Gulf Coast Times did a Q&A with HOWL gallery Co-Owners Andy Howl and Alainna Zwiernik in early September. This is the unedited version of the Q&A that was used in the article.
Spell out your full names, ages, and titles.
Andy Howl, 33, Co-Owner/ Artist
Alainna Zwiernik, 33, Co-Owner/Manager
Tell me a little about yourselves and HOWL Gallery. How did you come up with the innovative concept of a gallery/tattoo place?
HOWL is essentially a combination of all of our artistic interests, cutting edge contemporary art and modern tattooing, mixed in with retail merchandise like comics, art toys, and posters. Alainna and I have managed several art related businesses over the years for other people so we just got to the point where we were ready to go big with our own ideas. Alainna was previously managing the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Fort Myers and I still do graphic design work and branding for many clients.
I'd like to highlight a couple of the artists you've exhibited throughout this first year. Can you tell me a little about 3 or 4 of them, their work, and the response from the community?
Our last show was with Daniel Brown, an expressionistic classic car painter from Ohio. His work sold very well and we had a great turn out for both openings receptions (we host two per show). We currently have a group show featuring the best local artists called "SWFL Lives!" We've sold many of those pieces, including work by Veron Ennis, Heather Clough, and Matt Lackey. Overall, the art we feature is more modern and hip than is typically seen in galleries in this area. In fact, some of the first comments we heard upon opening stated that it was like walking into a New York City or Chicago art gallery. Much of what we showcase is influenced by what is currently going on in larger art cities like Miami and LA, along with our own pop culture oriented personal tastes.
Can you please tell us a little about the Art Walk idea? The participating galleries, the work, and the other establishments involved? And how it all came into fruition?
Art Walk is essentially a big event where all the art galleries have shows and businesses in the area stay open later to accommodate the additional foot traffic. Fort Myers got a wave of new galleries with La Casa del Arte, daas Gallery, and HOWL Gallery opening around the same time. It was a natural progression of the gallery scene in Fort Myers to evolve into something bigger. The streetscape project was near completion at this point so the timing was perfect. The galleries originally involved were Arts for Act, daas, Space39, Casa, HOWL, Art League, and Art of the Olympians. We planned it in advance for about 2 months and had weekly meetings in effort to organize and implement the event. Greg Knezevich of La Casa del Arte spearheaded the effort and pitched the idea to Don Paight at the Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency. The FMRA supported the event by providing funding for brochures, collectible buttons, and trolley service. Once we had the finances in place it was just a matter of working out the kinks and fine tuning the event from month to month. We split the main duties between 3 or 4 of us from each gallery and made it happen. It worked out really well; the first Art Walk got a lot of local publicity and had a great turnout. Art Walks in other cities like Miami have been known to re-energize historic downtown areas like ours, so the potential exists for long term development of downtown Fort Myers as an established art destination.
How did you and Alainna get involved with Art Walk?
We first heard of the Art Walk idea by an invitation to meet with other local gallery owners at La Casa del Arte to discuss it as a possibility. I think it was Jamie Kuser who initially emailed everyone. We were still in lease negotiations for HOWL, but the word had spread that we were opening our gallery downtown. I was able to donate my time to help get the logo, print material and website put together, so it worked out well for us and the gallery collective. I continue to donate my time and design services as a co-chairperson with Jamie Kuser of Happenings Magazine, to ensure the event goes smoothly.
What do you think it is about art that brings people together?
I think that on a basic level art is about personal expression and it doesn't usually cost anything to look at art. I can't think of any other events that showcase a single person's point of view like visual art. Plus, you have the added social aspect of mingling in a public environment that people really enjoy. It's casual, it's hip, and it's human.
Art Walk not only features artwork, but it gives musicians and establishments like the restaurants and bars Downtown a chance to show their skills in the art of cuisine and cocktails. Mixing all of this together really gives patrons a feel for Fort Myers. What do you think about that? I think it's great, it's exactly what this area needs. Hanging out and appreciating the ambience of Downtown Fort Myers. New areas like Gulf Coast Town Center and Coconut Point are great, but they don't have the soul that a Downtown scene like Fort Myers has. Once the general local populous all gets on board and sees how much the area has changed and grown, more business will open and more people will be looking to live in the Downtown area.
As a community, Art Walk has really reinforced the buzz of nightlife Downtown was working towards. What have you seen that Art Walk has brought to Downtown Fort Myers in this first year? We have definitely seen more people making downtown their destination along with new businesses opening. Local residents who haven't been Downtown in years are discovering the new brick roads and beautiful, well lit streetscape. Art Walk has galvanized Downtown businesses and helped to promote the entire redevelopment project. There is a buzz now about Fort Myers being a serious art scene. What is traditionally thought to be the slowest time of the year, has been the busiest yet for Art Walk. The local population has really embraced the event and come out for it every month. It has made a lot of people rethink the so called off-season. There is a huge population of people here that will support businesses when they see the value.
The one year anniversary is around the corner. Are there any special things that will be done since it is the one year anniversary? What can patrons expect? How is your gallery celebrating or what do you have in store?
There will be a larger After Party at Hotel Indigo and we are lining up street performers and musicians to create a festive atmosphere. You can expect to hear music and see art around every corner. The amount of interest we have gotten from musicians alone in Art Walk is enormous. People want to come out and just be involved and get some exposure. We will have live music at HOWL Gallery and will be featuring a Solo Art Show by First Season MTV Real World star, Norm Korpi, a well known painter and producer who lives in LA.
Big events like Art Walk sometimes take a lot of work, planning and over site. What victories have you had with these events and what challenges have you found in such a big project?
It has definitely been a process. Initially, we had to organize and promote. After that, it was really a process of seeing what worked and what didn't. Now we are under the umbrella of the River District Alliance, which has previously managed many Downtown events. We've learned a lot about event management by dealing with it month to month. We now have it worked out to the point where it takes much less time to make the event happen each month.
Is there a 5 year goal for Art Walk within the community? If so, what is it?
Ultimately, we want Downtown Fort Myers to be recognized as major arts and cultural center in SWFL and across Florida. We hope to see the remaining vacant buildings occupied by new businesses. We envision Downtown Fort Myers surpassing areas like the Gulf Coast Town Center as the coolest place to spend your free time. I'd personally like to see an art school open Downtown. It might be a tall order, but I don't think you can rule out growth like this. We are already seeing significant results and it has only been 1 year, which is pretty amazing. All the right elements are here.
Anything else you'd like to add…
Support art galleries and the artists they exhibit. There is art for every budget. You don't need any special knowledge to buy art; you just have to like it. Buy art for the sake of art, not for its investment potential. The best art collectors are regular people who enjoy surrounding themselves with images that reflect their personal style. If everyone set aside $50 each month to spend on art at local galleries, their homes would be a lot cooler. Supporting local, independent businesses strengthens and supports our community.
