All her life as an artist, Victoria Mayol has resisted being forced into a box, her creativity contained. As a student, teachers would try to corral her spirit, telling her when to use oils and when to use acrylics, when to use graphite and when to use pastel—and, so many times, when not to. “I hated that,” she says today, as she hated attempts to force her work into one particular genre. So Mayol painted her own path, and it took her from the cities and jungles of Argentina to the shores of Sarasota and Palm Avenue’s Dabbert Gallery, where she will enjoy her first solo exhibition this coming Friday, December 7.

Entitled Contemporary Visions, the exhibition features a whole new collection of works created within the past half year, giving the audience a brief glimpse into a particular moment in the artist’s creative life. And this particular moment happens to be a coming together of sorts, as the different streams of Mayol’s life and creative process converge.

A veteran of both figurative and abstract work, Contemporary Visions sees a merging of the two, with figures—often women in some state of contemplation or inner conversation—sharing the canvas with sweeping abstractions that frame and sometimes even threaten to overtake the subjects, like memories fading at the edges. But a vivid palette, perhaps a holdover from Mayol’s extensive time painting the varicolored wilds of Argentina, lifts the enterprise to a place of joy rather than melancholy.

Still refusing to be pigeonholed, Mayol’s work pulls in myriad media, from paint to pastel and from ink to fabric, depending on how the artist feels at the moment. “Each day, I have a different emotion, I have a different feeling,” she says, and the canvas captures it all, leaving the artist “a little exposed.” Her studio becomes a reflection of this freewheeling creation. Brushes get mixed up, pastels crunch underfoot and happy accidents abound. “But every time I have an accident,” Mayol says, “I love it.” And each becomes an important part of the final painting, an oasis born of chaos. “All I care about is the order in the painting,” she says.

Contemporary Visions opens at Dabbert Gallery on December 7, with an opening reception from 6pm to 8:30pm. The artist will be in attendance, and giving a live painting demonstration. 

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Foundation leaders, philanthropists and givers of all sorts gathered at the Hyatt Regency yesterday for the latest installment in SRQ Media’s SB2 Luncheon Series, Philanthropic Agenda. Sponsored by local businesses such as Mariash Lowther Wealth Management, Catalist Realty and JFCS of the Suncoast, the event brought together a community of philanthropic-minded leaders (and future leaders in the tables full of students from NewGate Montessori, Out-of-Door Academy and Sarasota Christian School) for a special keynote speaker, panel discussion and the inaugural presentation of The Good Hero Awards.

Joining the crowd from Orlando, Keynote Speaker Mark Brewer, president and CEO of the Central Florida Foundation, kicked things off in earnest with a discussion of growing trends in the philanthropy sector, and how Sarasota fits into those trends. He discussed the impacts of changing demographics, such as a shift in the last six to seven years, seeing the younger generations taking up the mantle and leading family decisions in philanthropic giving. “We see children driving family philanthropy across America,” Brewer says. “They are bringing with them dramatic changes.”

These younger generations also look at problems differently, Brewer says, with a focus on taking a wide-angle look for systemic problems and solutions at the source, as opposed to palliative measures. “No one cares about your capacity,” he says. “They care about your capability.” Part of this growing expectation for social impact results in a growing focus on collective impact—the differences that foundations and philanthropists and their partners can achieve by working together toward a common goal. Sarasota, Brewer notes, has done an exceptional job at making sure nonprofits and the like are “at the table” when it comes to community discussions of social projects, programs and problems.

But one thing Sarasota will have to look out for, Brewer is sure to add, is the danger in divergent demographics, wherein an aging population disengages from the younger and vice versa.

Following the keynote address, a panel of local philanthropy experts took the stage, including Susie Bowie, executive director of the Manatee Community Foundation, Teri Hansen, president and CEO of the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, Roxie Jerde, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Mark Pritchett, president and CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Brian Mariah, senior vice president of Mariash Lowther. Joining Brewer onstage, they fielded questions from moderator Wes Roberts of SRQ Media and the audience, including students who wanted to know how to deal with indifferent adults. “Find different adults,” quipped Jerde.

Issues at hand ranged from reaching that younger generation to engendering support from transplants with extant ties to elsewhere. “People are charitable first,” says Pritchett, and that charity can be nurtured into full-blown philanthropy in time, as they seek more impact in their new location. “And then they become big change agents in the community,” he says. With regards to outcome-based measurement, Bowie suggested a shift from quantity helped to the quality of that help. “Sometimes if you’re really going to change lives,” she says, “you’re going to change fewer lives.”

With the panel departing the stage, Heidi Brown of JFCS of the Suncoast joined SRQ Media’s Ashley Grant on the stage to bestow the first annual SRQ Good Hero Philanthropic Awards. This year’s inaugural winners were Melissa Wandall for the Mark Wandall Foundation, Arnold Simonsen and Ronda Montminy for their support of the Players Centre for Performing Arts Rosemary studio, Antonia Quiros of Goodwill Manasota, prolific volunteer and philanthropist Phyllis Siskel and, in posthumous recognition, Mark Morin, who served on the board of the State College of Florida Foundation.

In an emotional end to the event, one final award was announced, the Good Hero Corporate Titan Award, given to a local business leader who made a conscious choice to put community above profit and give back in a serious way. Accepting the award to a standing ovation in memory of Steve Seidensticker, son Joe Seidensticker gave a heartfelt thanks and call to action in his father’s name.

“He believed in helping one person at a time, using the assets that he had. He believed that money is not the only way to change people’s lives… …I hope that when we come together next year, we will be honoring a corporate hero that has touched people’s lives purposefully and measurably, using all the talents and assets at their disposal.” 

Pictured: Teri Hansen on the mic with Brian Mariash and Mark Pritchett (left) and Roxie Jerde and Susie Bowie (right). Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) is hosting four public workshops in December to gather input on proposed service changes in the cities of North Port, Venice, Sarasota and the Town of Longboat Key. The proposed service changes are aimed at improving SCAT service and address budget impacts, and are not related to the request for proposal for privatizing transit operations. Changes are being considered to the following routes and services: Route 13 serving Venice and South Venice; Route 23 serving Venice Island Loop; Route 18 serving downtown Sarasota and Longboat Key Bay Isles; elimination of route 100X with stops at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, downtown Sarasota and North Port; modifying of Saturday services times to Sunday services times.

The community workshops will be held at the following times and locations: Tuesday, December 4, from noon to 1:30pm at the Francis T Bourne Jacaranda Public Library in Venice and from 5pm to 6:30pm at the North Port Public Library, as well as Wednesday, December 5, from 5pm to 6:30pm at Venice Community Center and Thursday, December 6, from 5pm to 6:30pm at Fire Station 3 in Sarasota. 

Sarasota County Area Transit

Michael’s On East, Sarasota, was recently recognized as one of Florida’s best places to dine as a member of Florida Trend’s 2018 Golden Spoon Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame members appear in the Golden Spoon special section in the December issue of Florida Trend magazine. The Golden Spoon awards recognize individual achievement and distinctive contributions to the Florida restaurant scene.

“The ‘Golden Spoon’ is such an honor for our team receive each year,” explained Michael’s On East Co-Proprietor Michael Klauber. “We truly value this Florida Trend award and remain focused on ensuring every single guest’s dining experience is worthy of the ‘Hall of Fame’ distinction. We believe our commitment to consistency, the dedication of our professional team and basic guiding principle to run the entire operation from our guests’ perspective have been the secrets to earning this type of special distinction within the competitive restaurant industry.” 

Michael's On East