.
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation is celebrating its 36th year of supporting the communities of Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties by connecting donors and their philanthropic aspirations with evolving community needs. With assets of more than $64 million, the Community Foundation has provided more than $52 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves. During its 2012 fiscal year, the SWFLCF granted more than $3 million to more than 100 different organizations supporting education, animal welfare, arts and human services.
For more information, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com.
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Contact:
Melinda Isley, APR, m.creativepr, 239-274-7736, Melinda@mcreativepr.com
