Fire dance is a large piece of public art located in Centennial Park in downtown Fort Myers. In…read more2012 it was the first commission given to an artist by the City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee. Artist David Black is a proto-architectural monumental artist. He started his career in 1980. His art has been shown in galleries and museums throughout the United States. He was a professor emeritus in art at Ohio State University for 30 years and he has won many prizes and awards. His largest piece is a memorial to the Wright Brothers first powered flight, in Dayton, Ohio. David Black spoke about his inspiration for the 25 foot high bright red sculpture. "My wife, and I first visited Centennial Park at night We walked right into a jazz festival. Fire Dance incorporates the sounds of the music and the noise of the crowd." The sculpture is supposed to convey the energy and excitement of Fort Myers during events. David Black said "It is my hope that Fire Dance will lift each viewer's spirits and deepen their sense of community with Fort Myers by engendering a sense of civic pride." The sculpture was designed to be interactive because you can walk it through it. Inside the piece are four hidden spirals. Of the sculpture David Black said "It is my hope that Fire Dance will lift each viewer's spirits and deepen their sense of community with Fort Myers by engendering a sense of civic pride." Right now the sculpture is enclosed by a fence surrounding Centennial Park. The park is undergoing a million dollars of improvements including upgrades to the restrooms, landscaping, new children's play equipment, and construction of a new amphitheater. They are expected to be finished in spring of this year. Before they closed off the park they had to remove the large homeless population that resides in the park. Homelessness has long been a plaque on this area so it will be interesting to see how the city deals with this issue when the park reopens and going forward.

Located in the center of Centennial Park at the end of Bay Street (beyond the Cleveland Ave…read moreoverpass), this bright red metal artwork "evokes the energetic rhythm and vitality of Centennial Park, which combine to lighten the spirit of its visitors. Internationally recognized for this monumental, complex public structures, Black describes his work as proto-architecture in that the work combines both architectural and sculptural components." The tall artwork is surrounded by benches. Take a break and appreciate it. [Review 13329 overall, 647 of 2020.]

Discovering public art is a fun and free hobby. On a recent trip to Fort Myers I spotted the…read moreCaloosahatchee Manuscripts, two cylinder shaped bronze public art pieces in front of the Sidney Berne Davis Art Center. The art center is a former federal courthouse and the land it sits on was once a settlement of Creek Indians that pre-dates the army fort from which Fort Myers derived its name. The Caloosahatchee Manuscripts were purchased for the City of Fort Myers by Florida Power and Light in 2001. The work was commissioned to celebrate the 1998 conversion of its power plant on the south bank of the Caloosahatchee River from oil to natural gas. The decision was made because it was better for the environment and it reduced the oil barge traffic on the Caloosahatchee River. Maryland based sculptor Jim Sanborn, known for his light sculptures was selected to create the art piece. The two bronze projection cylinders are 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide. A water jet cutter was used to create the text in them. The cylinder on the east side contains a story told by Native American leader Tchikilli to state of Georgia founder James Oglethorpe. The tale describes how Native Americans came into the lower Southeast part of North America. The west side cylinder has the Latin name of the 1,500 native Florida plants Thomas Edison tested to make a local source of rubber for his friends, car manufacturer Henry Ford and tire manufacturer Harvey Firestone. The manuscripts are interesting by day but if you love photography you will want to visit at night when the spectacular light display comes alive. Pinpoints of light come through the text and spill over the building and sidewalk at night making a light show.

These two tall bronze cylinders are located on the sidewalk in front of the Old Post Office in…read moredowntown Fort Myers. The sculpture was designed by American artist Jim Sanborn. They are bronze with text cut from a water jet cutter, and a pinpoint light source. The eastern drum contains the text of a story told by Maskoki Indian leader Tchikilli to James Oglethorpe about the migration of Native Americans into Florida. The Seminoles, Miccosukee and Creek trace their ancestry to Tchikilli and his people. The western drum contains the Latin names of 500 botanicals that Thomas Edison tested in an effort to develop a local source of latex from which to make rubber in order to help out his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. The sculptures were given to the City of Fort Myers in 2001 by Florida Power & Light Co. to commemorate the conversion of its power plant on the south bank of the Caloosahatchee River from oil to natural gas. After a call to artists, Maryland sculptor Jim Sanborn was chosen. The commission cost $125,000. [Review 13323 overall, 641 of 2020.]

