The Arts for ACT Gallery in downtown Fort Myers will be the site of the Juried Group Art Exhibit by the Southwest Florida Branch of the National League of American Pen Women, held tonight from 6 to 10.
The exhibit will feature paintings, pottery, and music from Pen Women members, and a portion of the proceeds will go towards ACT, a nonprofit organization that aids victims of domestic abuse.
Begun by professional women in the Washington, D.C. area in 1897, today the League has more than 200 branches in every state and more than 4,000 members. The group is devoted to promoting the interests of women artists from all walks of life.
“This is one of the brightest groups of women I’ve ever met. They represent the best in women,” said Peg Cullen, president of the group’s Southwest Florida Branch.
The League has counted Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Georgia O’Keefe, and Erma Bombeck among its members.
In addition to the ACT fund raiser, the League’s Southwest Florida branch doles out scholarships, donates to the Harry Chapin Food Bank, and holds a writing contest among local high schools throughout the year.
Cullen said her organization helps promote the arts as an avenue for young women to succeed.
“I grew up in the ’50s where art wasn’t encouraged, you were supposed to have kids and that was it. Because of some wonderful woman who loaned me money I was able to go to college,” Cullen said.
The money raised by the exhibit for ACT will also help female abuse victims, Cullen added.
“Part of the proceeds go to domestic abuse victims. More often than not those are women and young girls,” she said.
For more information about the League or the exhibit, call Cullen at 283-6498, or the Arts for ACT Gallery at 337-5050.