Arts & Culture

Marielle Plaisir is one of three artists being featured by The Baker Museum of Art in its 12th Annual Florida Contemporary exhibition. In "Rhapsody for a Beloved World," she explores legacies of colonialism, of power and power imbalances, and questioning and exploring the effects of these forces on society today,”

This weekend's art festivals are in Punta Gorda, Sanibel Island and Estero.

“Purely Pastel” is an exhibition of 72 abstract, impressionist and realist paintings created with pastels. It’s on view at the Alliance for the Arts through February 27. Most people associate pastels with pale blues and pinks, but the paintings on display in “Purely Pastel” burst with color.

Looking for an artful way to observe Valentine’s Day? Consider these three alternatives to flowers and chocolates.

Three shows open, five productions close and 11 others continue their runs this week in Southwest Florida theaters.

On Saturday, the Laboratory Theater of Florida announced that Annette Trossbach is retiring as its producing artistic director. Trossbach founded the lab in 2009. During her 16 years at the helm, she established the lab as a bastion for innovative, groundbreaking theater productions. Along the way, she transformed local theater into a safe and acceptable environment in which artists and audiences can explore, discover and expand personal horizons and raise their social consciousness.

Renowned author, interviewer and photographer Victor Bockris is in Southwest Florida for an ArtSPEAK@FSW lecture and book signing in conjunction with the current exhibition at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery titled “David BRADSHAW & William S. BURROUGHS: Propagation.” Over a career spanning more than half a century Bockris has interviewed and written about icons stretching from the Beat Generation to the 1970s Punk scene. We’ll talk with Bockris about his career, his approach to interviewing and his latest book “The Burroughs-Warhol Connection.”

This weekend, five outdoor art festivals take place in Southwest Florida.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is celebrating Black History Month with playwright August Wilson’s “Fences.” Each of Wilson’s Century Cycle plays speak about the African-American experience in this country. In this context, says Artistic Director Nate Jacobs, “Fences” focuses on the universal theme of families, in particular, the father-son relationship.

Internationally renowned artist Hunt Slonem recently donated an artwork titled “Totem Winter” to the Golisano Children’s Museum’s permanent collection.