Strengthening the Community through Arts

Funds are needed for youth outreach, programming costs, operating expenses, and historic preservation and renovation of the Art Center's 23,000 square foot facility.

About us:
The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, founded in 1997 as Florida Arts, Incorporated, is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization directed by Jim Griffith, a Julliard trained violist for the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. The Art Center has provided several seasons of programming with concerts, exhibitions, performances, galas, outreach and more. The site of the Art Center building was once a Calusa Native American settlement. In the mid-1800s, it become home to the original fort of “Fort Myers” and the site of the officers’ quarters. Designed by prominent Florida architect Nat Gaillard Walker, the former Historic Post Office building, built in 1933, is one of the nation's finest neoclassical revival structures and a major contributing building to the Downtown Historic River District of Fort Myers. It was converted to a Federal Courthouse in 1965 and later vacated in 1998. Many of its original fixtures were removed or destroyed and the building fell into disrepair until the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center took it over in 2003, dedicated to its preservation with the creation of a community cultural center.

Goals:
•Revitalize an area in great need of arts cultivation
•Offer a 23,000 square foot venue to world-renowned talent and local emerging artists
•Develop future audiences and enhance arts appreciation through education and outreach
•Expand our population served by becoming a statewide attraction and nationally recognized venue
•Ensure accessibility to the arts for the underserved and disadvantaged through ticket and transportation subsidies
•Promote the arts and the vital role they play in our lives
•Revive community involvement through programming and other events with the cooperation of the city and civic groups
•Subsidize rental fees, ensuring local and regional arts groups have always access to the building
•Provide multipurpose, ADA compliant space for concerts, recitals, lectures, conferences, and more
•Contribute to the tourism industry, supporting local retailers, restaurants, and other arts organizations

Recent Accomplishments:
•The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center has provided many seasons of programming to Southwest Florida. It hosted the 4th annual Florida Arts Festival in 2009, which included concerts, theatrical performances, exhibits, and outreach. We have recruited award-winning artists who have performed worldwide at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. This year the Art Center added theatrical performances to its repertoire and expanded its programming to include free theatre all summer long.
•The Art Center raised $3.2 million, mostly from the community, for restoration of its historic building. The organization secured consistent funding from a variety of sources, including grants, private donations, and corporate sponsorships.
•The Art Center worked with other community organizations and schools to promote arts, enlighten minds, and help disadvantaged children through outreach programs, including music and dance performances and lessons for at-risk youth.