It took a bit of research to find the name and details because this lovely sculpture doesn't have a…read morecaption or explanation nearby. Maybe there's one inside City Hall? Nonetheless, this sculpture is "Moons of the Galaxy." The artwork is about fifteen feet tall and is a multi-layered piece, almost an obelisk (and you know I love obelisks https://www.yelp.com/collection/_qW015GIAUpX1-YLYabLoQ). It is brightly colored and impossible to miss as you head east on Bonita Beach Road. The online caption reads, "Since the dawn of time earth's moon has lit up our nights and created a sense of wonder in humankind. Luckily, the city of Bonita Springs has been fortunate to acquire a moon to call its own. Currently on display at Bonita City Hall, "Moons of the Galaxy", is one of the latest creations from Pinellas County artist, Clayton Swartz. The towering metallic sculpture was approved by the Art in Public Places Board (APPB), to be featured as a permanent fixture to highlight the city's commitment to the arts and beautification of the community." [Review 19276 overall - 1625 in Florida - 246 of 2023.]

Homage to the Sun is a sculpture located in downtown Naples in front of the City Hall. The piece…read morewas constructed of brushed aluminum by artist Wayne Hook. It was given to the city in 1979 in honor of Harry F. Montgomery, a resident of Kansas City Missouri and Naples, Florida. Situated in a fountain, the sculpture looks like a person with their arms stretched up to the sun. Homage to the Sun caught my eye when I was walking around Cambier Park across the street. I love the idea of this sculpture honoring the sun as we are all sun worshippers in Florida. The large size of the sculpture makes it a stand out. More outdoor art works can be found steps away in Cambier Park and adorning the outside of the Naples Arts Association that sits on the edge of the park. You can do a self guided art work in this beautiful corner of downtown Naples.

I love discovering public art and thanks to Bruce K. I was pointed to this large, 12 foot high…read moregranite circular piece titled Sun Gate created in 1998. It is located at the entrance to the River District on Main Street. Sun Gate was carved by artist Robert Sindorf who was born in Amsterdam in 1951.His family came to the U.S. when he was five. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and philosophy from Columbia University, where he also obtained a Masters of Architecture in 1977. Sadly he passed away at the young age of 57 in 2008. Sindorf used a circle in almost all of his art work. He preferred to use circles because of their perfect geometry and because they have no beginning or end. Circles represented to him the sun, heaven, and the circle of life. I love the theme of this piece. The sun is also a symbol of Florida which has the nickname Sunshine State. I like how you can make the sculpture interactive by sitting in it or going through it. The granite evokes the feeling of nature. Sun Gate is a great addition to the downtown public art scene.

Twelve feet tall and wide, this large granite sculpture is between the Lee County Community…read moreDevelopment building and the Lee County Justice Center. There is no street parking immediately nearby but if you're here, you've probably already found parking. The art piece is by Robert Sindorf. Virtually all of Sindorf's sculptures incorporate a circle as their primary geometrical shape. "It is perfect geometry and has no beginning or end," Sindorf stated. "It is a peaceful, restful form that transcends time and becomes eternal. It is a symbol of the sun, heaven, perfection and, especially, the cycle of life." Which explains why Sun Gate also Sun Gate Front ViewLgoes by the name "Wheel of Life." Note that you're allowed to climb through the "hole" in the piece and the "back" side of the Fun Gate is finished where the "front" side is not. [Review 13326 overall, 644 of 2020.]

Fire dance is a large piece of public art located in Centennial Park in downtown Fort Myers. In…read more2012 it was the first commission given to an artist by the City of Fort Myers Public Art Committee. Artist David Black is a proto-architectural monumental artist. He started his career in 1980. His art has been shown in galleries and museums throughout the United States. He was a professor emeritus in art at Ohio State University for 30 years and he has won many prizes and awards. His largest piece is a memorial to the Wright Brothers first powered flight, in Dayton, Ohio. David Black spoke about his inspiration for the 25 foot high bright red sculpture. "My wife, and I first visited Centennial Park at night We walked right into a jazz festival. Fire Dance incorporates the sounds of the music and the noise of the crowd." The sculpture is supposed to convey the energy and excitement of Fort Myers during events. David Black said "It is my hope that Fire Dance will lift each viewer's spirits and deepen their sense of community with Fort Myers by engendering a sense of civic pride." The sculpture was designed to be interactive because you can walk it through it. Inside the piece are four hidden spirals. Of the sculpture David Black said "It is my hope that Fire Dance will lift each viewer's spirits and deepen their sense of community with Fort Myers by engendering a sense of civic pride." Right now the sculpture is enclosed by a fence surrounding Centennial Park. The park is undergoing a million dollars of improvements including upgrades to the restrooms, landscaping, new children's play equipment, and construction of a new amphitheater. They are expected to be finished in spring of this year. Before they closed off the park they had to remove the large homeless population that resides in the park. Homelessness has long been a plaque on this area so it will be interesting to see how the city deals with this issue when the park reopens and going forward.

