Before President Donald Trump took to the stage at the Hertz Arena on Wednesday evening, local dignitaries warmed up the crowd. And the first to charge up the masses was state Sen. Greg Steube, the Republican candidate for U.S. House District 17.

“I proudly support the president and his agenda,” Steube said. As he touted his support of the Second Amendment and immigration reform, he said that Trump would need reinforcements to fight for conservative policies.

“Send me to the front lines, Southwest Florida, and I’ll fight for you.”

The campaign stop took place a day after Democratic candidate Allen Ellison swung through the district with Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor, and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley.

“We can fix our environment,” Ellison said on Facebook post showing himself alongside Merkley. “We just have to care enough and do it.”

In a sense, the joint appearances alongside respective leaders of the party shows the nature of this year’s base elections. Up and down the ticket, politicians attest the main question they get is often whether they stand with Trump or oppose him.

Of course, the size of the crowds Steube and Ellison greeted this week shows the nature of a race in District 17 as well. Gallium drew crowds of hundreds in portions of Charlotte and Lee counties, solid turnout for sure. But Stuebe greeted a crowd of some 8,000 people at Hertz Arena.

In 2016, retiring Rep. Tom Rooney carried the district with almost 62 percent of the vote over Democrat April Freeman’s 34 percent and independent John Sawyer’s 4 percent.

Ellison also has another challenge this year. Democrats in August actually nominated Freeman for the House race, but she died unexpectedly in September. Party leaders selected Ellison as a replacement nominee, but his name won’t appear on ballots. Instead, he’s printing flyers and posting social media messages to “Vote for April, Elect Allen.”

Steube in August won his primary over fellow Republicans Julio Gonzalez and Bill Akins. Even as Democrats nationally hope for a “blue wave” that leads the party to take control of the U.S. House, Steube sees intense enthusiasm for Trump and Republicans in red parts of the state.

Voters will have their final say in the general election on Tuesday. 

Photo by Jacob Ogles: Greg Steube speaks at Make America Great Again rally.

Like a candy corn toothache, the Halloween spirit lingers into the week with tonight’s unveiling of the annual “Exquisite Corpse” exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. Following the opening, the 22 corpses will be transported immediately to Sarasota, where they will be on display at the Rosemary District studio of Grace Howl, who contributed to this year’s show.

A surrealist game dating perhaps as far back as 1918, Exquisite Corpse is an exercise in joint creativity, with three artists working together, but in isolation, to create each “corpse.” With the body divided into three sections—head, torso, legs—each artist is assigned a portion of one corpse and then given near carte blanche to create it in their medium. Painters are grouped with other painters and sculptors are grouped with sculptors and so on, but none can be in communication with the other while they work. In terms of guidance, each artist is given only a few measurements to ensure their work will align with the other artists’ in the group. For example, a painter working on a head will have two marks at the bottom of the canvas marking where the neck must meet the torso created by the other artist.

After all the work has been submitted, the organizers put the corpses together, according to the predetermined groups, and the exhibition hits the road. This year, corpses comprise a variety of media, from sculpture to painting and even photography and poetry.

A grand tradition in the surrealist art world, great names like Frida Kahlo and Max Ernst count among former players. This year, 66 artists participated, resulting in 22 corpses, and local artist Grace Howl was one such invited artist. She’s not allowed to share her contribution yet, but does reveal that what she saw last year was “pretty astounding.” Amy Ernst, granddaughter of Max Ernst, also participated and will be flying into Sarasota for the opening on Saturday.

“When you get a group of artists together, it really allows the freedom to create and just have fun,” says Howl. “And that’s the key—to come away with a fresh perspective and realize that the imagination is limitless.”

“Exquisite Corpse” comes to the Grace Howl Contemporary Art Gallery this Saturday, with an opening reception at 5:30pm. The exhibit will then be on display for nearly two weeks, before continuing on its journey. 

Pictured: The 2017 Exquisite Corpse exhibition at the Dale Chihuly Glass Museum. Photo courtesy of Exquisite Corpse Games.

With the imminent arrival of PINC 2018 on December 6, once again promising a day full of passionate speakers covering a broad and varied range of topics, SRQ went behind the scenes with a few of these incoming artists, activists and entrepreneurs for a quick taste of what’s to come. A sunlight artist, Michael Papadakis swaps the paint brush for the magnifying glass and uses the power of the sun to create his art. Dubbed heliography, it’s a practice few are familiar with.

SRQ: Why did you want to come to Sarasota and spend time with this audience in particular? Papadakis: I've always known Sarasota was a creative and influential place and when I heard about this opportunity I couldn't pass it up! I believe the Sun will be a great way to connect with the community of Sarasota, particularly because it is such a sunny place!

