A bit off the beaten path but just a couple doors down from Maximillian’s Café, a new art gallery has quietly opened its doors in Sarasota. Tucked off 10th Street and accessible via a brief bumpy ride over exposed brick to the rear of the building, Architectural Wall Décor may be a bit hard to find, but Dan Houston, owner and artist, hopes to see it become a community hub and beacon of acceptance.

Houston spent six weeks building out the place—tearing down old shelves, pressure-washing the walls, repairing broken sheet rock and generally transforming an empty warehouse space into a modern-style gallery, complete with a separate studio space and modest upstairs lounge, and fit to fill with his varied creations. And variety is the name of the game for Houston.

Entering Architectural Wall Décor, large-scale abstract paintings—always acrylic and often on paper, but also on canvas or Masonite—dominate much of the space, with Houston here indulging what appear to be ink-wash or calligraphic inspirations and there embracing something entirely contemporary and at times even reminiscent of Sarasota legends like Syd Solomon.

Some of this eclectic nature comes from travel, Houston says, having lived for a time in New York City, before raising a family in Houston, TX, and eventually bouncing around to Sarasota. Some comes from a career path as varied, ranging from jewelry manufacturing to art publishing and even previous stints as a gallery owner. However, it was the 25 years working in building and contracting that gave the artist an on-the-job education in abstract art, as Houston found himself in modern homes with hallways hung with contemporary work and abstract masters alike. Art school taught him to appreciate and emulate Rembrandt and Michelangelo, he says, but this experience opened the world of abstraction.

Houston never abandoned his figurative roots though. Far from it, he has recently found reason to re-engage with purpose, dedicating a sizable portion of his effort and his space to figurative work promoting LGBT acceptance. From simple couples portraits to scenes of marriage and adoption, Houston celebrates innocent and intimate moments of romantic or erotic love and creates greeting cards and matte prints that he hopes the community will embrace. Using non-traditional models, he eschews exploitation and cliche in one move.

No stranger to notions of social justice, as a young black man, he saw his community fighting for its rights, and as a young artist he used his talents to help tell that story. And as he learned more about the LGBT community, he saw a similar struggle. “I realized that, in the LGBT quest for acceptance and dignity and recognition, they're fighting for the same things that black people fought for and struggled for in the Civil Rights Era,” says Houston. “I had to make a stand.” For now, it’s his painting, and offering his space to organizations and nonprofits that need it, but that’s just the beginning.

“I still want to be more active,” he says. 

Pictured: "Ponciana" by Dan Houston. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Architectural Wall Decor, 1655 10th Street, Sarasota. Open Thu-Sat, 11am-7pm.

Four select composers come to Sarasota this month for a musical milestone, as the EarShot initiative, dedicated to identifying and promoting promising musical talent, teams up with the Sarasota Orchestra. Chosen from 127 applicants, Krists Auznieks, Nicky Sohn, Sam Wu and Kitty Xiao will spend a week in workshop with the musicians of Sarasota Orchestra, as well as three visiting mentor composers and LA-based conductor Christopher Rountree, all leading to a concert on March 16, where the young composers will hear their music performed by a full orchestra for the first time. In this four-part series, SRQ meets the minds behind the music.

A Chinese composer currently attending The Juilliard School, Sam Wu counts Mongolian traditional music, particularly that of the moorin khuur (horse-head fiddle), among his chief inspirations, as well as film and video game scores. His composition is entitled Wind Map.

What was the inspiration for your composition? Wu: Wind Map is inspired by global wind patterns. Specifically, I was fascinated by this rendition of an Earth wind map—large amounts of weather data are fed into a supercomputer, which then generates Van Gogh-esque swirls, swoops and streams.

What was your biggest challenge in this piece? Hearing the piece in my head. While I use the piano as a composition tool, it cannot magically re-create an entire orchestra’s colors. Thus, I worked hard on my “internal hearing” of all the instruments I’m working with.

Do you have a favorite instrument to write for? Probably the cello, because of its inherent voice-like quality.

