The Alliance for the Arts celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Its Invitational50 exhibition thanks 50 select artists for the contributions they have made to the Alliance, and the community it has created over the years. Terry Lynn Spry and Nina Conner's reciprocal portraits are just one of Invitational50's great stories about the Alliance for the Arts.

Throughout the year, Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy founder and namesake Marietta Lee searches near and far for art. This season, she acquired more than 20 works by the Florida Highwaymen and their mentor A.E. Backus, among other “finds.” Now that the museum is closed for the summer, it’s time to decide how and where to exhibit the new additions.

Each year since its founding in 2013, Sarasota Cuban Ballet has been holding an intensive summer training program at its studio on Cattlemen Road. Admission is by audition only, and according to co-founder and instructor Ariel Serrano, this year’s enrollees are a pretty elite group.

The Marco Island Center for the Arts has has booked Stage 2 Improv for three upcoming performances in the Arts Center Theatre in Marco Town Center.

A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting is part memoir and part scientific exploration of nutrition and weight-lifting for women.

Southwest Florida’s museums regularly curate traveling art exhibitions as well as artworks from their permanent collections. During the month of June, three new exhibitions open, six close and 17 others continue their runs. Read here for information on each exhibition.

This week, one show opens, two close, five continue their runs and there are two limited engagements at Southwest Florida equity and community theaters.

Jasmine Visena has a unique challenge in portraying the wry storefront psychic Oda Mae Brown in 'Ghost.' She has to pretend she can’t see her co-star in their onstage scenes.

From Sarasota to Marco Island and Venice and Sanibel to Arcadia and LaBelle, Southwest Florida is home to more than a dozen art centers. Most host visual art exhibitions showcasing member, regional and nationally renowned artists that change every month. In June, there are 26 shows at these venues. Each will stimulate viewers’ imaginations and underscore the importance of the arts in our part of the country.

The Marco Island Center for the Arts and Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas are exchanging exhibitions that draw attention to Latinx art and artists. The idea is to foster cultural understanding, transcend language barriers and demonstrate the ways an artist’s heritage, upbringing and experiences inform their art.