For many years I have tried my best to make a positive contribution to the visual arts community by raising the bar of our cultural dialogue and empowering individual artists.

Brian Braun, who passed a few days ago, was one of those artists; we became good friends and co-creators traveling together with our band of photo junkies to abandoned buildings and industrial wastelands to capture an alternate view of Old Florida, we will miss him dearly. His enthusiasm, energy and dynamic imagery inspired many, as evidenced by the huge outpouring of grief on Facebook.

We as a community have an opportunity to show how we can support a fellow creative and hopefully this will become a new tradition in Sarasota of providing support for families of visual artists during their time of grief. Brian left his daughter Caroline, who is 12. She is quite a special person; they were very close. His mother, Anne, would like to lay Brian to rest with the dignity that is close to her heart. She adored her “beautiful son.”

There are two funds established to help: one (https://fundly.com/brian-braun-memorial) started by Rich Swier Jr. to directly benefit Caroline, who will be going to live with Brian’s sister in Kentucky, and the other (https://fundly.com/funeral-burial-funds-needed-for-brian-d-braun?ft_src=fbshare) started by Brian’s mother Anne to help with the funeral expenses. Please give forward by donating any amount to this fund a celebration of the life and creativity of Brain David Braun to be announced.