When Steven Anton Rehage was a child, his family would go to the beach every Sunday. And when other kids would look for seashells, he would search for pirate treasure—but ultimately settle on oxidized screws and coins and bits of sea-polished driftwood of ashen grey. Far from disheartened, Rehage found something wondrous in those misshapen odds and ends, forgotten artifacts that seemingly absorbed time itself to transform into something beautiful. It’s a concept the artist continues to explore to this day, with his latest exhibition, Patina, currently on display at 530 Burns Gallery.

Comprising more than 30 works, the exhibition puts Rehage’s exploration on full display—and exploration is how the artist approaches each canvas, never knowing what will result from his latest pigment-driven pathfinding. “Each piece is a page in a guide,” he says. “You never really know where you’re going, but you’ve got to be confident and just go.”

And Rehage dives right in, concocting his own paints from great blends of metallic acrylics, colored latex and inks—some creating their own chemical reactions in echo of the oxidization Rehage seeks to glorify. Sometimes he uses a paintbrush or even a roller, and other times he splashes and pours, letting the liquids wash over the canvas like waves lapping the shore. “By working with the canvas, it tells me its story,” he says. And while multiple paintings may emerge from one session, no two will look alike.

A painting can receive as many as 60 layers, with some paints drying fast while others pool and puddle, but all ultimately creating that richly textured surface that makes audiences confuse Rehage’s work for burled wood or weathered copper. And just as audiences applaud that copper’s transformation from soft blue to bold turquoise, Rehage hopes they appreciate a similar shift within themselves.

“Despite our age or our defects, we continue to shine, we continue to be beautiful, we continue to be whole,” he says. “Even if we’re broken or damaged, we have this natural beauty—a natural patina—that comes with age.”

Currently on display at 530 Burns Gallery, Patina runs through April 10. 

Pictured: "Frequency" by Steven Anton Rehage.

Pine View School’s students plan to distribute loads of fresh produce to many families in need this weekend through Florida-based food distribution nonprofit Farm Share. Farm Share annually distributes upwards of 40k pounds of fresh (and free) fruits, vegetables and other commodities to Sarasota County low-income residents. The Farm Share project in Sarasota is led by Pine View’s service-learning, action-driven organization PeaceJam club, and is supported by several other Pine View-based service clubs, in collaboration with Gocio Elementary.

“Farm Share’s mission is to alleviate hunger and malnutrition by recovering and distributing fresh and nutritious food to those who need it most,” says Patricia Robbins, Farm Share’s founder and CEO.

Fresh produce often ends up going to waste at grocery stores—even though it is perfectly edible—and they leave up to 50% of it behind. Farm Share takes this leftover fresh produce and transports the food to various organizations to give to families in need throughout Florida. “Imagine a semi-trailer filled with thousands of pounds of fresh produce. This is what Farm Share sends to us, that we then have the privilege to distribute in our local community,” says Edward Brunicardi, Pine View PeaceJam ambassador and one of the three project managers for Farm Share. “The distribution at Gocio Elementary was scheduled with the idea of providing food assistance to support families just coming off of spring break.”

The students don’t stop at simple hand-outs to attendees, they arrange each food group into original and easy recipes, made directly for each family’s diverse needs. “Over the past nine years, Pine View PeaceJam has coordinated 35 pounds of healthy and locally grown food to more than 1,000 Sarasota-Bradenton families that are in need, at each of our events,” says Luis Flores, PeaceJam ambassador and co-manager of Farm Share. “It is truly incredible to evidently know that we have made a real impact in our community.”

The organization has also received a generous donation of hygiene products from Ehrlich and Sallapudi Orthodontics—further encouraging healthy living for low-income families. “It may not seem like a big deal to receive a few meals or hygiene products for many of us,” says Odelia Tiutyama, PeaceJam ambassador and co-manager of Farm Share. “But there are so many families in our community that rely on distribution events such as Farm Share to receive proper nutrients.”

Spread the word of this upcoming distribution event if you know a local family in need: Saturday, March 30, 9am to 12pm at Gocio Elementary School, 3450 Gocio Rd., Sarasota, 34235. 

Photos from last year's event, courtesy of Farm Share.

For The Out-of-Door Academy’s first trip to the Technology Student Association (TSA) State Competition, sophomores Kaylen Rivers and Reece Whatmore created an interactive, tactile, assistive technology storybook for students with physical and intellectual impairment. Their second-place finish in the category advances them to the National Competition in June.

Kaylen and Reece began working on their storybook more than six months before the conference. Criteria for the category included a book for children with physical and/or intellectual impairment on a scientific concept or idea. They decided on the ‘cell’ as their topic, and began researching the best way to present complicated information in a conceptually and physically accessible manner.

In adherence with the competition guidelines, the students created everything in their book themselves. From the storyline, illustrations, and layout, to laminating and binding the pages—every part of the book is completely original. Every spread of their book, “A Trip to Cell City,” features original illustrations and the text of the story. Each left-facing page has a removable felt cut-out representing the part of the cell being discussed to stimulate and encourage tactile response. All text is translated into Braille for sight-impaired children and every right-facing page has a button that, when pressed, plays an audio recording of Kaylen reading the page’s text.

To make the science conceptually accessible, the students wrote their story within the framework of the cell being a cityscape. Each part of the cell represents a different and essential part of a city that is needed to keep everything running smoothly. As readers “tour” the city, they learn about the purpose of each area, and how they all work together.

In preparation for the competition, Reece and Kaylen visited Oak Park School in Sarasota to share their book with classes in the Developmental Assistive Technology wing. Students in the program receive augmentative and assistive technology for communication in order to access their curriculum. The children provided valuable feedback that the ODA students used to improve the final product.

