{"id":361538,"date":"2026-08-03T14:33:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T14:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/361538\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T14:33:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T14:33:19","slug":"fort-myers-landmark-sculpture-restored-after-hurricane-ian-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/361538\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Myers landmark sculpture restored after Hurricane Ian damage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Aug. 1, 2026, 5:05 a.m. ET<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">A Tinkertoy-like landmark on McGregor Boulevard is back to its old self after its run-in with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.news-press.com\/story\/news\/2025\/09\/28\/was-floridas-hurricane-ian-a-category-5-storm\/86404979007\/\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hurricane Ian.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Made by late Fort Myers artist James DiGiorgio, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/r\/1EMfksSf2k\/\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">towering sculpture \u201cYou Are Here\u201d<\/a> can be seen on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artinlee.org\/\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alliance for the Arts<\/a> campus at the intersection of Colonial Boulevard. Ian damaged the sculpture in 2022 and knocked it off its mount.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">DiGiorgio created the sculpture in 2006. It resembles something built from a classic Tinkertoys kids construction set with its giant cylinder punctured by colorful rods.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The artist also made its sister sculpture on the Alliance campus, \u201cCar Helix.\u201d He died in 2021.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_gl gnt_em__el\" href=\"http:\/\/www.news-press.com\/picture-gallery\/news\/2025\/10\/03\/alliance-of-the-arts-celebrates-50th-anniversary-with-renovations\/86483080007\/\" data-t-l=\"\u2691g:l|l|c|view gallery:inline promo\" aria-label=\"View Gallery - Alliance for the Arts got a renovation for 50th anniversary in 2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><img class=\"gnt_em_gl_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/86483029007-alliance-463.JPG\" data-gl- decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\"\/><\/a>A respectful restoration for Fort Myers sculpture<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Artist and fabricator Jason &#8220;Sandman&#8221; Sanders restored the sculpture on the Alliance campus. The work included cleaning, repainting and welding; remounting the sculpture at its original angle; and adding an anchoring system to help the sculpture withstand future storms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Alliance announced July 28 that work on the project had been completed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThe path to restoration has been long, but it is so important\u2026\u201d Alliance operations director Jordan Jameson said in a news release. &#8220;Restoration is more than repairing and painting; it&#8217;s about preserving the stories, creativity and history that make our campus unique.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cJames DiGiorgio&#8217;s work has become part of the identity of the Alliance, and we&#8217;re incredibly grateful to Jason Sanders and Hermit Garage for restoring &#8216;You Are Here&#8217; with such exceptional craftsmanship and respect for James&#8217; vision. This sculpture will continue inspiring our community for generations to come.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:440px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/91104544007-you-are-here-sculpture-artist-james-digiorgio-you-are-here-sculpture-2006.jpg\" data-gl- decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Late Fort Myers sculptor James DiGiorgio poses with his sculpture &quot;You Are Here\u201d in 2006. The recently restored sculpture now lives on the Alliance for the Arts campus.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">DiGiorgio\u2019s other work in Lee County includes the decorative lobby chandeliers in the Sidney &amp; Berne Davis Art Center.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;It was an honor to be trusted to restore &#8216;You Are Here,'&#8221; Sanders, founder of art studio Hermit Garage, said in the news release. &#8220;I&#8217;m humbled to have been part of bringing new life to such an iconic piece in our community.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The restoration was part of the Alliance\u2019s ongoing ArtsPark initiative, a long-term project designed to transform the 10-acre campus with walking paths, permanent and rotating sculpture installations, a pet memorial and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Sanders will next turn his attention to restoring DiGiorgio&#8217;s other Alliance sculpture, \u201cCar Helix,\u201d which was also damaged by Ian.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/91104523007-you-are-here-sculpture-refinished-you-are-here-2026-2.JPG\" data-gl- decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The restored sculpture &quot;You Are Here&quot; sits in the Alliance for the Arts campus at the intersection of Colonial and McGregor boulevards in Fort Myers.\"\/><img class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/90994277007-nup-210101-03057.JPG\" data-gl- decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Charles Runnells covers arts and entertainment for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email crunnells@usatodayco.com. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook(@charles.runnells.7), Instagram (@crunnells1) and X (@CharlesRunnells)<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to<a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.news-press.com\/offers\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">The News-Press<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.naplesnews.com\/offers\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Naples Daily News<\/a>. Download the free<a href=\"https:\/\/cm.news-press.com\/subscriberguide\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">News-Press<\/a> or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food &amp; dining and growth &amp; development newsletters<a href=\"https:\/\/profile.news-press.com\/newsletters\/manage\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">here<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/profile.naplesnews.com\/newsletters\/manage\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aug. 1, 2026, 5:05 a.m. ET A Tinkertoy-like landmark on McGregor Boulevard is back to its old self&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361539,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,209,211,210,112632,484,485,383,43,306,77,30191,1887,343,941,308,96,9870,379,34],"class_list":["post-361538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-accessmetered","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-sourcefort-myers-news-press","tag-sstsnewslocal","tag-sstsnlocal","tag-tagaccidents-disasters","tag-tagfacebook","tag-tagfl-content-sharing-swfl","tag-tagfort-myers","tag-taghistorical-sites-buildings","tag-taghurricane-ian","tag-taglocal-affiliate-arts-entertainment","tag-taglocal-affiliate-travel","tag-taglocal-news","tag-tagoverall-positive","tag-tagsculpture","tag-tagweather","tag-typestory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}