In the realm of celebrated Sarasota visual artists, few names loom as large as abstract expressionist painter Syd Solomon. Still, secrets and surprises survived, and with a new exhibition opening today at Allyn Gallup Contemporary viewers will get a chance to see work never before exhibited publicly. Entitled Syd Solomon: Big Pass and opening tonight at 5:30pm, the solo exhibition curated by Mark Ormond comprises 24 pieces ranging from 1972 to 1990, including these new rarities. Solomon’s son, the artist Mike Solomon, will also be on-hand to discuss his father’s art, ongoing work with his estate and how this continued research illuminates his father’s work. “They’ll look at it differently,” he says. “They’ll understand it more in the context of what he was.”

“He was very prolific,” Mike continues, as the simplest explanation for the presence of undiscovered Syd Solomons. An artist in his own right, Mike has also spent 30 years organizing artists’ estates, and recently brought his skills to bear on his own situation. “And when you go through an artist’s body of work,” he says, “it takes a lot of time to sort out how it all fits together.” And nothing is released until cataloged and so sorted. Renewed interest and scholarship surrounding the elder Solomon’s career and output has helped, and the past couple years have yielded new discoveries and insights as Mike and others connect the dots.

Some discoveries have to do with Solomon’s time in World War II, wherein he earned five Bronze Stars. “Everybody knew that he served and did camouflage,” says Mike, “but no one knew the details.” Further study revealed Solomon worked primarily with aerial camouflage (including to hide troops and supplies during the Normandy invasion), adding a telling dimension to Solomon’s abstract perspectives and revealing a heretofore hidden influence to his masked and layered technique. Other findings relate to Solomon’s civilian work post-war, when he worked as a letterer and in sign design, including for hotels and storefronts in Sarasota. This skill can also be found peeking through in his later artistic output, says Mike.

And the newly exhibited work, largely a collection of smaller works on paper, supplies its own novel dimension to the exhibition, largely in its intimacy. The small scale magnifies the brushstrokes, allowing Solomon’s expression, which could range from the action painting of Pollock to calligraphic delicacy more at home in Eastern traditions, to shine all the brighter. “I love the jagged edges,” says Ormond, running his eyes along a prominent splash of blue on one. “It brings such a dynamism to the surface.” Peering closer and pointing out subtle gradations within the blue—those tiny touches that separate mastery from competency—Ormond has a summative pronouncement: “Syd wasn’t afraid of color.”

Syd Solomon: Big Pass opens tonight at Allyn Gallup Contemporary with a reception at 5:30pm. 

Pictured: "Big Pass" (1972) by Syd Solomon.

A plan by President Donald Trump’s administration to allow drilling off the coast of Florida drew sharp bipartisan rebuke, including from members of his own party representing the Gulf Coast.

Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke announced Thursday plans to make over 90 percent of the total Outer Continental Shelf’s acreage and more than 98 percent of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources in federal offshore areas available to consider for future exploration and development. “Today's announcement lays out the options that are on the table and starts a lengthy and robust public comment period,” Zinke announced. “Just like with mining, not all areas are appropriate for offshore drilling, and we will take that into consideration in the coming weeks. The important thing is we strike the right balance to protect our coasts and people while still powering America and achieving American Energy Dominance.

But while the move quickly drew the endorsement of figures like Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, leaders in Florida quickly spoke out against it. Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Bill Nelson, a Republican and Democrat expected to face each other in a statewide Senate race next year, both issued statements against the move.

Notable on the Gulf Coast, U.S. Rep Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota and co-chair of Florida’s congressional delegation, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the move. “The Trump administration’s plan to expand oil drilling off Florida’s coastlines is reckless, misguided and potentially catastrophic to Florida,” Buchanan said. “As the state with the longest coastlines in the continental United States, Florida is especially vulnerable to oil spills. Have we forgotten so soon the devastating damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010? Our economy, environment and way of life is at stake if restrictions on oil drilling are lifted.”