Kaylen and Reece will travel to Washington D.C. this summer with Science teacher and mentor Theresa Beeman for the National Competition. Congratulations to these ambitious students on an outstanding project that utilized local resources to make an impact and improve their product. 

Out-of-Door Academy

Debbi Benedict, president of the Hermitage Artist Retreats board of trustees, has announced the retirement of Hermitage Founding Executive Director Bruce E. Rodgers, as of December 31, 2019. Rodgers served on the original steering committee organized by the Sarasota County Arts Council and co-founders Patricia Caswell and Syd Adler to restore and adapt buildings into an artist community. After the organization received its not-for-profit status in 2002, Rodgers became a founding trustee.

As the founding director, Rodgers set the operating policies and procedures for the organization and grew its annual operating budget from $80,000 to its current $700,000+ level. He oversaw the completion of the historic campus restoration that was begun by the Sarasota County Arts Council; established the first endowment program; and created many local, regional and national partnerships. In 2008, in partnership with Bob Greenfield, then president of the Greenfield Foundation, Rodgers created the Greenfield Prize at the Hermitage Artist Retreat—a $30,000 prize in the form of a commission for a new work—which raised the organization’s profile to national status.

A search committee, chaired by Englewood businessman David Dignam of Key Agency and comprised of both trustees and community members, has been formed to oversee the national search for the next leader to build on the foundation that has been created. 

Hermitage Artist Retreat

The Hermitage Artist Retreat and the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation have announced the details of the Greenfield Prize weekend, scheduled for April 13–14. This year’s celebration begins with the world premiere opening of Fourth Quarter: Senior Athletes, and their Indomitable Spirit at The Ringling, featuring new work by photojournalist David Burnett, the 2017 recipient of the Greenfield Prize. For this project, which was part of Burnett’s 2017 Greenfield commission, he spent two years photographing senior-aged athletes from around the country who dedicate themselves to serious physical competition and team sports. He treats his subjects with reverence as he celebrates their tenacity and challenges viewers to rethink what aging means in the 21st century.

Also included is a “Creative Conversations” event with Burnett and the 2019 Greenfield Prize recipient, composer, vocalist and performer Helga Davis. These events are free to attend and  will take place on April 13 from 3pm to 5pm, Davis begins at 3pm with “My Life, My Work,” and a panel discussion follows at 4pm. Helga Davis will be honored at the 2019 Greenfield Prize Award dinner on April 14 at Michael’s On East. Tickets begin at $150; reservations can be made online at the website below. 

Hermitage Artist Retreat

County Commissioners yesterday touted Karen Stewart's reputation in the community and her accomplishments as Economic Development Official before unanimously approving her to be the acting Deputy County Administrator to County Administrator Cheri Coryea. As Manatee County Economic Development Official for the past decade, Stewart has facilitated economic development and redevelopment projects by linking county departments and the business community. She manages the performance-based incentive program, rapid response permitting, business retention and expansion in the Southwest District and promotes the business-friendly approach in county government. 

Manatee County Government

As part of the school district’s emphasis on mental and behavioral health, Sarasota County Schools has reminded students, families and the community about free and confidential resources available to anyone in need of a counselor 24-hours a day, seven days a week. The Crisis Text Line was launched in 2013 by Nancy Lublin and is now available nationwide for people who need immediate help and prefer a text message option. Anyone with a phone can text ‘HERE4U’ to 741741 and be immediately connected with a trained counselor all day every day. The service is available to all students in Sarasota County through a grant from Barancik Foundation. “Suicide is a complex dynamic that requires many prevention efforts, including attention from school staff, families and communities,” said Todd Bowden, superintendent of Sarasota County Schools. “We are thankful to Barancik Foundation for providing our students access to the Crisis Text Line should they need to speak with a counselor whenever they need one.” 

Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation

Commercial construction company Halfacre Construction Company recently finalized a new 54,667-square-foot corporate headquarters for Mercedes Scientific, a privately held, national laboratory products distribution company. Located on the corner of State Road 70 and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, the five-acre parcel is part of the Collaboration Opportunities for Research and Exploration research park, a 305-acre biotech industrial district. The 28-foot tilt-wall building incorporates an industrial vibe, with exposed concrete walls, steel and mechanical systems. The two-story structure houses high-level executive office space and an air-conditioned warehouse and distribution facility. Construction on the project began in December 2017, with Halfacre Construction Company acting as the construction manager and Flad Architects and Stantec serving as the design team. Mercedes Scientific is a laboratory products distributor that sells equipment and disposable supplies to many health care markets, including reference labs, physician offices, pathology and hospitals in all 50 states. 

Halfacre Construction Company

Bonnie Dezii has joined Centauri Insurance as Assistant Vice President of Claims. Dezii brings more than 30 years of industry experience, spanning both large and small carriers, as well as a self-insured large corporation where she led global claim teams in Singapore, Sydney, London, Atlanta and Dubai. She has vast experience leading claims teams managing property, casualty, general and professional liability. Dezii will work with the VP of claims to manage Centauri’s third party administrators and ensure policyholders receive fast, fair claims service. Dezii spent 13 years in a variety of adjusting and leadership roles with Fireman’s Fund Insurance before leading the catastrophe operations for both the Moore and El Reno Tornados in Oklahoma for Farmers Insurance. Most recently, she served as assistant vice president of claims for FCCI Insurance Group where she managed the catastrophe operations for Hurricanes Michael and Irma. 

Centauri Insurance