Art Education in the Palm of Your Hand

IF YOU'VE BEEN TO DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS FOR ART, WALK, YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN SOME OF THE INSTALLMENTS THAT ARE PART OF THE ART SCENE IN LEE COUNTY IN 2016. 23 IRON GIANTS WERE UNVEILED IN DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS SCULPTURES DEPICTING PEOPLE LIVING IN EVERYDAY LIFE DUE TO THE EXHIBITS. POPULARITY. THE CITY BOUGHT THE ART COLLECTION FOR PERMANENT DISPLAY AND THEN RELOCATED PIECES OF IT. 2 DIFFERENT PARTS IN DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS. NOW, IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE, GET UP CLOSE AND LEARN ABOUT THE ARTISTS, THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT. TOM HALL JOINS US NOW IN STUDIO. AND TOM, WHAT DO WE HAVE GOING ON IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN THE WORLD OF ART THIS WEEK? WELL, >> CAROLYN GORA HAS SERVED AS A MEMBER AND PAST CHAIR OF THE FORT MYERS PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE FOR WELL OVER A DECADE. DURING HER TENURE, THE COMMITTEE HAS CREATED ART HUBS AROUND THE CITY WITH THE 23 EDGARDO CARMONA SCULPTURES THAT THE CITY PURCHASE IN 2018. THE COMMITTEE PARTNERED WITH THE CITY'S COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY OR CRA TO PUT IN THE GATEWAY SCULPTURE AT THE CORNER OF MARTIN LUTHER KING. AND VERONICA SHOEMAKER BOULEVARDS IN DUNBAR. 25 PANEL MURAL AT MCCOLLUM HALL THAT TELLS A STORY OF ITS PLACE ON THE CHAT. ONE CIRCUIT IN THE 1930'S THROUGH THE 50'S AND THE 57 YEAR-OLD WALKABLE, OUTDOOR ART AND HISTORY MUSEUM AT THE RIVER BASIN NEXT, A LUMINARY HOTEL, THE RECOUNTS, THE TOWN'S HISTORIC RELATIONSHIP TO THE CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER. BUT SAYS SHE'S MOST PROUD CAST A FREE MOBILE APP. THE PROVIDES PEOPLE WITH TEXT, HISTORIC AND INSTALLATION PHOTOS AND VIDEOS FOR EACH OF THE CITY'S 30 OUTDOOR ART WORKS. MURALS AS WELL AS 25 A FORT MYERS, HISTORIC BUILDINGS. >> AND IT IS AMAZING. I LOVE TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT IT, HOW PEOPLE COMING BACK TO ME AND SAYING THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE CITY. HAD ALL THIS ART OR ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE R AND IT TOOK A LOT OF RESEARCH AND A LOT OF THE A LOT OF THAT WAS DONE BY TOM HALL AND HE WAS ABLE TO GET PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO TO TALK ABOUT THE ART. AND I EVEN GOT TO TALK ABOUT A PIECE OF ART THAT I HAD OF THE COMMUNITY. HOW DO CAST WORK? >> THE APP IS FREE AND IT'S AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD IN YOUR PHONE'S APP STORE AND ON GOOGLE PLAY. NOW ON A CAST WURSTER GEO-LOCATION MAPPING. SO YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT AN ARTWORK OR HISTORIC BUILDING. YOU HAPPEN UPON. THERE'S NO NEED TO LOOK FOR A PLAQUE OR A QR CODE. YOU SIMPLY TAP ON THE APP AND THE GUIDE AUTOMATICALLY COMES UP PROVIDING ACCESS TO AN ARRAY OF INFORMATION. NOT ONLY ABOUT THE ARTISTIC OR WORST OR POINT OF REFERENCE, BUT ABOUT ANY OTHER NEARBY ARTWORKS OR STORE POINTS OF INTEREST. IMAGINE YOU CAN BE SITTING AT A TABLE OF FORD'S GARAGE AND FUN. FIRST READ HAVING A BURGER AND A BRO AND HEAR ABOUT THE HISTORIC DEAN HOTEL WHICH HAD THAT HOUSE VERY FIRST PHONE BOOTH IN THE LOBBYING. AND LEARN ABOUT THE SCULPTURE ACROSS THE STREET. 2 DRUNKS ON THE BENCH, WHICH TELLS STORIES ABOUT THE TOWN'S RENOWNED MOONSHINER BILL KLEIN. >> YOU CAN DO AS YOUR OWN SELF GUIDED TOUR THE PUBLIC ART IN CITY OF FORT MYERS. AND WHILE YOU'RE WALKING IN FORT MYERS, THE AUTO CAST WILL ALERT YOU THAT THERE'S PIECE OF PUBLIC ART AND IT WILL TELL YOU THAT THE HISTORY IT WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THE ARTIST. IT'LL TELL YOU ALSO SAYS THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T FIND OUT BY JUST LOOKING AT IT. IT WILL GET INTO THE DETAILS NOW ABOUT YOU. I LOVE TO FIND OUT ABOUT HISTORY OR WHY SOMETHING IS THERE. JUST I LOVE INFORMATION OF MORE INFORMATION THAT I COULD JUST SEE WITH MY EYES. FORT MYERS PUBLIC, OUR PROGRAM IS POISED FOR EVEN GREATER ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE COMING DECADE. >> IT HAS A NUMBER OF YOUNG, ENERGETIC NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS, INCLUDING NEIL VOLZ, WHO SERVES AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS. THE PUBLIC ART FUND HAS MORE THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR NEW ART ART EVENTS AND MAINTENANCE OF THE WORKS. IT ALREADY HAS IN ITS COLLECTION AND THE CITY IS PORTION A NUMBER OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS THAT COULD HELP. FORT MYERS REALIZE ITS VISION BECOMING AN ARTS AND CULTURE DESTINATION WITH ART AND PARKS AND GREEN SPACES AND CULTURAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY LIKE ARTFEST, THE EDISON AWARDS, MURAL FESTIVALS THAT ATTRACT PEOPLE NEAR AND FAR. AT LEAST THAT'S THE FUTURE THAT GORE FORESEES. >> WELL, I AM FROM ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA. AND FOR ME, THAT IS A ROLE MODEL. WHEN I MOVED HERE ALMOST 50 YEARS AGO, ST. PETERSBURG WAS BORING. THERE WAS NOTHING THERE THAT PEOPLE WHAT GUN, POOR DESTINATION AND THEY WERE VERY LUCKY. THEY GOT THE SALVADOR DALI MUSEUM, BUT THEY'VE ALSO EMBRACE THE WHOLE IDEA LARGE FOR THE PUBLIC. IT IS EVERYWHERE. THE PLACE IS WONDERFUL. PEOPLE GO BECAUSE IT IS AN ARTS AND CULTURAL DESTINATION AND MY DREAM. THIS IS THE CITY OF FORT MYERS TO SOMETHING LIKE IT HAS SO MUCH LIKE ST. PETERSBURG IS SURROUNDED BY WATER. IT HAS A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY. IT HAS. WE HAVE SUCH POTENTIAL. SO I AM HOPING THAT WE BECOME A DESTINATION. ALSO AND PEOPLE MIGHT COME TO SAINT PETER'S PER TRAVEL ONTO FORT MYERS. SEE THE ARTS GO TO NAPLES, GO ACROSS THE MIAMI. WE HAVE A WHOLE OR TRAIL. >> TOM, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. IT WAS A PLEASURE BEING HERE.