Nearly three years after Hurricane Ian destroyed its original location, the Fort Myers Beach Art Association has opened a new 1,500-square-foot gallery in south Fort Myers. The space, located in Cypress Square Plaza, opened on May 1, 2025, and will host a grand opening and 75th-anniversary celebration on November 1. The gallery provides a venue for monthly exhibits, art classes, and a working studio for members, many of whom relocated off-island after the storm.
This reopening matters because it restores a dedicated community hub for the association's 130 members, who had been showing their work in borrowed spaces across Lee County since the hurricane. The move off Fort Myers Beach reflects broader demographic shifts caused by the disaster, while the new central location aims to better serve the displaced artist community. The gallery's return signals resilience and continuity for a volunteer-run nonprofit that has served the area for 75 years.