Read Us Online FREE at Take Me IslandSunNews.com Home VOL. 9, NO. 8 From the Beaches to the River District downtown Fort Myers FEBRUARY 19, 2010 Greg Biolchini: Reflecting Our Spirit Right Back At Us by Gerri Reaves ook across the Caloosahatchee River from downtown Fort Myers and you might be able to discern a picturesque haven on the shore where creating and Llearning about art is the order of the day. Tucked away on West North Shore Avenue in North Fort Myers is what artist Greg Biolchini calls “the converted white house,” a large studio endowed with the natural light and ambience conducive to the serious study of painting and pastels. After nearly 30 years of teaching art, he has arrived at this philosophy: “Fine art is the visual language that connects us to our civilization… it’s the thing that tells us who we’re supposed to be. It reflects our spirit right back at us.” The artist has received significant awards and honors, and was elected to Master Pastel status in 1988. One award that he’s especially proud of – because it’s recogni- tion from his own community – is the 2006 Visual Artist of the Year, awarded by the Angels of the Arts for Southwest Florida. He has more than 30 solo shows to his credit, and his work has been included in notable group exhibitions at the Hermitage Museum in Norfolk, Virginia; the Museum of Florida Art and Culture; and others. Among the institutions that hold his work in their public collections are the Virginia Museum of Animal Art, the Museum of Florida Art and Culture, the Edison-Ford Winter Home Museum, and the State of Florida Capitol Building. He is featured in books and major art magazines and is the author of two videos on painting and pastel technique. A Very Happy Accident Local art lovers might connect Biolchini to the flourishing art scene in downtown Fort Myers going back to the 1970s and 1980s, when the historic Richards Building on Hendry Street became something of an artists’ residence hall. Biolchini working on portrait continued on page 20 Porcelain Artists Show And Sale Film Festival Brings Award Winning Shows To Alliance he upcom- ing film in Tthe Theatre Conspiracy and Alliance for the Arts Film Series was described by the Sunday Independent as “Excellent, heart- breaking, an oddly hilarious perfor- mance.” The pow- erful story Garage is showing in the Alliance’s Foulds Theatre on March 5 Dresden vase painted by Donna at 7:30 and March 6 Bombassaro at 7 p.m. Pat Shortt as Josie and Conor Ryan as David Josie (Pat Shortt) copyright Element Pictures has spent 20 years he Edison Porcelain Artists Club as the caretaker of of Fort Myers is having its 38th a crumbling gas station in small-town Ireland. Despite loneliness and the fact that his Tannual show and sale of hand- neighbors treat him as a figure of fun, he’s always good natured, absurdly optimistic painted chinia on Saturday, February 27 and, in his own peculiar way, happy; he has his place – it might not be great, but it’s from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be held in his. Garage is the story of Josie’s hapless search for intimacy over the course of a Browning Hall at St. Hilary’s Episcopal summer which sees his little niche threatened, and his life changed forever. Church on the corner of McGregor Oriental ginger jar painted by Dolores As well as winning the CICAE Art and Essai Cinema Prize at the Cannes Film Boulevard and Colonial Boulevard in Kurtti Festival and the Best Film Prize at Turin Film Festival, Garage has been an official Fort Myers. selection for the London Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival, the Sao Paolo Film The club had a successful High Tea for 92 guests on January 9. The club members Festival, the Torino Film Festival and the Pusan Film Festival. The film won several hand-painted 92 plates from which each guest ate sandwiches and cookies. The plates awards at the 2008 Irish Film and Television Awards, including Best Film, Best Script were gifts to the guests for attending the High Tea. and Best Actor for Pat Shortt. continued on page 19 continued on page 3 2 THERIVER FEBRUARY 19, 2010 Historic Downtown Fort Myers, Then And Now: The Eastward View From First And Jackson by Gerri Reaves ow much has the eastward view from First and Jackson altered over the last half century? H At first glance, one might say not an awful lot. Even the signature royal palms lining First Street provide visual continuity between then and now. The imposing U.S. Post Office, elegantly presiding on the northeast corner looks much as it did circa 1955. The