What is the best thing about using the sun as your medium? The Sun is always there. It will always rise, it will always set and, although there will be days of clouds, the Sun will always return. The most important thing I've taken from this art form is to never chase the sun because you will never catch it! I no longer check the weather reports; I live day by day, and all of a sudden it feels like it's always sunny just above my head.

What’s the most common reaction from people when you tell them you use sunlight as your medium? The most common reaction is what I'd describe as "Apprehensive Astonishment."  From children, it's always amazement as though they've just seen magic. With adults, it can be a combination of beauty and disbelief. 

Pictured: Michael Papadakis. Photo courtesy of PINC Sarasota.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is proud to support the partnerships between the Boys & Girls Club and Take Stock in Children – Sarasota County, to bring the College Resource and Success Center to the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club.  The College Resource and Success Center will utilize an innovative approach to post-secondary decision-making by bringing together up-to-date resources with trained staff and volunteers to provide free assistance to local area residents. Some of the assistance provided by the center will include: support with selecting colleges (including technical/vocational schools), applying for admission, resume and essay writing, volunteer/community hours, and searching for and securing educational funding (including FAFSA, Bright Futures and scholarships). 

“This is going to be an incredible resource for our community,” says Earl Young, Manager of Scholarship and Special Initiatives. “The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has been exploring various ways to implement or support a resource center of this magnitude in the northern part of the county, and thanks to the partnership between the Boys & Girls Club and TSIC – Sarasota County, we have found the perfect scenario to implementation this invaluable resource. Both do a great job in preparing young adults to tackle the challenges associated with ensuring college and career readiness and we couldn’t think of better partners to make this resource a reality.”

Opening its doors soon, the College Resource and Success Center will be open to the public via an online registration/appointment system. The center will be equipped with 12 laptops and a custom built and managed database with hundreds of scholarship opportunities available. The College Resource and Success Center will have a fully dedicated staff trained in utilizing the system to assist prospective students. The format of this new resource center is based off of the long-term success of a similar program operating out of Venice High School’s Rotary Futures Scholarship Program.

Photo provided by the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota County.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is proud to partner with SRQ Media Group to highlight stories about community impact powered by philanthropy in our region, thanks to the support of donors and our local nonprofit partners. The Community Foundation is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. 

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County

PIER 22 is the official caterer and a proud sponsor of the Manatee Performing Arts Center! Giving back to the Bradenton-Palmetto-Sarasota area and practicing good corporate social responsibility is an important way of doing business at PIER 22. Working for good is the PIER 22 mission, and they are committed to giving back to community-focused causes through hands-on participation and monetary donations.

The PIER 22 & MPAC Dining For Dollars Program donates ten percent from the cost of your meal directly to MPAC to help with those costs associated with the organization’s enriching entertainment and learning programs along with facility upkeep and daily operations.

To participate, please visit PIER 22 before or after an MPAC show or event. The MPAC Dining For Dollars offer is valid within two days of event with proof of ticket. You must show proof of an MPAC ticket purchase to your server for the donation to process (a ticket stub or receipt works just fine). The total donation amount includes 10 percent of the cost of the meal purchased before tax. Make your dining reservations by calling PIER 22 at 941.748.8087 or by going online to pier22dining.com/reservations. 

The Founders Club, one of Sarasota’s premier golf and social club communities, has appointed Mac DeCarle as executive chef. Previously serving as executive chef at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, DeCarle has extensive experience in operational management in all areas of the dining experience and service. In addition to successfully operating the a la carte dining services for the club members at Concession, he also seamlessly executed events with guest lists of up to 600. DeCarle also served as executive chef and catering director for more than a decade at the Beach Bistro at Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. During his time leading dining service, the restaurant received many accolades, including Zagat’s “Best Food on the Gulf Coast” recognition. While at Beach Bistro, DeCarle joined an exclusive group of chefs, including Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse. He was invited to cook at the James Beard House in New York City and was nominated as “Best Chef in the Southeast.” 

The Founders Club

Bradenton Country Club has reopened after being closed for restoration Since April 15. The iconic Ryder Cup captain Tony Jacklin CBE and Brian Lake, Director of Golf and PGA Professional led the upgrade project. The renovation includes some raised fairways to prevent flooding, improved playability and ease of maintenance while returning the course to its Donald Ross design. As part of the upgrade, Bradenton Country club is now offering its golfers a sophisticated way of returning their golf clubs to past glory as well. An ultrasonic golf club cleaning machine provided by Rational Golf LLC of Bradenton restores the clubs. Golf clubs are cleaned by millions of imploding gas bubbles removing dirt at a microscopic level, giving your clubs that new feel. The club also now has its own club-fitting studio operated by Brian Lake, trained in the BioMatch method of matching golf clubs. 

Bradenton Country Club