Our Story - IAF - A labor of love

The Island Arts Foundation (IAF) uses a picture of the old arches that served as the original gateway to Estero Island, accompanied by the motto, "Building a home for Art, One Brick at a time". That home, 4 years in the making, is nearly complete. Many of you

have probably noticed a transformation taking place at 2915 Estero Boulevard. Built in 1949 as a home for Grandpa's Workshop, the location has a storied history all its own. So it seems all the more fitting that this place should rise from the ravages of Hurricane Charley and evolve into what it has now become - a beautiful home for the arts that captivates a visitor with creative vision. Once inside, there is an unmistakable patina to the stained glass, exotic woods, marble and bronzes that adorn the premises.

Though many have contributed, IAF President and founder Carl Conley has guided this project since forming the IAF in 2001. "In the first few years of the paper, I was working 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I lost track of playing music and the arts," Carl told us, sitting in his newly appointed office at the front of 2915 Estero. "When I finally got a full staff and a little free time, they a priority to get back into my life."

By this time, Fort Myers Beach was a Town, and Carl noticed something in the Town's comprehensive plan that gave him an idea - "Often noted as missing in the cultural life of the town is a live theater or local playhouse. Although in the past there was a little theater group, one does not exist now. Live theater is often a well-loved community amenity and popular with visitors as well." - Section 10 - Recreation Element, Town Comprehensive Plan.

"This section showed me the need and I felt it would be a great for me to work on – especially with a newspaper to promote it," said Carl. He started with a plan for an Island Arts Night, which he took to his friends Bruce Cermak and Tom Myers.

"Jack Lemmon had just died, and one of Carl's all-time favorite songs is Days of Wine and Roses", Bruce told us. "I knew he could play the saxophone parts, and he called his friend Jo List to collaborate with him on the singing. I couldn't believe the overwhelming response we got."

List is now a councilwoman, but way before politics she was a first-call studio musician with a gold record on the wall. "She shared my love of Broadway and film scores," Carl

explained. "So, with Bruce a master caterer and Tom owner of the recreation hall at the Red Coconut, we decided to have a go at it. We figured we'd get maybe 60 people to come out." This proved to be a massive underestimation, when 140 folks packed the hall at $10 a head, some of them nearly fainting as the overwhelmed air conditioning unit

threatened a mutiny in a hall designed for 80. Still, they all had one question when it was over - "When are you going to do it again?" From that success, a light bulb went off in Conley's head and the Island Arts Foundation was born.

Conley began pitching people to become members of the IAF, signing up over 100 members in the first year (the IAF currently has approximately 150 members). The money from the membership fees went to finance shows, which the group held all over the Island.

"We started the IAF in with hopes of building a performing arts center on the Island, eventually Carl just bought a building with his own money, " Cermak explained.

Islander Ceel Spuhler was one of the first people to sign up for the IAF, and she has supported the program extensively over the years and volunteered at many of the events.

"For years I wished we had an outlet for art on the Island," she told us. "Here we are in paradise, but we had to go into Fort Myers to see any kind of show. When I first read about the IAF in the Sand Paper, I just had to get involved."

It was tough to pull these things off in the beginning – they had to secure permits, move the stage, chairs, ice, food, everything involved with putting on a successful performance.

"I always had some volunteers - the Sand Paper staff and a couple of others like Wendy Herron and Ceel," said Conley, "But there was so much work involved with it all, that that was when the second light bulb went off and I realized we needed a permanent location."

This was in 2003, and the local real estate market was rapidly appreciating. Prices were skyrocketing making any suitable building prohibitive in cost. Conley approached several local businesses in hope of a partnership, but it seemed they all wanted to make it a commercial enterprise and Carl feared loss of integrity of the performances, as well as control over the direction.

"We worked through local government for awhile, getting help for a Mound House presentation of the musical, Little Shop of Horrors and a daytime performance of Crimes of the Heart at Bowditch Point through the Town and County's culture funds," Conley said, "That approach went well and I look forward to working with them again but I knew then if we were going to have any continuity, I was going to have to do it myself, at least until we got a theater up and running. With politics, or public funding, sometimes you get support, and sometimes you get the kibosh." The opportunity finally came along after Hurricane Charley, when the building at 2915 Estero became flooded and went on the market.

"It still wasn't cheap, but it was a good location and I could see the potential," said Conley. Thus began a project that would end up costing half a million dollars and take the better part of four years.

Carl and his fiancé Karen Mills moved into the building and rolled up their sleeves morphing the downstairs from a vacant, flooded, cement commercial space into a well- appointed and functional theater. The building received its theater license several months ago making it official. It now resonates with exotic tropical hardwoods and stained glass.