It is always fun to discover a public art piece and I found this one on a recent trip to Fort…read moreMyers. Marks & Brands is a sculpture by California sculptor and art instructor Peter Mitten. His work was chosen from 112 applicants. The art piece is located in the courtyard of the Fort Myers Regional Library. It is the 25th sculpture in the City of Fort Myers public art collection. The inspiration for the piece came from Fort Myers history of cattle ranching in southwest Florida which began at the end of the Civil War. Fort Myers was reactivated during the Civil War by Union troops to disrupt the flow of Florida cattle to the Confederacy. After the war two of the well known ranching families in Fort Myers were Jacob Summerlin and the Hendry family who Hendry county is named for. Later on Dr. Thomas Langford and William H. Towles became renowned cattleman. From 1856 to 1908, a dirt cattle trail ran through the middle of Fort Myers. The families brought a network of cattlemen, cow hunters, blacksmiths, cobblers and everyone else who attended to the cattlemen's needs to Fort Myers. The cattle industry was a large draw of people to the fledgling town. Eventually visionaries like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Ambrose and Tootie McGregor came to the area and help transform it from a cattle driven town to one of citrus and tourism. Marks and Brands is an 8 foot tall, 3 dimensional sculpture of the stacked cattle brands that were utilized by Lee County cattle ranchers including the Flint, Fowles, Hendry, Lykes, Rutledge, Smith, Thomas, and Walker families. The historic cattle trail in town has been marked with four 1x2 silicon bronze relief panels that have been imprinted with cattle hoof prints. I love the deep meaning of this piece and how it pays homage to the cattle ranch history of Fort Myers. .

Located in the courtyard of the Fort Myers Regional Library, this three-dimensional ferrous metal…read moresculpture recalls the original traditions of the cattle industry that flourished in Southwest Florida during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The piece is an eight-foot tall stack of various cattle brand shapes in a linear configuration. Also known as "Stacked Brands," they represent the brands that Lee County's cattle ranchers used to mark their cattle. The structure weighs 400-500 pounds and is a rust color. The piece is mounted on a 2x4x4 foot pedestal that is in the middle of a water feature (currently drained) that runs along the west side of the plaza opposite the library's entrance. It was conceived, designed and fabricated by California sculptor and art instructor Peter Mitten, who was chosen from a field of three finalists and 112 applicants. [Review 13321 overall, 639 of 2020.]

The Iron Giants first started popping up in Fort Myers in 2016. This was the first time artist…read moreEdgardo Carmona exhibited his art in North America. The exhibit was arranged by the Public Art Committee and the developer of the luxury condo Allure that overlooks the Caloosahatchee River and which was being put in. Allure developer Eduardo Caballero grew up in Cartagena, Colombia with Edgardo Carmona. The exhibit was installed in Fort Myers after an 18-city tour of Europe that included stops in Italy, Germany and France where one was displayed in front of the Eiffel Tower. In April last year there were more figures by the courthouse. When I visited Fort Myers this time I saw two of the pieces on First Street and three more by the river where Allure is. The 7 to 10-foot tall sculptures were built using hydraulic machines, sandblasting and a special method that removes the calamine from the rust and stops the oxidation process. The rust is intentional to give the piece a "pleasing, colorful patina". The sculptures weigh between 200 and 1,000 pounds and represent the common people Carmona grew up with in Cartagena. The sculpture showing a man leaning forward in a rocking chair and turning the dial on an old radio was inspired by his father. I love finding public art. especially when it is large scale as this is. Come down to the Riverfront area and check it out.

