Murals Share Fort Myers History

>> IN THE PAST DECADE, ABOUT 200 EUR HAVE BEEN PAINTED BY ARTIST WITH THE FORT MYERS MURAL SOCIETY. THE MURAL PROJECTS SPAN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FROM BONITA SPRINGS TO A BELL TO SARASOTA, THE FOUNDER OF THE FORT MYERS MURALS SOCIETY SAYS THE NEW RULES BREATHE LIFE INTO EMPTY SPACES WITH ARTWORK THAT CAPTURES HISTORY, NATURE AND CULTURE OF THE REGION. FOR MORE, I'M JOINED BY SHERRY SHIFFRIN, THE CREATIVE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE FORT MYERS NEURAL SOCIETY. THANK YOU, CHERI, FOR JOINING US TODAY IN STUDIO. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. AND I'M REALLY EXCITED. >> NOW YOU BEGAN THIS ORGANIZATION IN 2015. WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR THE FORT MYERS NIRO SOCIETY? >> WELL, THE FORT MYERS, MORAL SOCIETY. >> CAME ABOUT AS A BOOTH. >> AS A TOOL, I WOULD SAY BECAUSE WE HAD MOVED INTO A GALLERY IN DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS THAT WE HAPPENED TO TAKE OVER THE LEASE. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME. >> WE JUST TOOK IT OVER AND MYSELF AND 2 OTHER ARTISTS. WE'RE SITTING WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS PLACE? YOU KNOW, SO WE MADE A LITTLE GALLERY OUT OF IT AND WE HAD WORKING ARTISTS THERE A LOT OF THE TIME. SO WE DECIDED DOWNTOWN WAS PRETTY BORING. AND WE PAINTED A MURAL ON OUR BACK DOOR. THAT JUST SAID, WELCOME BACK TO OUR FRIENDS. AND IT HAD SOME FLOWERS AND DAISIES AND THAT'S WHAT ONE OF THE IN-HOUSE ARTISTS LIKE TO PAINT TOO. WE GOT A FINE. 24 HOURS LATER, THERE'S A RED TAG ON THE DOOR THAT SAYS NO MURALS ALLOWED. KIND THANKS TO UPON INVESTIGATION. I FOUND THAT MURALS AND MOSAICS WERE PART OF THE SIGN ORDINANCE AND THEY WERE BANNED FROM THE CITY OF FORT MYERS. SO WE SORT OF ENACTED A PLAN TO OVERTHROW THAT ORDINANCE AND IT TOOK 2 YEARS OF. GOING TO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND REALLY MAKING A PRESENCE THAT MURALS ARE UP AND COMING. I HAD PAINTED MURALS IN CALIFORNIA AND IN NEW YORK AND THEY WERE CONSIDERED, YOU KNOW, OF SORT OF A NEW MEDIUM FOR ARTISTS IN GENERAL. AND HERE I HAVE A GALLERY IN 2 ARE JUST FRIENDS AND PRINT T-SHIRTS AND MAKING PAINTINGS AND PAINTING MURALS AND PAINT THE WALLS AND EVERYBODY'S PAINTINGS TO JUST WE WERE SO OFFENDED BY THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO PUBLIC ART. WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT SERIOUSLY. COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. SO. I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO REALLY JUST FIGHT THAT ORDINANCE IN ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, IT WAS APPROVED THAT WE COULD PAINT MURALS UNDER SPECIFIC GUIDELINES WITHIN THE CITY OF FORT MYERS, US AND IT GAVE IN AVENUE FOR A LOT OF ARTISTS TO START LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING PART OF THIS. >> WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE MURALS IN OUR CITIES? >> MURALS BRING LIFE TO CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY. THERE'S I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTY AND THERE'S SCULPTURES. MURALS TELL A STORY. IT'S LIKE A PICTURE BOOK IN A WAY AND A LOT OF HIM IN A LOT OF INSTANCES. A MURAL HAS A STORYBOOK ME MEANING BEHIND IT. SO IT'S IT'S IMPORTANT TO TELL OUR STORY. WE'RE LOSING SOME OF OUR HISTORY AS BUILDINGS AGENT TOWNS GROW AND THEY'RE TRYING TO INCORPORATE OTHER CULTURES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. YOU STILL WANT TO LOSE THE CULTURE OF THE COMMUNITY HAS. SO IT'S SORT OF A WAY OF WILL WE? I DON'T KNOW. IT'S IT'S A WAY OF SORT OF SAYING THIS IS WHERE WE COME FROM OR THESE ARE OUR VALUES ARE. THIS IS OUR NET NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ARE TO WAY TO SPEAK FOR THE EXISTING COMMUNITY WITHIN THE CITY BOUNDARIES THAT LET PEOPLE VISITING US IN SOME WAY AND THAT IT JUST SEEMED IMPORTANT TO ADD ART TO CREATE A VIBRANT, I DON'T KNOW OF. IF ANYBODY REMEMBERS WHAT THE CITY OF FORT MYERS'S LIKED 10 15 GOES TUMBLE WEEDS WERE ROLLING DOWN THE STREETS. THERE REALLY WASN'T ANYTHING GOING ON. SO JUST SORT LAKE IGNITED SOME VIBRANT THAT I HELPING TO BRING MORE. COMMERCE INTO THE, YOU KNOW, INTO THE COMMUNITY. IT HELPS BRING ECONOMIC DIVERSITY INTO COMMUNITIES. AND IT'S REALLY JUST STARTS WITH A SPLASH OF COLOR. EVERYBODY IS JUST SORT OF. PRETTY HAPPY TO SEE IT. AND IT'S IT'S THE FIELD OF DREAMS. I DO. WE WILL BUILD IT. THEY WILL COME. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE STILL. WE STILL FEEL LIKE THAT. >> HOW MANY MURALS IN ALL SINCE 2015, WE HAVE OVER 214 MURALS. >> NOT ALL OF THEM ARE LARGE-SCALE. SOME OF THEM ARE SMALL AND PURPOSEFUL. BUT WE DO HAVE OVER 214 ALONE AT THIS TIME AND ASK YOU REALLY TOUGH QUESTION. OKAY. IF YOU HAD TO PICK SAY THE. >> THE TOP 5 THAT YOU WOULD LIKE VISITORS OR TOURISTS TO OUR AREA TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY TAKE THE TIME TO GO SEE WHAT WOULD THEY BE? >> WELL, I TRY TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GO TO OUR 3 MURAL PROJECTS. OKAY, THAT INCORPORATED THE MOST ARTISTS AND THAT WOULD BE MCCOLLUM HALL USED 5 ARTISTS AND IT IT IDENTIFIES TIME PERIOD BETWEEN THE 30'S AND 40'S IN THE HISTORY OF THAT DUNBAR AREA. AND IT'S EVENT. ENTERTAINMENT CENTER CALLED MCCOLLUM HALL. IT WAS PART OF THE CHILLIN CIRCUIT IN THE 30'S AND 40'S WHO IS FEATURED A LOT OF WORLD FAMOUS MUSICIANS OF COLOR. >> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN STUDIO TODAY. SHARING. THANKS