The Ringling Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg and the Tampa Museum of Art will all simultaneously open a three-part joint exhibition this Saturday, June 24, entitled Skyway: A Contemporary Collaboration. A celebration of contemporary artists across the region, each museum will play host to its own particular piece of the exhibit, introducing artists to new audiences and encouraging those audiences to make the rounds to different museums to get the full experience. Conceived and developed by a team of curators from all three institutions, Skyway also represents a landmark collaboration as the first shared exhibition of its kind from these neighboring museums.

The result of two years of planning and “constant collaboration,” says Ringling Museum Curator of Photography and New Media Chris Jones, the call to artists for Skyway went out last year and 300 artists responded from Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Assembling a jury of curators from all three museums, and a guest juror in Diana Nawi of the Perez Art Museum Miami to disarm any possible bias, the 300 was winnowed to 57, of which 11 will have work on display in the Keith D. and Linda L, Monda Gallery at the Ringling Museum. And although Sarasota artists such as Cassia Kite, Nathan Skiles and Rob Tarbell are participating in Skyway, the work shown in the Monda Gallery all comes from artists working in the Tampa and St. Pete areas, giving local audiences a glimpse into contemporary work being shown there.

Largely due to space limitations in the Monda Gallery, the Ringling portion of Skyway does contain roughly half as many artists on display as those in St. Pete or Tampa, but the exhibition remains “a really rich cross-section” of the contemporary art of the region, says Jones. A mixed-media show featuring painting, photography and video presentation, sculpture and installation seem to dominate the regional output, from the great wooden constructions of Robert Airosa, inspired by the boulevards lined with palm trees swaddled in supports, to the sculpture of Ben Galaday, a ceramicist fashioning cryptic wall inscriptions from strangely biological forms, and an expansive installation from Kirk Wang that commands an entire corner of the gallery with large-scale painting, varied audio accompaniment and lanterns fashioned from the donated clothes of immigrants and adorned with the signs of the Chinese Zodiac.

“There’s often this prejudice or idea that great art is being made in the metropolitan cities,” says Jones. “We want to show that we have artists doing work that is every bit as important, cogent, topical and valuable here.” And exhibitions like Skyway serve not only to showcase art currently being made, but to connect artists and artistic institutions to spur on innovation and even more collaboration that can impact the direction of future art. “It’s really creating a stronger network among artists in the area,” says Jones.

Skyway: Contemporary Collaboration opens June 24 at The Ringling Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg and the Tampa Museum of Art. It will be on display at The Ringling through October 15, at The Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg through October 1 and at the Tampa Museum of Art through September 24. 

Pictured: Installation by Kirk Wang in the Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Gallery. Photo by Phil Lederer.

The sounds of clattering silverware, customer chatter and bustling servers fill the dining room. One server walks by with a large wooden bowl, sets it down at the neighboring table and pulls out salad tongs, lemon and cheese, tossing and mixing the bowls contents. That settles it. I’ll have what he’s having. Columbia’s signature 1905 salad cannot be compared to the traditional greens and dressing. Derived from Cuban cuisine and originating in Tampa’s Ybor City, the dish reflects different immigrant backgrounds in Ybor, including Romano cheese from the Sicilians and delicious garlic dressing created by the Cubans. The salad also draws from local ingredients, such as Florida tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. Completing the meal, Swiss cheese, Worcestershire sauce and a choice of shrimp, turkey or baked ham are added, developing an eclectic flavor profile. Unlike most salads, the 1905 does not come to the table fully prepared. Servers bring a bowl full of ingredients and toss the creation before the customer’s eyes, making for not just a great tasting salad but also a much anticipated tableside experience.  

Image courtesy of Columbia Restaurant.

Columbia Restaurant, 411 St Armands Cir., Sarasota, 941-388-3987.

Booker High School Principal Rachel Shelley has been honored with Florida's 2017 Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership, an award popularly known as Florida Principal of the Year. Shelley was one of three finalists in the running for the coveted honor. The statewide winner was announced June 21 in Orlando. The awards recognize principals and assistant principals for their exceptional contributions. The superintendent from their respective school districts nominated candidates for the awards. With more than 28 years of experience in kindergarten through 12th grade education, Shelley has been praised by her colleagues for her dedication to helping every student succeed and for her relationship-based leadership. She motivates students with her mantra: every student is college and/or career bound. Shelley is a graduate of Sarasota County’s Riverview High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Bethune-Cookman College and a master’s degree in special education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She also holds a specialist’s degree and a doctorate in educational leadership from Argosy University. She has worked in the Sarasota County School District since 1989, starting as a physical education aide at Bay Haven School of Basics Plus. She taught first grade and served as a reading teacher and behavior specialist for 10 years. She was an assistant principal at Riverview High School from 2003-05. Shelley was named assistant principal of Phoenix Academy in 2005 and became the principal of that school in 2007. She was named principal of Booker High in 2011. 

Booker High School

The Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee (RASM) has selected Jeffery P. Arakelian, RCE as chief executive officer, effective September 18, 2017. Arakelian currently serves as CEO of the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors in Connecticut, a position he has held for 20 years. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Rhode Island and is a Realtor Association Certified Executive (RCE). His appointment culminates several months of work by a search committee to recruit a successor for CEO Kathy Roberts, set to retire later this year. Roberts will work with Arakelian for a short transition period and then finish her term by working on various projects. Robert’s official retirement date is December 31, 2017. 

Realtor Association of Sarasota-Manatee

Venice-based J.E. Charlotte Construction Corp., a commercial construction company that offers a full range of construction management services, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary on June 5, 2017. Since opening its door, J.E. Charlotte Construction has grown from six employees to the 12 it currently employs. The commercial construction company has completed over 200 projects, totaling more than $150 million worth of work. J.E. Charlotte Construction’s first project was to construct the Galleria on Venice Avenue office building, which is where the company has been headquartered since 2009. The company has completed projects, such as renovations to the Plantation Golf & Country Club in December 2013, the Players Club Longboat Key, Residents Club at Country Club East, two locations for Bayside Pet Resort & Spa and the Siesta Key Daquiri Deck. Backed by more than 30 years of experience in the commercial building industry, J.E. Charlotte Construction Corp.’s provides a full range of construction management services. J.E Charlotte’s specialties span a range of commercial applications, including the healthcare, retail and country club and recreational industries. 

J.E Charlotte

The Florida Federation of Young Republicans (FFYR) has named the Manatee County Young Republicans FFYR’s Small Club of the Year for the 2016-17 fiscal year. Each year, Small Club of the Year is awarded to a club with less than 40 members that meets regularly and participates in a variety of events supporting the local party, candidates and ideas. The Manatee County Young Republicans currently have over one dozen active members and have been involved in a large variety of events over the last twelve months. In addition to regular monthly meetings, in the 2016-17 year, the Manatee County Young Republicans spent much of 2016 volunteering for local, state and Federal campaigns, assisting the Manatee County Republican party with special events and campaign calls, as well as supporting the local community. The Manatee County Young Republicans were the only Club to win back-to-back awards. The Florida Federation of Young Republicans is an officially chartered Republican organization founded to unite and coordinate amongst Young Republican chapters within the State of Florida as well as to advocate for Republican office-holders, candidates and ideas. 

Manatee County Young Republicans