Scott made clear in a statement he opposes allowing drilling off Florida’s coast. “I have already asked to meet immediately with Secretary Zinke to discuss the concerns I have with this plan and the crucial need to remove Florida from consideration. My top priority is to ensure that Florida’s natural resources are protected, which is why I proposed $1.7 billion for the environment in this year’s budget.”

Nelson pushed back on the plan as well. “This plan is an assault on Florida’s economy, our national security, the will of the public, and the environment,” he said in a statement. “This proposal defies all common sense and I will do everything I can to defeat it.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Okeechobee, had issued no statement on the plan as of Thursday evening. 

Tailored Thrones, a company providing restroom trailers for outdoor weddings, events, and long term remodels, has opened in Sarasota, offering a sanitary solution when restrooms are not available or more restrooms are needed. With all the amenities of home, these upscale restroom trailers are designed to please the most discerning guests. All mobile restroom trailers come with A/C, hot running water, flushing toilets, blue-toothed recessed ceiling speakers, lighting and professionally designed interiors. The owners have more than 25 years previous experience in the mobile restroom industry, and their previous company’s expertise and professionalism led them to be involved in such events/places as; The White House, Vice President’s Residence, Embassy row, Vanity Fair Party, Donald Rumsfeld’s residence, The Marine Core Marathon, Army 10 Miler, Avon Breast Cancer walk and numerous others. 

Tailored Thrones

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe was honored by the Florida Department of State’s Division of Cultural Affairs with a Diversity and Inclusion Award for its ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in Sarasota and Manatee counties. WBTT will receive its award, along with other honorees, at a special ceremony on January 24th in Tallahassee. WBTT was recognized for its free community lecture series, “WBTT Voices,” which examines the people and issues that have shaped the African-American experience in the United States. Programs feature appearances by artists, playwrights, professors and theatre professionals. The forums have all been at full capacity since the program began in 2014. Past WBTT Voices forums have examined the influence of Black entertainers on civil rights, the life and work of W. E. B. DuBois and the immigrant experience in southwest Florida in this past fall’s special “Hidden Voices” program. On February 5th, WBTT Voices will feature star of stage, screen and studio Melba Moore, who will be performing in WBTT's production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. 

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe

Fredd Atkins Park, located at the corner of U.S. 301 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, will be closed through Friday, January 19, as the park is redesigned to an open park setting. In October, crews began the first phase of the project, removing the gazebo in the area to make way for new seating and enhanced landscaping. Now, the restrooms and retaining walls will be removed, followed by the installation of a new irrigation system and sod. The park will reopen to the public on Saturday, January 20, with some additional work continuing in the weeks following. This project is part of the City’s larger goal to revitalize the Newtown community by stimulating the economy, encouraging development and enhancing existing recreation facilities, like Fredd Atkins Park. 

City of Sarasota

Friendship Centers, a nonprofit serving older adults in Southwest Florida, announced five new Board of Governors members at its recent Annual Board meeting. The Board of Governors brings together regional community leaders from five counties to govern the Senior Friendship Centers and Senior Friendship Centers Foundation. New Board of Governors members include: Christine Fenn, a 27-year veteran in the aging field working in nutrition delivery programs, assisted living facilities and companion care who volunteers at Friendship Centers’ Lee County location; Dr. Thomas Logio, a former colon and rectal surgeon in New Jersey who was on staff of several hospitals and now serves as the volunteer medical director for the Friendship Centers’ medical clinic in Lee County; Dr. Robert Nordland, a former OB/GYN with a career that spanned more than 36 years in Minnesota, and included his own practice, who currently serves on the management board of the Senior Friendship Health Center in Collier County; Thomas Rice, who recently retired as CEO from Fawcett Memorial Hospital, a 238-bed acute care facility located in Charlotte County, and currently volunteers for the Friendship at Home program in Charlotte County; and Christine Schlesinger, who has been a nurse practitioner for more than 20 years. She has served on many medical boards and committees throughout her career, and is a published author and speaker. 

Friendship Centers