Three galleries showcase artworks in all media from 59 artists
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FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 7, 2022) – It’s a celebration of all things summer in the three galleries of Tribby Arts Center at Shell Point as “Fireworks and Fishin’: Scenes of Summer” and “Gone Fishin’: Woodworks by Roger Ruth and Tom Young” are now on display through August 27.
“Summer seemed the perfect opportunity for such light-hearted exhibitions and their whimsical installations,” said Marge Lee, curator of Tribby Arts Center. ”The Shell Point artistic community, which includes many retired professional artists and art educators, enjoyed the challenge and responded with imaginative works.”
In the Shell Point Gallery on the Tribby’s first floor, where “Fireworks and Fishin’” is on display, visitors will find an array of paintings as well as objects made of glass, pottery, textiles, mixed media, wood, and more, with many available for purchase to benefit the artists and the Tribby.
Photography is represented with printed entries as well as digital entries, which rotate on three video screens to a soundtrack called “Summer’s Here,” performed by Sanibel musician Danny Morgan.
On the second floor of the Tribby, in the Legacy and Overlook Galleries, “Gone Fishin’” presents a display of woodworks by a pair of master woodworking craftsmen, Roger Ruth and Tom Young.
Ruth’s impressive “Food Chain” display of wooden fish, spread over a 30-foot gallery wall, begins with a six-foot tiger shark and includes a 48-inch marlin, 43-inch mahi-mahi, 40-inch tarpon, 27-inch snook, 21-inch redfish, two 14-inch mangrove snappers, and a school of bait fish, each six inches long.
Among the works Young is displaying are three wood-and-resin tables, a form for which he is known on the 700-acre Shell Point campus, as well as sculptural works. As part of his display, Young – an avid fly fisherman – also has outfitted a mannequin with the authentic dress and equipment required of someone who engages in fly fishing.
According to Lee, Tribby Arts Center visitors typically are astonished at the creativity and skill of the Shell Point artistic community, as demonstrated in the exhibitions on display in Tribby Arts Center, the community’s new creative hub.
“The vibrant artistic community of Shell Point is helping redefine the paradigm regarding creativity and the older artist,” said Lee, who is herself a Shell Point resident. “I enjoy watching visitors walk through the gallery doors and stop in amazement at what they see.”
Lee explained Tribby Arts Center is intent on balancing displays of resident artists with those of non-resident artists of all ages. Most recently, the Tribby partnered with J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society to present the popular non-resident exhibition, “Castoffs to Couture.”
Tribby Arts Center, located in the Coastal Links neighborhood of the Shell Point Retirement Community, is open to the public. Visitors may explore its changing exhibitions in three art galleries and view its twin kinetic sculptures by Washington artist Andrew Carson (b. 1962) in the Atrium. The Sculpture Garden displays life-size bronze figurative works and unique metal benches by, respectively, Florida artists Steve Dickey (b. 1949) and Doug Hays (b. 1968). The gardens also display a kinetic sculpture by internationally-known New Orleans artist Lin Emery (1926–2021). A booklet providing information on the sculptures is available free of charge at the Tribby Box Office.
“Fireworks and Fishin’: Scenes of Summer” and “Gone Fishin’: Woodworks by Roger Ruth and Tom Young” are open free of charge in the Tribby from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Visitors to the Tribby Arts Center can relax in the Tribby Café, reflect in the outdoor sculpture garden, and find something special in Serendipity, the Tribby gift shop that offers a variety of one-of-a-kind artisan-made gifts, art jewelry, and other gift items.
Shell Point Gallery, Tribby Café and Serendipity are open from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The Legacy and Overlook Galleries are open during regular Tribby Arts Center hours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Tribby Arts Center is located at 17281 On Par Boulevard in Fort Myers. For information, call (239) 225-2916. For tickets for performances in the Tribby’s 400-seat Connie Brown Hall, visit TribbyArtsCenter.com or call (239) 415-5667.
About Shell Point
Shell Point Retirement Community is located along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Florida, just two miles before Sanibel Island.Shell Point’s unparalleled lifestyle offers a championship 18-hole golf course with an elegantly appointed clubhouse, free boat docks with deep-water access to the Gulf of Mexico, coastal-inspired restaurants and charming outdoor cafes, luxurious salon and spas, fitness centers, tennis and pickleball, and miles of scenic walking and bike trails.
A nationally recognized leader in the retirement industry, Shell Point is the largest single-site continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Florida and the second largest in the country with 2,500 residents and more than 1,200 employees. For further information, visit www.shellpoint.org or call 1-800-780-1131.
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