Last night, design enthusiasts, architecture buffs, environmental advocates and admirers of modern homes came out for an evening of domicile discussions. The Modern Home Symposium welcomed local industry mavericks of design and construction, featured in SRQ’s 2018 Modern Home Magazine. Panelists included Steve Murray from Murray Homes Group, Nathan Cross from NWC Construction, David Young from DWY Landscape Architects and Timothy Del Vescovo from Del Vescovo Design Group. Each powerhouse shared their inspiration and process behind some of Sarasota's most iconic home designs, while addressing pressing questions and criticisms of custom construction and the challenges/demands of building in Southwest Florida.

The individual interviews between SRQ Executive Publisher Wes Roberts allowed each panelist to discuss their favorite projects of the year, present photos/renderings of their best work and shed light on what makes them tick. First up was Steve Murray, who shared how his group creates memorable, thoughtful luxury spaces, what materials and techniques he likes to use to manifest those and how he brings clients’ visions to life. Next, was David Young who discussed the importance of sustainable outdoor spaces and minimizing your footprint in design, while motivating clients to spend more time outside in Florida’s beautiful landscape. Nathan Cross, a custom builder who says his company never creates the same thing twice, has countless one-of-a-kind homes under his belt and shared how he creates long-standing relationships with clients to ensure they end up with their everlasting forever homes. Lastly, Timothy Del Vescovo showed off some intricate and unique designs from lux restaurants, as well as an exciting new project he’s currently working on Downtown.

A group Q&A with the audience followed, where topics of energy efficiency, environmental standards, the difference between building from ground zero vs. renovations, hurricane-proof planning and protection from flood zones, maintaining a set budget, as well as an interesting debate on how Florida architecture compares/contrasts to other areas of the U.S. ensued. The guys also extended their insight on Sarasota’s hottest neighborhoods at the moment and the best areas to build/move right now, including urban areas with flare and most valued waterfront land, Osprey, Hillview, Bird Key and Rosemary District reined supreme.

Concluding the Q&A portion, a winner was announced for the raffle—after collecting audience members’ business cards, one was drawn at random to win a custom gift basket—specially created by JustaBasketCase Events. Congratulations to Jonathan Cubley of Wicked Smart Homes, a Sarasota-based electronic systems integration contractor specializing in audio, video and security, for winning the basket of his choice.

Thank you to our master architects and builders who made up our esteemed panel, who continue to push the boundaries of luxury homes, landscape, retail and restaurant designs. And thank you to all attendees who came out and spent a Thursday evening with us at our studio to enjoy this year’s informative MOHO symposium. 

Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

Check out Murray Homes, NWC Construction, DWY Landscape Architects and Del Vescovo Design Group MOHO portfolios here.

With the opening of the Arcos development at the corner of Fruitville and Central avenues comes not just a new art gallery in Gaze Modern, but a new piece of public art for Sarasota’s growing collection. Created by international sculptor Daniel Arsham, whose collaborations include work with brands like Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton and artists like James Franco and Pharrell Williams, the aluminum sculpture clad in industrial strength airplane is designed specifically for the site and to withstand the harsh Florida sun. Fresh off an exhibition opening in New York City, Arsham made the trip to Sarasota and SRQ grabbed a quick word.

SRQ: What interested you about coming here for this project in Sarasota? Arsham: The first thing is art in a public place. Most of the work that I make, it's usually in museums and galleries, which for some people can be an intimidating experience. And they're also not everywhere, right? So in some of the cities that don't have bigger museums where I would be showing my work, I've done some of these smaller, public art projects, which bring the work to everyone.

What do you think that does for a community, to have strong public art? The artist's job is really to create a scenario where there's a subtle shift in reality. You're taking people outside of the everyday experience. It's a shift in materials, but often recognizable things. And the work that's here is based on a series of work that I've done where you have a simple crude white wall, and the surface of the wall is manipulated to some of kind of figure interacting with it. It's this idea of a kind of fabric sort of moving over the figure, right? You have the impression of the figure but there's no figure actually inside. Kind of like a frozen moment of something that doesn't exist anymore.

With a project like this, where do you start? I grew up in Miami, so I'm familiar with the landscape and the feeling of it. And living in Miami, I was much closer to nature than I am in New York—a lot of green and sky—and white is such a foreign color to that universe. So having something that stark white and clean would stand out against everything else. And this being a public art project, there was a proposal phase for it. I think it was a little bit outside of their everyday thing, but they were brave.

Is there something in particular you hope the audience will take from your work? Most of the works are just an invitation for people to step outside the everyday and do a double take as they're passing by. 

Photo by Phil Lederer.

The awaited arrival for the coveted, zero-emissions 2019 I-PACE has come for Sarasota dwellers. The first-ever, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE is now available here, for those of us willing and able to live life in the fast lane. As of November 1, the all-electric performance SUV from Jaguar—the first of its kind—is available to test drive and purchase at the full-service, family-owned and operated dealer, Wilde Jaguar Sarasota.

“We are thrilled to receive our first all-electric Jaguar vehicle,” said Mark Wilde, Wilde Automotive Family President. “The arrival of the I-PACE marks the start of a new era for the Jaguar brand, focusing on sustainable mobility and optimum efficiency.”

