Pictured: We're All In This Together by Olive W., as featured in the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County exhibition.

Art Center Sarasota closes out its 2023-24 season with a slate of four exhibitions opening this week, including solo exhibitions for two up-and-coming artists, as well as a group show from the young artists of the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County, and a massive end-of-summer juried show, Flora & Fauna, with guest juror Dr. David Berry of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Currently on display at Art Center Sarasota, all shows run through September 28.

The first solo exhibition comes from Precious Darling, a recent New College graduate whose latest work unflinchingly explores femininity and objectification, the male gaze and its effects on the individual and society as a whole. Through both sculpture and photography, primarily nudes, Darling challenges viewers to question their assumptions and expectations. “It’s definitely a little bit provocative,” says Art Center Sarasota Curator & Director of Exhibitions Christina Baril. “But very exciting.” Darling will be giving an artist talk about the exhibition on September 12 at 5pm.

One gallery over, the budding artists of the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County have their own exhibition, showcasing the work they made over the summer, spending Saturdays at Art Center Sarasota with their artist-mentors. From sculpture and painting to poetry and the written word, the work grapples with questions of identity and self-worth, belonging and fear for the future. It is, at times, startlingly profound, says Baril. “They have a lot going on in their lives and they’re tackling pretty big issues,” she says. “And this is validating not only their artwork but their struggles and their commitment to pushing forward. It gives them a voice they might not normally have.”

The second solo exhibition highlights the oil paintings (and strange plush creations) of Tanner Simon, an artist with a penchant for the absurd and a wry sense of humor that looms large from every canvas. In Simon’s playful world, the crescent moon over Paris can be a croissant, and subject matter ranges from an aggressively childlike interpretation of Napoleon Crossing The Alps to a misshapen figure howling with dread over a bowl of alphabet soup that says, “BOO.” But under the weirdness, there’s an iconography at play, says Baril. “He’s not overtly political,” she says, “but he’s using art history and sort of flipping it on its head.” Simon will be giving an artist talk on September 14.

And last but definitely not least, the Flora & Fauna juried show fills the art center’s largest gallery space with nearly 90 original works of art, all celebrating the beauty of the natural world. From hyper-detailed botanical drawings and digital art to ceramic sculpture, woodworking, fabric art and abstract painting, medium and approach run the gamut, as each artist pays tribute in their own way. “Every juried show just highlights the diversity of our community,” says Baril. “And it’s always exciting and fun.” A special presentation with the show’s guest juror, Selby Gardens Chief Museum Curator Dr. David Berry, will take place on August 21 at 3:30pm.

Pictured: We're All In This Together by Olive W., as featured in the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County exhibition.