Rather than add separate businesses for each piece, I'll put them all together in this one…read more Columbian Artist Edgardo Carmona's Iron Sculptures can be found in the River District of Fort Myers. They're hard to miss as they are ferrous iron so they're rusted and rustic at the same time. The pieces were installed in 2016 and I don't know how long they will stay. https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2016/01/07/fort-myers-art-colombia-edgardo-carmona-artist-downtown-sculptures/78306070/ The sculptures, all carved from rustic iron, depict characters and scenes from Mr. Carmona's hometown of Cartagena, where he was born in 1950. The sculptures are loosely grouped in clusters, and at each sculpture, there is an information brochure that gives the map and the name and description of the sculpture. The sculptures are all at a reasonable distance from each other, but they don't necessarily stand out from their background--many of them are, by design, street scenes, so it is important to consult the map in order not to miss any. These sculptures are amazing. Not only is the artist working with metal--not the easiest kind of material to mold into human shapes and have it look like anything--but his most fascinating creations are immediately recognizable and capture a moment in time that conveys meaning to the observer. My favorite pieces are "Sintonia" (Harmony), "The subject sits on his rocking chair and listens to the radio while reading a favorite book. This work of art depicts the nostalgia of passing time." And the other is "Vendedora de frutas" (Female fruit seller), "The palenquera is depicted with her grand fruit basket sitting at her feet. She often carries the basket above her head, as if she carried with her the weight of the world." [Review 13327 overall, 645 of 2020.]

The woman known as Tootie McGregor was born in 1843 as Jerusha H. Barber in Cleveland Ohio. She…read moremarried a man named Ambrose McGregor who became the president of Standard Oil. The couple had one son named Bradford who was ill. To improve his health the doctor recommended that the family spend the winters in Florida. The picked Fort Myers because of the excellent tarpon fishing and they purchased the home next to Thomas Edison in 1892. The couple became real estate and business developers in the Fort Myers area, at one point owning more than 30 properties. Ambrose died of cancer at the age of 58 on October 28, 1900. His fortune at the time of his death was 12 billion dollars in today's rates. Bradford died in 1902, two days after marrying his high school sweetheart. With a broken heart and free time on her hands Tootie set about developing Fort Myers. Tootie was heavily involved with the hotels in the area which allowed Fort Myers to become a tourist destination. She is most remembered for her efforts to improve the roads in Lee County. She struck a deal with the county where she would pay to pave 20 miles from Whiskey Creek to Punta Rassa if the county agreed to pave Riverside Drive from Whiskey Creek to downtown Fort Myers. Tootsie died before the road was started but her second husband, Dr. Marshall Terry completed her wishes. Dr. Marshall had been Tooties first love but he was too poor to marry her at the time and she went on to marry Ambrose but the couple reconnected after his death. Tootie and Marshall were married for six years until she died on August 17, 1912. Dr. Marshall decided to donate a fountain to the city in honor of his late wife. The Tootie McGregor Fountain can be found in front of the Edison Restaurant at the Fort Myers Country Club clubhouse. The fountain was Fort Myers' first public art piece. It was first installed at five points, the intersection of Cleveland Avenue, Anderson Avenue which is now Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, McGregor Boulevard, Main and Carson Streets during the summer of 1913. The fountain was a landmark and also a place where people could water their horses and dogs. You can see the water bowl for dogs to the left of the dedication on the base of the fountain. The fountain was taken down in the 1950's to make room for the approach to the Caloosahatchee Bridge. In 1983 the Fort Myers Beautification Advisory Board commissioned local sculptor D.J. Wilkins to reassemble the fountain. Wilkins is the artist who created the famous Uncommon Friends sculpture in Centennial Park. He added a 40 foot diameter receiving pool with bullfrogs on upturned leaves as water spouts. The fountain is a palm tree on a base in a bowl that used to be a horse trough. The fountain is made from pink granite from north Georgia and bronze. There are five venomous snakes on the fountain, two water moccasins, two are eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, and a coral snake. The fountain is inscribed with Tooties humble words , "I only hope the little I have done may be an incentive to others to do more." Stumbling on this landmark turned out to be very interesting. I really enjoyed learning about Tootie and her Harlequin romance love life. It would have been a disservice to all the contributions she made to the city if the fountain had not been reassembled. Today it stands in memorial of a woman who loved the City of Fort Myers and shaped it into the popular visitors destination it is today. May Tooties legacy live on in the good works of others.