bronze cyl- inders of Jim Sanborn’s sculpture Caloosahatchee Manuscripts are the only major change to the front of that 1933 WPA-built structure. In the 1950s the Franklin Arms across First Street was still operating as a hotel. Notice the prominent sign and covered entrance. Today, that eight-story tower built in 1924 is still going strong. The former hotel tower is now the Franklin Arms Court condominiums. The two-story street-front portion of the historic hotel, which traces its roots to the late 1800s as the Hill House, is now the office of Roetzel and Andress LPA. The new steeple of the First United Methodist Church down at Royal Palm Avenue peeks over the trees in center right of the historic photo. Look eastward from Jackson today, however, and you’ll see dead giveaways that more than a half-century has elapsed. The 1933 Post Office (left), now the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, the Franklin Arms For one thing, the brick streets and vintage lighting have taken core downtown Fort (right), and the steeple of the First United Methodist Church in the distance still anchor the Myers back to the 1920s look – a big improvement over drab asphalt, most people eastward view of First Street from Jackson photo by Gerri Reaves agree. The most glaring difference, though, is the absence of the Roberts Building on the The Roberts Building was actually the second one of that name that Carl F. Roberts southeast corner of First and Lee, just one block down. built on that spot. The first was a three-story structure, constructed in the early 20th century and lost to fire in 1907. Roberts subsequently built this two-story commercial and apartment building with open upper-floor walkways. Over the years, the old Roberts Building was home to many businesses and offices, including Kate Jeffcott Realty and even the Fort Myers Public Library, which was head- quartered there from 1909 until 1926. The second Roberts building was demolished in the late 1950s and the new First Nation Bank opened on the site around 1960. Today the Bank of America stands on that corner in the much-remodeled First National Bank building. The northeast corner has undergone drastic changes, too. Look past the old Post Office and you’ll see the popular Blue Goose Restaurant on the corner. The late 1950s brought big changes to that corner, when the restaurant moved down the block on Lee Street. The old restaurant was eventually demolished. The two-story commercial building now on that site has been recently redeveloped and named First Street Center. Walk down to First and Jackson, where you can look east and see an attractive over- lay of redevelopment mesh with the mid-1950s. Then visit the Southwest Florida Museum of History at 2031 Jackson Street, where you can see the exhibit Tutankhamun: Wonderful Things from the Pharaoh’s Tomb and ask about their Historic Downtown Walking Tours. For information, call 321-7430 or go to swflmuseumofhistory.com. The museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Then explore family and local history at the Southwest Florida Historical Society at 10091 McGregor Boulevard. Call 939-4044 or drop by on Wednesday or Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. The Roberts Building (right center) stood on the corner of First and Lee Streets for half a Sources: The Story of Fort Myers by Karl H. Grismer and the archives of the century. This photo was taken circa 1955, not long before the First National Bank (now Southwest Florida Historical Society. Bank of America) was built on the site. photo courtesy of the Florida State Archives Read Us Online: www.IslandSunNews.com Contributing Writers Click on The River Jennifer Basey i} ÌÃÊ iiÌ>ÀÞ Advertising Sales Production Manager Photographer Kimberley Berisford >Ê«iÀ Ã>LiÊi`iÀÊ/ ià Stephanie See V >iÊi`iÀ Suzy Cohen Brian Johnson Ed Ibarra Jenny Evans Audrey Krienen Graphic Arts/Production Writers Ed Frank Scott Martell Co-Publishers Terri Blackmore Ann Ziehl iÀÀÊ,i>ÛiÃ]Ê* Ê Max Friedersdorf Ê->}}>Õ Lorin Arundel Office Coordinator Katherine Mouyos Anne Mitchell *ÀÃV>ÊÀi`iÀÃ`Àv Capt. Matt Mitchell and Ken Rasi *>ÌÀV>ÊÞ *>ÌÀV>ÊÞ Scott White ÊiÀ}i The River Weekly News will correct factual errors or matters of emphasis and interpretation that appear in news stories. Readers with news, tips, comments or questions, please call (239) 415-7732 or write to: The River Weekly News, 16450 San Carlos Boulevard, Suite 2, Fort Myers, FL 33908. Fax number: (239) 415-7702. E-mail: [email protected]. 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