The Center for the Arts League of Bonita invites you to escape the everyday and enjoy the arts. The organization offers year-round programing to the public and its 2,000-plus members, ranging from art classes for all ages, exhibitions, film series and three national art festivals. 

With two locations, one for visual arts and one for performing arts, the centers have a full schedule of programing going on now and coming soon.

The Center for Performing Arts presents a lineup of live performances that any theater buff or music connoisseur would appreciate, including: 

• Staged Readings: Southwest Florida Playwrights Meet the World (Friday, September 11). This series features seven playwrights’ newest works—six comedies and one drama—performed by actors in a staged reading format, scripts in hand.  

• GO Divas (Saturday, October 3). Six classically trained opera singers perform a repertoire spanning Bach and Handel to a capella Swingle Singers arrangements of Beatles songs.

• Stage It! 10-Minute Play Festival (October 9-11, evening and matinee performances). This festival features some of the best short plays from around the world.

• James & the Giant Peach Jr. (October 16-18, evening and matinee performances). The centers’ Youth Players display their talents, as they perform this popular children’s novel by Roald Dahl.

• Patchouli & Terra Guitarra (Friday, October 23). This show presents fiery Spanish guitar pieces, animated visual imagery and vocal harmonies performed by Julie Patchouli and Bruce Hecksel.

• Tab Benoit (Friday, November 6). The Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and guitarist is back to rock audiences with his gritty and soulful Delta swamp blues.

Plus, visitors can watch some of the best independent and foreign films from around the world with the Films for Film Lovers series, held every Monday night at 7 pm. For tickets and to learn more about upcoming films, visit artcenterbonita.org/films, and for live performances, visit artcenterbonita.org/performances.

The Center for Visual Arts features compelling art exhibitions, all free to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 am-5 pm. Exhibitions include:

• Town & Country (September 4-24 in the Main Gallery). Explores local artists’ visions of travel, leisure and all things wanderlust. 

• Organic Geometric (October 2-29 in the Main Gallery). Focuses on shapes, a key element of design, and how they hold the attention in both abstract and realistic forms. 

• Layered Imagery: Works by Marjorie Pesek (October 2-29 in the Tranovich Gallery). Highlights the layered-image works of Pesek, whose art has been commissioned by both Disney and Warner Bros. Her original artworks uniquely capture the essence of a portrait.

• Material Pulses: Seven Viewpoints (November 20-January 7). Focuses on the art of quilt-making and presents 17 works by seven award-winning fiber artists from the U.S., Canada and the UK.

To learn more about these exhibitions and all upcoming programs, courses and events at the centers, visit artcenterbonita.org or call 239-495-8989. The Center for Visual Arts is located at 26100 Old 41 Road, and the Center for Performing Arts is 10150 Bonita Beach Road, both in Bonita Springs.

For more than 21 years, Susan Bridges has been the creative force behind the Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs. During her tenure as president, she has set the foundation for the centers’ mission: to enrich the culture of the Southwest Florida community by providing opportunities for artistic expression, education and appreciation.