Located to the rear of the Fort Myers City Hall building, near the entrance on the Broadway side…read more There is a parking lot here if you have city business, so stop by and check it out on the way. "Ena En La Plaza" by artise Edgardo Carmona. This sculpture creates two integrated movements - the body of the rhythmic gymnast playing with a ribbon and the spirals that spread in the wind as she engages in a dance that defines gravity. This interplay underscores balance, movement, internal and external strength which combine to find and express a sublime, poignant moment in time. It's pretty and nicely done. [Review 13325 overall, 643 of 2020.]

I love discovering public art piece and this colorful, large scale piece caught my eye while…read morepassing through Fort Myers. Naiad is a free form public art piece created in 2009 by artist Albert Paley. Paley is a modernist metal sculptor who began his journey into art as a jeweler. Since 1965, Paley's jewelry and metal work have been in over one hundred and fifty national and international exhibitions. Based out of Rochester, New York he was the first metal sculptor to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Architects. Naiad was created to fulfill Fort Myers ordinance 118.7.7 that requires developers to either place public art on site or donate an amount not to exceed $150,000 to a public art fund. St. Tropez Homes For America Holdings, Inc. decided to commission and install its own piece. It was the first ever public art project funded by a private developer in association with the City's public art fund initiative. Naiad was completed in 2010. Made out of poly-chromed steel it is located in front of the St. Tropez and Beau Rivage Condominium Complex on the Caloosahatchee River. The name of the piece has a connection to the river. In Greek mythology, Naiads are nymphs associated with water. The sculpture is three stories tall and made of colorful abstract pieces. The Fort Myers community is lucky to have an interesting sculpture from such an esteemed artist.

This artwork is located in the traffic circle at the entrance of the Riviera - St. Tropez…read morecondominium project. There is no free parking nearby. Naiad is a colorful freestanding sculpture that stretches three stories into the Florida sky. Designed by internationally-renowned metal sculptor Albert Paley, it is formed and fabricated from polychromed steel. The metal sculpture stands on a circular pedestal set in the center of a bricked turnaround at the front entrance of the Riviera and St. Tropez with a color scheme that complements the yellow-and-white over salmon of the condominiums that tower high above it. In Greek mythology, naiads are a type of nymph associated with fresh water, like that found in springs, streams, brooks, wells, fountains and rivers, like the Caloosahatchee, which is what influenced Albert Paley to choose the name Naiad for this piece. It is worth a stop if you are in the area and you're a fan of public art. [Review 13314 overall, 632 of 2020.]

If I come across a military monument I always stop to read it and learn and pay my respects. This…read moremonument dedicated to the 82nd Airborne division can be found in the northwest corner of the Park of Palms at the intersection of Edwards Drive and Lee Street in the downtown Fort Myers River District. The monument features the bronze sculpture of a paratrooper sculpted by Naples artist Andrew McGowan. The paratrooper stands on a concrete base with four columns topped by concrete American eagles. Felix J. Lopez, Jr. donated the monument while the City of Fort Myers donated the land. The 82nd Airborne Monument was dedicated in 1983 to all paratroopers and glidermen living and and deceased. The 82nd Airborne Division was organized on August 25, 1917. They are based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina and are the largest parachute force in the world. They are trained to deploy anywhere, anytime within 18 hours of being called to duty. The monument serves as a thank you to the Fort Myers residents who have served in the 82nd Gulf Coast chapter.

This tall statue at the corner of Lee Street and Edwards Street remembers the heroes of the 82nd…read moreAirborne Division. It is a bronze sculpture of a paratrooper standing on a white concrete base cornered by four American eagles. It was dedicated in 1983. The plaque reads, "The monument is dedicated to all paratroopers and glidermen, living and deceased, who have served during peace or war in the Armed Forces of the United States. "To these men who have and are wearing the coveted badge of courage as From Underneath (2)paratroopers-glidermen, we of the Gulf Coast Chapter, 82nd Airborne Division Ass'n., salute you."" The 82nd Airborne Division is an active duty airborne infantry division of the United States Army. It specializes in parachute assault operations into denied areas. Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps. I managed to stop by on Memorial Day. I wish I'd planned better and I'd have brought a flag to leave behind. [Review 13318 overall, 636 of 2020.]