The monthly downtown Fort Myers art event continues in July with new art shows.

The next Fort Myers Art Walk will be Friday, July 2, from 6 to 10 p.m. The July Art Walk will include more than a dozen art stops and will feature new art exhibitions, live music, and the traditional after party.  An additional daylight saturday reception will be held Saturday July 3rd from 12-4pm.

Held the first Friday of every month from 6 to 10 p.m., Art Walk showcases local and national artwork in the downtown art galleries and at several art stops in the Fort Myers River District. The evening culminates with an after party at 10 p.m. The July after party will be held at Spirits of Bacchus on Hendry Street.

Nearly 40 participants make Art Walk happen and they include the Alliance for the Arts, Art League of Fort Myers, Art of the Olympians, Arts for ACT Gallery and Boutique, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Café Matisse, Cigar Bar, Coloring The World, Conch Sweet Corner Café, daas Gallery, Delicious Things, Digital Data Destruction, Downtown House of Pizza, Enjewel, First United Methodist Church, Florida Repertory Theatre, Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency, French Connection, H2 Downtown Bistro, Hampton Inn, Happenings A&E Magazine, Hideaway Sports Bar, Hotel Indigo, HOWL Gallery, Ichiban Japanese & Chinese Restaurant, IberiaBank, Morgan House Restaurant, The Oasis Luxury Condos, Potomac Bead Company, Red Rock Saloon, River District Alliance, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Select Transportation, SKS PhotoShoot, Space 39 Gallery, Spirits of Bacchus, The Spot, Starbucks Coffee, The Veranda Restaurant, and the Young Artists Awards Program.

Some highlights of the Friday, July 2 Art Walk:

• Art at The Oasis Condominiums: Group exhibit called The Friends featuring artists Ana Abreu, Cecilia Valdez, Quintin Perez, Kim Hambor, Rhonda C. Long, Maria Pia Malerba, Renzos Avila, Talya Schauer, Judith Braid, and Alejandra Bustamante.
• Art of the Olympians: Guests are encouraged to start the night off early and join Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre at the Art of the Olympians for a meet and greet with the actors from this summer’s upcoming musicals: Footloose, Cinderella, and Seussical from 5:45 – 6:15 p.m. Actors will perform a song from each of the summer shows from 6:15 -6:45 p.m. In the museum are two new art shows: The Winter Sports Exhibit and the Skip Cutting Exhibit.
• Art League of Fort Myers: Continuation of summer art show.
• Arts for ACT Gallery: Opening reception for two themed exhibits Spoked and Take a Walk on the Wild Side, featuring more than 50 artists. A student from the Young Artists Awards Program will perform at the gallery that night.
• Coloring The World: Opening of new exhibit called Freedom, a series of contemporary paintings in red, white and blue tones by artist Stephen Gray-Blancett.
• daas Gallery: Opening reception for Triumph: A Collective Celebration, featuring gallery artists and celebrating the gallery’s two-year anniversary.
• Enjewel: Featured artist is Terry Meza.
• Gallery Showcase and Information Center at IberiaBank (Bayview Court at First Street). New Art Walk T-shirts are available at this location as well as buttons and brochures.
• HOWL Gallery: Opening for SWFL Lives! 2nd Annual Group Show, featuring the very best artists living in Southwest Florida.  Vote for your favorite artwork of the show during Art Walk.
• Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center: Opening for new show featuring oceanic photographer Michelle Tricca. The Laboratory Theater of Florida will present a free one-act play entitled Picnic on the Battlefield at 7 and 8:30 p.m.
• Space 39:  Opening of a new show featuring artist George Settos.

Another highlight of the extremely popular evening will be the weekly Friday Night Live which takes place in the Patio de Leon. Tom & Jim (folk and originals) will perform from 6 to 9 p.m.

Always a collector’s item, new Art Walk buttons will be available for free at the galleries that night. Now, Art Walk has its own shirt (in red or black). Shirts are available for a $12 donation at the IberiaBank gallery showcase during Art Walk.

A free shuttle service courtesy of Select Transportation Inc., with stops planned near the art venues, and parking at the Harborside Event Center will be available for Art Walk patrons. Shuttle stops include The Oasis, Art of the Olympians, and Enjewel on First Street.

The seasonal Saturday Art Fair is taking a summer break and will return in the fall.

A map of Art Walk, transportation, and parking will be distributed by participating galleries. Art Walk is a rain or shine event. Art Walk was started by a group of art galleries and art enthusiasts and debuted in October of 2008. For more information on Art Walk, participating galleries and links to gallery websites, visit www.fortmyersartwalk.com.