Local organization to open multi-media underground art space, ushering in new era for scene

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—Southwest Florida will soon open its latest third space, which will mark a new era for the local art scene.

Opening Friday, May 15, in Fort Myers, The Rebel is meant for all artists. It aims to continue building momentum in the scene and be a hub for creatives. The Rebel is coming on the heels of many other spaces that helped cultivate the arts in SWFL for many years.

The local organization Love Your Rebellion and is spearheading the project. LYR’s mission is to empower marginalized groups in the arts, and that was ultimately the driving force behind the space. They have been at the forefront of local underground art for over a decade.

Founder Angela Page has watched the lifeline of other art spaces during her time in the scene. Now, she feels it is time for the organization to have its own.

“Something I've wanted to do my whole adult life is to have a community space that provides arts experiences and is very local-focused. We've worked really, really hard to build a community support network, and we think we're just ready to do it,” she said.

Since LYR’s inception, they have hosted concerts, art exhibitions, art education programs, zine fairs, workshops, and publishing events for all artists. The Rebel will prioritize these events in a space that will be a venue, art hub, bar, and café. Page hopes that The Rebel will continue to add to the growing momentum of local underground art.

“We just want to encourage people to be able to do that and give them a space to do it in. We are gonna have the opportunity to grow, as well as have the opportunity for artists in our community,” she said.

In the past few years, many venues had to shut down or stop hosting events for various reasons.

• Ollie’s Pub, the home of SWFL’s local music scene, closes after 4 memorable years

• Local record store and venue, Beach Records, closing after 6 years

• Fort Myers tattoo shop to close, community holding commemorative show

The closures, in turn, gave fewer avenues for active artists and, according to Page, left the scene in need of a home base.

With the venue losses in mind, the community has been supportive of SWFL’s next art hub through donations, administrative and manual work, or even sharing on social media.

“I am deeply grateful for their support and contributions. Everyone's just coming together because it’s something that they want to help with,” Page said.

LYR’s prior events were collaborations with other venues and spaces, which gave the organization a sneak peak of the ins and outs of owning a space. Page is thankful for the help they have had for the organization and is excited for the team to have more control of events and the opportunity to do things they haven’t been able to do before.

“We don't have to abide by anyone else's rules other than the rules that are legal and ethical, so that feels really good,” she said.

Friday’s opening event will feature sounds from Rikkiaudax and an inaugural group art exhibition. The next night, they will hold “Saturday Showcase,” a monthly open mic event featuring one musical act. Page wants everyone to have the chance to participate and not just be audience members. The Rebel will put some events in people’s hands, allowing them to submit proposals to host their own.

Next to the 50-capacity music floor will be a café that sells drinks, along with a gift shop featuring new and used literary books from many genres.

“It’s just things that we haven't been able to curate and do before that are going to expand what people know as Love Your Rebellion, which is deeply exciting to me. All of these things that I've had in my head for a million years will finally get to see the light of day,” she said.

Page said the ethos behind the venue isn’t new, and that The Rebel is simply a continuation of a much larger story in the hands of an organization with extensive experience in the scene.

“It just takes some focus, some drive, passion, and a lot of hard work. If anything, we're just continuing on a legacy that's as old as time,” she said.

The Rebel will be located at 8711 Cypress Lake Dr., Suite 2, Fort Myers, FL.