Double Standard in Art Event Permitting

News - Gallery News

City of Fort Myers denies permit to "Art Walk - Saturday Art Fair" due to ArtFest.

Artfest granted permit to open during Friday Night's Art Walk

The monthly local independent artist event held the day after Art Walk was not issued a permit this month due to ArtFest influence in city affairs.

Saturday Art Fair is an art event held the day after Art Walk each month on First Street during season, October through April.  The event showcases over 42 local artists on  the sidewalks of the historic downtown streetscape. 

For the February 2012 Saturday Art Fair the Art Walk committee was denied their permit, with no explanation originally given.  The city later told the Art Walk Committee  that the denial of permit was due to ArtFest taking place in Centennial Park and on Edwards Drive, along the Caloosahatchee River, the first weekend of February. 

Artfest has  traditionally been a Saturday and Sunday event held the first weekend of February.  Since  the success of the monthly Art Walk event on First Fridays, Artfest has now opened its doors a day earlier on Friday nights during Art Walk the last 2 years, with over 60 artist booths open to the public on Edwards and Hendry Streets.
 
The combination of Artfest influence on denying the Saturday ArtFair permit and the added event overlap with 60 City permitted artist booths during Fort Myers Art Walk First Friday opening night has downtown Art Walk gallery owners and businesses owners upset and scratching their heads.  

Art Walk was instructed to file a complaint with the City Manager.  The Art Walk committee was notified that if any Satruday Art Fair artists set-up on Saturday that police would shut down any artists that setup on First Street on Saturday. Local artist, Galleries and businesses in downtown are thus forced to take a back seat to the ArtFest organization.

Media coverage:

News-Press: http://www.news-press.com/article/20120203/NEWS0110/302030036/Monthly-art-fair-canceled-make-way-ArtFest?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home
NBC-2: http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16664461/2012/02/02/city-refuses-permit-for-second-art-festival
WINK6: http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-02-02/Dueling-Arts-Events-cause-Controversy-in-Ft-Myers-
FOX: http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/138606754.html