The suped-up rig has 394 horsepower, an EPA estimated range of up to 234 miles and zero to 60 mph arrives in a mere 4.5 seconds. It can also attain an 80 percent charge in 85 minutes. Built from the ground up, the new big cat on wheels is a pure Battery Electric Vehicle. vroom vroom

To schedule a test drive or receive for more information on the Jaguar I-PACE, visit Wilde Jaguar Sarasota 

Courtesy image provided by the Wilde Automotive Family.

4821 Clark Rd., Sarasota, 941-924-3019.

The Out-of-Door Academy is pleased to announce it has received a $7,250 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation (TAF). These funds will support the ODA Aquaculture Project, in which students are designing sustainable oyster reefs to improve water quality in the Gulf of Mexico.

ODA engineering students tackled a design challenge to develop a practical, economical, and sustainable solution to combat water pollution and red tide in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. After researching the issue and speaking with experts, the students learned that oysters naturally filter water of pollutants and microalgae. ODA’s engineering and science classes will collaborate to construct reefs for the oysters that are biodegradable and beneficial to marine environments. Students plan to set up saltwater reef tanks that mimic the Gulf conditions, and will monitor water conditions, care for the oysters, and test reef prototypes on campus before transporting them to shorelines for long-term study. Over time, the oyster colony will naturally reseed itself and become self-sustaining, filtering thousands of gallons of water per day.

“The funding from the Toshiba Grant will provide exciting and meaningful learning opportunities for ODA students,” said Head of School David Mahler. “Given the recent impact of red tide on our region, this student-driven research project could not be more important or timely.”

Toshiba America Foundation’s grants fund projects designed by individual classroom teachers. This “direct-to-teacher” approach brings immediate results. Teachers are able to change the way they teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects because the grant supports equipment for hands-on experiments and inquiry-based approaches to the curriculum. TAF grants provide teachers with the tools they need to be more effective educators and make the classroom a more exciting place to learn. 

The Out-Of-Door Academy

Gifted creators of all artistic disciplines are invited to live and work at the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood. During their residencies, they share their talents with the community. Hermitage North @ New College is the latest iteration of this outreach. This free series encompasses artist talks and readings, glimpses of the creation of works-in-progress, and live performances of music, theater, poetry and more. The series launches with experimental vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer and Fulbright scholar Jen Shyu, November 16 at New College. In this presentation, Shyu will perform her music and include an interactive intermedia improvisation. She will also offer a glance at her journey from classical music and ballet training into the jazz and creative music worlds, and explore how her path to becoming a composer was inspired by fieldwork research in Taiwan, Cuba, East Timor, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. Reservations for this series are required and can be requested at the website below. 

Hermitage Artist Retreat

Nicole Rissler has accepted the offer to become the new director of Sarasota County's Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department. Rissler has served with Sarasota County Government since 2016, when she was hired as the department's deputy director. She previously worked with Visit Sarasota, and as the chief operating officer for the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center. Rissler has also served in leadership positions with the Sarasota Family YMCA and the American Red Cross. 

Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department

Sarasota County Schools’ Leadership Academy recently held its Leadership Legacy event. The event’s theme, “Sowing the Seed of Success,” not only honored the accomplished tenure of former superintendent Wilma Hamilton Delp, it also served as a celebratory fundraiser to further expand the leadership opportunities of aspiring leaders in the school district. Co-chaired by Lori Butters and Shannon Fleming, the festive evening also highlighted the district’s collaborative projects and recent professional development milestones. Founded in 2003, the Leadership Academy is an intensive, two-year program primarily comprised of teachers and other district employees who express a desire to become administrators and achieve growth in their respective school communities and departments. The program explores various career pathways and delivers on the district’s commitment to offer professional development opportunities to its employees. This year, 28 education professionals from the region completed the program. For a complete list, follow the link below. 

Sarasota County Schools Leadership Academy

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit that tracks safety in hospitals, released new safety grades. Doctors Hospital of Sarasota and Sarasota Memorial Hospital have both once again earned an “A” grade. This is the ninth consecutive time Doctors Hospital has earned an “A” rating, and the fifth for SMH. According to The Leapfrog Group, the rating system focuses on errors, accidents, injuries and infections. Doctors Hospital of Sarasota earned an “A” for its efforts in protecting patients from these harms. The group assigns A, B, C, D or F letter grades to hospitals. The safety grades, given to U.S. hospitals in the spring and fall of each year, are based on 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data. Details of the results are posted online and available to the public for free at the website below. 

Leapfrog Hospital Group

The Concession Golf Club has welcomed Chef Peter LaMontagna to oversee the private club’s culinary program as executive chef/food & beverage director. A 20-year industry veteran, prior to joining The Concession, LaMontagna served as store director at St. Petersburg’s upscale Locale Market; was executive chef at Marriott’s Le Méridien Tampa historic hotel; oversaw store operations and served as regional chef for 38 Whole Foods Markets in the Midwest region and Canada; and directed food and beverage operations at Chicago Marriott Burr Ridge. He was also a featured chef in Chicago’s “Culinary Battle of the Stars” and has been featured on several live cooking segments on local morning shows in the Chicago and Tallahassee markets. In his role at The Concession, he will continue to evolve menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and expand the club’s culinary membership program, events and catering opportunities. 

The Concession Golf Club