Located in the center of Centennial Park at the end of Bay Street (beyond the Cleveland Ave…read moreoverpass), this bright red metal artwork "evokes the energetic rhythm and vitality of Centennial Park, which combine to lighten the spirit of its visitors. Internationally recognized for this monumental, complex public structures, Black describes his work as proto-architecture in that the work combines both architectural and sculptural components." The tall artwork is surrounded by benches. Take a break and appreciate it. [Review 13329 overall, 647 of 2020.]

The Whispering Giant Calostimucu is an art piece carved from a 20 foot Enterolobium Cyclocarpum…read moretree known as the elephant ear or monkey pod tree. The tree is said to be similar to mahogany. The piece was commissioned in 1974 by Fred Babcock who owned the Holiday Inn. He discovered the tree damaged by lightning on his land in 1973 and he had seen Hungarian artist Peter Wolf Toth's work in Georgia. Toth had experienced repression in his native country and was shuttled among various refuge camps. When he immigrated to Ohio he became interested in Native American culture because he saw a parallel in the way they were treated and what he experienced. Toth traveled the country over 20 years and donated at least one work in each state and two in Canada. His first carving was a stone Native American head in a cliff in La Jolla California in 1972. After that he switched from stone to wood. His last carving was number 58 in May of 1988 in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The collection of large works is called the Trail of Whispering Giants. According to Toth "The statue is not just to honor Native Americans; it's to represent all people who have suffered injustices." The carving took three months to make and it sits in front of the historic A.C. Freeman House. It originally resided in front of the Best Western, previously the Holiday Inn until Hurricane Charley in 2004 damaged much of the hotel. The carving includes the emerging dream of a dying bison on it's back coming out of the top and eagle with a broken wing meant to represent the prejudice and injustice Native people have faced. The sculpture also features the faces of a Native American man and woman. It was Toth's tenth piece and the only one to feature two faces. The artwork was first dedicated in 1974. It was rededicated on January 20, 2006 and a time capsule was buried at the base.

This piece of public art for display is really cool! Directions tell you to pull into the parking…read morelot behind the Italian restaurant and if you can't find it the artwork is on the corner by the road in front of the yellow house behind the restaurant.

All things pineapple make me happy. I quick spotted this one time driving around Sarasota & and I…read morevowed to come back. Too bad I couldn't find it, and I couldn't find it listed on the internet anywhere. Finally found it again and it is as beautiful as I thought it would be. You will find the across from pineapple park which is now known as Paul N. Thorpe Jr. Park. I made a listing for it too. This is located on the corner of Pineapple & Lemon. Check this beauty out!

It is funny how you can embrace a small, what many might call it an insignificant thing, and look…read moreforward to seeing it when visiting a city or town. It is these little pieces of local art that help define the personality of a city. The pineapple mural is directly across from the Paul N. Thorpe Jr. Park and definitely something that will make you smile.

Discovering public art is a fun and free hobby. On a recent trip to Fort Myers I spotted the…read moreCaloosahatchee Manuscripts, two cylinder shaped bronze public art pieces in front of the Sidney Berne Davis Art Center. The art center is a former federal courthouse and the land it sits on was once a settlement of Creek Indians that pre-dates the army fort from which Fort Myers derived its name. The Caloosahatchee Manuscripts were purchased for the City of Fort Myers by Florida Power and Light in 2001. The work was commissioned to celebrate the 1998 conversion of its power plant on the south bank of the Caloosahatchee River from oil to natural gas. The decision was made because it was better for the environment and it reduced the oil barge traffic on the Caloosahatchee River. Maryland based sculptor Jim Sanborn, known for his light sculptures was selected to create the art piece. The two bronze projection cylinders are 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide. A water jet cutter was used to create the text in them. The cylinder on the east side contains a story told by Native American leader Tchikilli to state of Georgia founder James Oglethorpe. The tale describes how Native Americans came into the lower Southeast part of North America. The west side cylinder has the Latin name of the 1,500 native Florida plants Thomas Edison tested to make a local source of rubber for his friends, car manufacturer Henry Ford and tire manufacturer Harvey Firestone. The manuscripts are interesting by day but if you love photography you will want to visit at night when the spectacular light display comes alive. Pinpoints of light come through the text and spill over the building and sidewalk at night making a light show.

