Sep 29, 2005
(Attached photo, left to right: Lee County Commissioner Tammy Hall and featured artist Leo Johnson)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: County Commission, District #4 Office
(239) 335-2226
COMMISSIONER HALL CELEBRATES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH IN CONTINUING SERIES TO SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS
FORT MYERS, Fla. (September 29, 2005) - Lee County Commissioner Tammy Hall, in conjunction with Alliance of the Arts, celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a collection of pieces on display in her office by local artist Leo Johnson.
Leo Johnson will have his artwork, including pieces that reflect Cuban culture and art, displayed in the District #4 Commissioner office starting today (Sep. 29) and running through November 29th (see artist bio below). The public is welcome to come view the artwork and learn about Johnson. The paintings can be purchased.
Commissioner Hall's office is in the first floor of the Old County Courthouse, 2120 Main Street in downtown Fort Myers. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This is part of a continuing series to support local artists. Other artists that have been featured include Kit Hoisington, Carl Schwartz, and William North. Other local artists will be featured at six-to-eight-week intervals.
Commissioner Hall was elected to the Board of Lee County Commissioners in 2004 and serves as the Board's vice chairman. Her district includes North Fort Myers, and the central and northern portions of Cape Coral.
LEO JOHNSON - ARTIST STATEMENT:
Leo Johnson was born in Tampa, Florida. He is a third generation Cuban-Sicilian, who is still immersed in it's language, culture and art. He studied painting in San Miguel, Mexico. A school founded by Diego Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros, the great Mexican muralists. He has won many awards for his paintings and has shown in New York City, California and throughout the United States. He had a one man show at Der Flur Gallery in Kassel, Germany in March 2003 and he has shown in Berlin, Germany in September 2003 in Spektrale 3. He considers it important to be active in his community, giving many lectures throughout the states and has been teaching painting to under-privileged, disabled and at-risk children.
"In my paintings I try to reflect the human spirit- it's agonies, joys, exuberance - and peaks and valleys of everyday life. Also included are the fleeting moments which appear to us once in a lifetime and are gone Throughout the history of art, mankind has been the motivator, the inspiration, and the force that protects and propels civilization into the future."