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3 NEW WAYS TO
PLAY OUTSIDE These Southwest Florida attractions have new outdoor activities that beckon families to have fun. | STORY AND PHOTOS BY RANDY KAMBIC outhwest Florida teems with outdoor settings — parks, nature trails, natural preserves, beaches —affording parents many ways to experience fun activities with their children while following current health guidelines. Three area institutions recently installed new, outdoor, family, informative and entertaining attractions to add to our options.
THE WATER WALL
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Installed over summer, three towering blue- and silver-colored connected sections imaginatively depict the Caloosahatchee River. It facilitates functional environmental restoration as it sweeps up water from the adjacent pond and filters it before allowing it to trickle back down to the bottom. The system serves plants and soil at the base of the dazzling structure before the water eventually makes its way to the river. “My hope is the Caloosahatchee Water Wall becomes a distinguishing work of art for the Alliance while also providing the larger community with an understanding of the interconnections between the very special natural water systems of the
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Caloosahatchee River as well as our responsibility to take on damaging environmental human impacts,” says Michael, who has studios in Delray Beach and Vermont and has earned numerous awards plus fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. The ArtsPark, which is free and open to the public to visit and explore, is one of many upgrades undertaken by the Alliance in the last couple of years, including new sidewalks and pathways, enhanced landscaping, LED lighting and painting of the main building, which houses many art gallery shows, classes — many currently being offered online due to the pandemic crisis — and special events. “The wall mirrors what we have been doing on the inside — using the arts to begin, amplify and continue conversations that explain complex issues in easy-to-understand ways,” says Executive Director Lydia Black. Location: 10091 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers • Details: 239-939-2787 or artinlee.org
PHOTOS SPECIAL TO SW FL PARENT & CHILD
The Caloosahatchee Water Wall by acclaimed artist Michael Singer in the 10acre ArtsPark section of the Alliance for the Arts, in Fort Myers, provides a spectacular work of art to admire and an outdoor “classroom” that can inform and inspire onlookers of all ages to take their own positive actions in preserving water quality.