These two tall bronze cylinders are located on the sidewalk in front of the Old Post Office in…read moredowntown Fort Myers. The sculpture was designed by American artist Jim Sanborn. They are bronze with text cut from a water jet cutter, and a pinpoint light source. The eastern drum contains the text of a story told by Maskoki Indian leader Tchikilli to James Oglethorpe about the migration of Native Americans into Florida. The Seminoles, Miccosukee and Creek trace their ancestry to Tchikilli and his people. The western drum contains the Latin names of 500 botanicals that Thomas Edison tested in an effort to develop a local source of latex from which to make rubber in order to help out his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. The sculptures were given to the City of Fort Myers in 2001 by Florida Power & Light Co. to commemorate the conversion of its power plant on the south bank of the Caloosahatchee River from oil to natural gas. After a call to artists, Maryland sculptor Jim Sanborn was chosen. The commission cost $125,000. [Review 13323 overall, 641 of 2020.]

This is another of my favorite murals in Lake Placid. You can find it facing into Journal Plaza on…read morethe wall of Olde Friends Gallery & Gifts. This is one of fifty-one large murals on the side of buildings throughout downtown Lake Placid. Bob and Harriet Porter got the idea for the Lake Placid murals in the early 1990's during an motorcycle trip to Alaska. The couple made a chance stop in Chemainus, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Inspired by the towns collection of mural they decided to try and recreate murals on the buildings to draw tourists to the town to revitalize the economic downturn. The couple founded the Lake Placid Mural Society in 1992. Having visited Fort Myers a few times I instantly recognized the three titans who are featured in this mural painted by Keith Goodson and completed on July 25, 2005. Florida artist Keith Goodson has been a professional artist since 1994. His artwork features Christian themes, nature, and history. He does murals, portraits, and illustrations. He uses his art to express his faith and to spiritually connect with the viewer. This mural tells the story of how Swain Bowers once rescued Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone. In 1927 Swain Bowers opened Lake Placid Motor Co.. That same year Edison, Ford, and Firestone who lived in Ft. Myers decided to take a road trip through Highlands County to look for goldenrod as a potential source of rubber. During the trip, the three friends got their Model T stuck in the sand of a primitive road near Lake Annie. Swain Bowers was called to rescue them with his truck and he brought chains to pull them out. To his amazement he found out that he had helped three of the most famous men of the time. Swain Bowers was a respected member of the Lake Placid community for his willingness to always lend a hand. He and his wife Frances were members of many civic organizations. He served for 12 years as Lake Placid School Board trustee and was a member of L.P. Chamber of Commerce, the Cattlemen Association, and National Auto Dealers Association.

It is always fun to discover a public art piece and I found this one on a recent trip to Fort…read moreMyers. Marks & Brands is a sculpture by California sculptor and art instructor Peter Mitten. His work was chosen from 112 applicants. The art piece is located in the courtyard of the Fort Myers Regional Library. It is the 25th sculpture in the City of Fort Myers public art collection. The inspiration for the piece came from Fort Myers history of cattle ranching in southwest Florida which began at the end of the Civil War. Fort Myers was reactivated during the Civil War by Union troops to disrupt the flow of Florida cattle to the Confederacy. After the war two of the well known ranching families in Fort Myers were Jacob Summerlin and the Hendry family who Hendry county is named for. Later on Dr. Thomas Langford and William H. Towles became renowned cattleman. From 1856 to 1908, a dirt cattle trail ran through the middle of Fort Myers. The families brought a network of cattlemen, cow hunters, blacksmiths, cobblers and everyone else who attended to the cattlemen's needs to Fort Myers. The cattle industry was a large draw of people to the fledgling town. Eventually visionaries like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Ambrose and Tootie McGregor came to the area and help transform it from a cattle driven town to one of citrus and tourism. Marks and Brands is an 8 foot tall, 3 dimensional sculpture of the stacked cattle brands that were utilized by Lee County cattle ranchers including the Flint, Fowles, Hendry, Lykes, Rutledge, Smith, Thomas, and Walker families. The historic cattle trail in town has been marked with four 1x2 silicon bronze relief panels that have been imprinted with cattle hoof prints. I love the deep meaning of this piece and how it pays homage to the cattle ranch history of Fort Myers. .

Located in the courtyard of the Fort Myers Regional Library, this three-dimensional ferrous metal…read moresculpture recalls the original traditions of the cattle industry that flourished in Southwest Florida during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The piece is an eight-foot tall stack of various cattle brand shapes in a linear configuration. Also known as "Stacked Brands," they represent the brands that Lee County's cattle ranchers used to mark their cattle. The structure weighs 400-500 pounds and is a rust color. The piece is mounted on a 2x4x4 foot pedestal that is in the middle of a water feature (currently drained) that runs along the west side of the plaza opposite the library's entrance. It was conceived, designed and fabricated by California sculptor and art instructor Peter Mitten, who was chosen from a field of three finalists and 112 applicants. [Review 13321 overall, 639 of 2020.]