As Carl and Karen began the monumental job of creating a home for the arts, they moved all IAF productions into the downstairs area even while the work was going on, which became a hugely frustrating task as staff members will recall the complicated procedure of covering up work areas, sweeping cement floors, cleaning dust off chairs which were covered with construction debris and moving boxes and boxes of louvers, cleaning supplies, paint, and countless other items before each event. Even still, the quality of the productions never suffered, and with each subsequent show, patrons could see the gradual transformation.

"I felt like we had to keep the continuity going," explained Conley. "We had a reputation for quality, and we've kept that up for 40 + shows we've promoted locally." These shows came to embody the class and spirit of the IAF. For $30 to $40, guests were treated to world-class music, all beverages, roast sirloin or similar fare magnificently prepared by Karen, platters of shrimp, vegetables, hummus - all with impeccable service. Carl pointed out that not only did Karen prepare all the food in the beginning, she also did a lot behind the scenes that no one was ever aware of.

"Karen Mills worked her rear end off with me getting ready for those shows," Carl told us. "She picked up yard waste, cut the grass, put stuff in bags, covered construction materials with tarps, set up curtains and table cloths, and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned."

"It was a never-ending job until the show was over, and then there was still more work," said Karen, "Luckily, most of the patrons that come to our shows clean up after themselves and are very courteous about throwing away their garbage. Sometimes you'd never know that there were just a hundred plus people sitting there. We really appreciate that about our IAF members and friends."

Karen went on to say that, "As time goes on, the shows are becoming more turnkey with the experience we've gained and the design of our new building. By the time it gets finished, we're going to have high quality collapsible tables and movable seating to accommodate whatever type of production we're featuring, whether it's a play, recital or concert. I'm really looking forward to our first show in the purple heart theatre."

"Karen and Carl did an amazing job with the first shows in that building," Ceel Spuhler said. "I remember going over there to help Karen, and they always made the place look so nice, even with all the work going on."

Bill Van Duzer, a patron member of the IAF for 6 years, also remembers those early

shows.

"Well, in the beginning, the downstairs wasn't very usable because it was always in a state of disrepair, but the shows were still very professional and I always had a good time," said Bill. "They've done so much with that place - the way they have it laid out in a triangular shape with everything focused on the stage makes for a great way to see the shows. I'm very glad I'm a member of the IAF. For a long time, we never had anything like that on the Island. I love going to the performances there because it's so different than anything else around here. This is a great thing to have for our community."

Gene "King Saxe" Walker, currently on a European tour, says, "Despite eight Grammy nominations last year, playing on the Beach is one of my favorite gigs. I've played for Arts Foundation events for the last five years, the people are really appreciative and Carl, Karen and the IAF folks treat me like family. Plus I love the weather."

"We always made sure to make the neighbors a part of it, too," said Carl. "We would invite them to come, and we also made sure we had the shows between 3pm and 6pm or 4pm to 7pm so as not to disturb them too late. This is going to be a hallmark of the IAF - limited show dates and early hours."

Amanda Parke of the Orpheus Players, the theater troupe that performed Crimes of the Heart, is excited about the new building and what it means for her and her fellow actors. "We were thrilled to be a part of the Island Arts Foundation and the production of Crimes of the Heart," she said. "It was so much fun being outside, but we are really looking forward to performing in the new building. It's wonderful that Fort Myers Beach is finally going to have a permanent home for art."

In front of the building sits a statue that embodies the building's dual purpose as a home for the IAF and editorial offices of the Island Sand Paper. Carl commissioned "The American Newsboy" from artist Scott Dozier. Standing close to 5' tall on a marble base,

the Newsboy holds a newspaper in his hand with the headline reading, "Carl Conley, Publisher and Patron of the Arts, Commissions American Newsboy Sculpture." Scott explained to us how he came up with such a unique way to dedicate the statue. "I had originally planned putting a generic newspaper in his hand, with a bronze plaque on the statue's base to dedicate it," he said. "But then I got a wild hair and decided how unique it would be if I wrote it into the paper's headline. Fortunately, Carl liked it, and I know one of the reasons was because he saved money on casting a bronze plaque!" Dozier said that he worked on the statue for "500-600 hours" and that most of the work he has done with his mentor, Don Wilkins, has been for historical buildings, such as the Edison Home, and the Lee County Courthouse. "Not many private patrons commission sculptures like this anymore due to the commitment involved. This was a very rewarding experience and I sure am glad I was part of helping the IAF move along towards its goal."

Conley explained the reasoning behind his commissioning the statue.

"I wanted art, but I also wanted art that spoke to the presence of the Sand Paper and the

fact that we're here to stay," said Carl, "A community newspaper is a business to be sure, but it's also institutional in nature. People depend on us for information and I want them to visibly see our commitment to the Island. One day - as things develop- I hope to publicly endow the building making it a permanent part of our Island's cultural scene."

- Keri Hendry