Gulf Coast Life: Arts Edition with John Davis
John Davis has been a full-time Reporter/Producer for WGCU since 2009. He is the local host for NPR’s Morning Edition and producer and host for WGCU’s radio talk program Gulf Coast Life! John came to WGCU as an intern in 2007, and is now reporting on a broad spectrum of topics of interest to Southwest Florida. Prior to joining WGCU, he worked at WDUQ-FM in Pittsburgh, PA covering local government and general assignments.John studied journalism at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Florida Gulf Coast University. His work has garnered awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and a first place award and “Best in Show” from the Florida Associated Press for his investigative work in 2011. Send news pitches to wgcunews at wgcu.org
Latest Episodes
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Singer/songwriters Bill Metts and Bruce Gallant perform as a duo at venues throughout Southwest Florida. The two met through the Americana Community Music Association in Fort Myers where they’ve each spent years leading the organization’s singer/songwriter circle. Metts is also co-founder and Vice President of the nonprofit Hope By Song, where Gallant also serves as Recruitment Director.Metts and Gallant stopped by the WGCU studios to perform live! We’ll learn their original tunes and gain insight into their individual approaches to songwriting. -
An exhibition titled “Fast Forward,” is now on display at Big Arts on Sanibel. The multimedia exhibit, which runs through July 31, challenges the artists whose work is included to “imagine the future from the vantage point of our historically turbulent and uncertain time.”
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We listen back tour our show from April with music recorded live in studio by members of the Florida Gulf Coast University Bower School of Music’s Jazz combo. The students spent the last school year writing and collaborating on their own music.
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A solo exhibition of works by Naples-based artist Cath Branwood opens Friday, July 2 at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers.We’ll talk with Branwood about the show, titled “The Me, You, and Them” exhibition,” which draws on pandemic-induced isolation and other events of the tumultuous year that was 2020 for a collection of works with a broad contrast in both style and content.
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Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, this week, announced plans for the company’s 28th season. We’ll get a detailed look at the upcoming season with Theatre Conspiracy Founding Artistic Director Bill Taylor.
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A solo exhibition of works by Southwest Florida-based artist Spencer Elles opens Friday, June 4 at DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery & Gifts in downtown Fort Myers. Elles is a multi-talented queer artist, musician, digital illustrator and videographer. The exhibition titled, “uhhhh… I guess this is my art show or whatever. (AKA the duality of man) yes…that’s the full title,” includes 25 original pieces along with 50 prints by Elles.
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Florida Repertory Theatre in downtown Fort Myers has just announced plans for a robust season kicking off this fall. We’ll take a closer look at how the theatre company has weathered challenges posed by the pandemic over the past year and get a preview of what’s to come for the 2021-2022 season with the Florida Rep’s Artistic Director Greg Longenhagen.
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Last year’s selection of Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General brought new challenges to the U.S. Postal Service, that at one point, even threatened mail in voting. That prompted renowned artists and musicians Mark Mothersbaugh and Beatie Wolfe to launch the “Postcards for Democracy” project, that’s now become an exhibition at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery. The artists join us to explore the project along with gallery director Jade Dellinger.
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The 11th annual Fort Myers Film Festival kicks off Wednesday, May 12 with four and a half days of local, regional, national and international film screenings, filmmaker discussions, VIP meet and greet opportunities, live music and an opening night red carpet gala. We’ll get a preview with festival founder Eric Raddatz, and we’ll meet writer, producer, director and filmmaker Caytha Jentis. A screening of her indie comedy “Pooling in Paradise” will open the film festival.
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The Baker Museum at Artis Naples continues it’s 20th anniversary season with an exhibition of works by world-renowned modern urban expressionist painter Marcus Jansen titled, Marcus Jansen: Two Decades of Relevance.We talk with Jansen about his life, his art, and how his paintings engage our understanding of power structures, politics, and economics and motivate us to view these social constructs through a different lens.