What does it mean for you, to take part in the EarShot initiative? My mentor Tan Dun tells me that composers only truly “practice” when they hear their music played live. I take this advice to heart, and cherish any chance that I can hear my own music being performed. Orchestral opportunities for young composers, particularly with such an esteemed ensemble, are rare.

Where do you hope to take your art in the future?
 My dream concert would be some sort of collaboration with the Silk Road Project. At Harvard, I took an ethnomusicology class with them as visiting faculty—definitely a highlight of my college experience. 

Pictured: Sam Wu.

Philosophy & Vines and Lion & Loki come together for a fun, female empowering pop up at the Burns Court boutique today and tomorrow. Celebrate all things beauty, wellness and lifestyle fashion, on International Women’s Day no less, with the gals from Philosophy & Vines and the founder of Lion & Loki. Lion & Loki’s 100% plant-based skincare line Afterglow, creates natural, nurturing skin oil for women, especially those on the journey of motherhood. When Founder Carolyn Moore became pregnant, she became hyper-focused on maintaining superb health and wellbeing for herself and her unborn baby—developing an interest in how the skin worked and learned extensively how to take the best care of her skin using only what nature has to offer.  

“My journey of exploration into botanicals, oils and other natural ingredients empowered me to develop a safe, nutrient-dense and ultra-hydrating plant based product,” she says. “It made sense to replace all my potentially harmful skin and body care products with gentle natural products that would infuse my skin with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fatty acids which would help it grow and adapt to my changing body whilst preventing stretch marks, maintaining soft silky skin and attaining a healthy radiant glow.” Afterglow transforms your outer layer with ultra-glowing, supple skin with a highly-concentrated, yet light and fast-absorbing, elixir—sans any toxic ingredients such as parabens, synthetic colors and artificial fragrances. 

Check out the goods, learn more about the brand and shop some fab, funky finds in the Philosophy & Vines shop—which will also be hosting special door prizes, light hors d'oeuvres, a champagne bar and some even more fun surprises.

Happy International Women's Day!

Photo courtesy of Lion & Loki

Pop Up Event happening Friday, March 8, 3pm-6pm & Saturday, March 9, 11am-3pm at Philosophy & Vines, 606 South Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, 941-544-8171.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and the master site plan, that will protect and preserve 15-acres of bayfront property, is featured in the newly opened exhibit Celebrating New American Gardens, on display at the United States Botanic Garden (USBG) in Washington DC. As the only botanical garden in Florida featured, the exhibit showcases 21 gardens from across the United States that have created new gardens or renovated a garden within the last five years. The USBG presents this new exhibit through October 15. 

As part of the exhibit, photos, drawings, landscape designs, and project descriptions share the story of Selby Gardens and its new Master Plan. Just as plants change and grow, these gardens featured in the exhibit are making changes to better prepare for their own future and to showcase new plant collections, create spaces for people to connect with nature, and foster sustainability.

Other gardens represented include Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, New Orleans Botanical Garden in Louisiana, Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon, and other public gardens from across the nation. 

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

4MP will present a marketing workshop designed to give self-published (Indie) authors practical, effective, easy-to-use and affordable tips, tools and techniques to promote their books, create awareness and boost book sales. 4MP presenters Dona Lee, Pat McKanic, Brenda Spalding and Al Musitano will share information and handouts covering everything from utilizing traditional and social media to create awareness; the importance of including videos, book trailers and YouTube in your marketing plan; creating opportunities and themed events to sell your books; partnering with other authors and community businesses to maximize promotional opportunities; and building an author’s platform using multiple titles to attract, engage and retain followers. The workshop will be Saturday, March 23, from 10am to 2pm at North County Library. Tickets are available at the website below. 

4MP Indie Author Workshop

Our region is known for its strong philanthropic spirit. Join us this May in recognizing and sharing your organization’s mission and your wish list with those who want to support you.

SRQ Magazine’s Content Marketing Division engages you with our readers powerfully in print and strategically online.

Contact us today reserve your space!

Contact your Business Development Executive or Associate Publisher Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or growmybusiness@srqme.com to reserve your space and article today. SRQ Magazine’s Content Marketing Division engages you with our readers powerfully in print and strategically online.

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