The Visiting Artist Program is a wonderful opportunity for ArtFest Fort Myers artists to share their talents, abilities and love of the arts with young people in our community. Festival artists work in a Lee County Middle School art classroom for one day, either before or after the Festival.
Artists get to inspire a classroom of budding artists with their talent and success story. They may talk with the students about how the artist makes a living with their talent, give a lesson on how the art is created, or lead an interactive project.
Click here to request a visiting artist … or volunteer to be a visiting artist.
Thank You Frank Bireley
Frank was a philanthropist in the truest sense. A supporter of art, youth, cancer services and so much more. Frank was always there with a smile to help with advice as well as funding. Frank was the founder of the Visiting Artists Program.
Teachers and Artists Speak …
“I would highly recommend this program. My artist was very well spoken, discussing his education, experience and the value of artwork. He emphasized how art influences our everyday lives and was very encouraging to my students!”
~ Marjorie Resler, Varsity Lakes Middle School
“The kids were enthusiastic and had an endless flow of questions. We all had a great time!”
~ Charles Greenholdt, watercolor artist and 2011 Visiting Artist
“Preston Scott and Debra Martin not only talked about how they made their reed instruments, they also played together. Their discussion was engaging and the students loved it! I later heard a heartwarming story from the parents of one of my students. This boy, in typical middle school fashion, had been uncommunicative with his parents for several months. After our Visiting Artist experience, he came home bursting with stories from his day and couldn’t wait to introduce his parents to these artists over festival weekend. Isn’t is wonderful how many ways art can touch our lives?”
~ Carolyn Gora, Cypress Lake Middle School
