As Charles and Margery Barancik sat down with SRQ MEDIA for a rare interview early this year, the couple spoke joy about seeing the work their philanthropic dollars achieved. At one point, Charles said, they had planned the traditional endowment route so familiar in Florida philanthropy—write a will and have the endowment fund good work after you die. But he became convinced speaking with local philanthropic leaders it would be better for the couple to form a foundation and see the work in their lifetime.

The time ended suddenly this week. Sarasota Police say around 6 pm Wednesday, a Longboat Key Police patrol vehicle traveling south on Gulf of Mexico Drive collided with a Tesla with the Baranciks inside. Charles Barancik, 91, died at the scene. Margery Barancik, 83, was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where she died from injuries Thursday night. The police officer involved in the crash was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has not been identified.

The Foundation ultimately allowed five years for the couple to witness education innovation, award research grants, and become celebrated among the region’s greatest philanthropists. The couple in 2014 founded The Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, donating wealth and mentorship. Charles once described scrutinizing the impact of nonprofits and making sure the money did the most good. “Do they really fit what we’re trying to do?,” he said. “What's their risk-reward ratio?”

The Baranciks even now continue to be an enormous force in philanthropy within the Sarasota-Bradenton region. But they started out giving anonymously. Mark Pritchett, CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, worked with the couple on funding tech in Sarasota classrooms.

“Chuck Banancik brought joy and inspiration to philanthropy in our Sarasota region,” Pritchett said. “He was one of the smartest and most generous people I have ever known. Chuck’s positive philanthropic impact in the arts, education, human services and the environment will be felt for generations to come... I will miss his wonderful sense of humor and his insightful thinking.”

The couple actively participated in much of the good work being done. Margery of the rewards visiting children in reading academies at low-income Sarasota schools. “Seeing a smile on little kids faces that don't have much to smile about,” she said, “how can that not be the most satisfying thing in the world?”

Jennifer Vigne, President of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, feels honored to have worked with the Baranciks in life.

“Just last week he and Margie were smiling and clapping along at the Teacher of the Year event as the Oak Park student choir serenaded the crowd,” Vigne recalled. “While the CMBF has transformed our community with their personal philanthropy, Chuck and Margie have, along the way, touched hearts and transformed lives.” 

Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

When a 17-year-old boy from Cohoes, New York named Ed Rymanowski was drafted into the Navy during WWII, he stepped across a threshold and into the opacity of his future. The potentialities would be countless, death among them, and whatever happened, it would be far from home and would transform him with or without his permission. His military travels took him to Naples, Italy, and the country would keep his heart on layaway as the war came to an end, beckoning him back to the Old World with its promises of new sights, new languages and the pursuit of his own personal epic.

“I promised myself I’d come back [to Italy] one day and build a house,” he says. “Many years later, I got a few bucks together and bought one,” he continues, “but the mafia made it tough to live there.” Naples would only be another threshold into a new set of experiences, and after selling in Naples and buying another home in Spain, his feet somehow carried him to Aix-en-Provence, France, where he studied painting alongside none other than Henri Matisse, the patriarch of les Fauves. The motley crew of artists included André Derain, Albert Marquet and Henri Manguin, while Cezanne and Picasso were also practicing their craft in the city. Rymanowski, now a war veteran, world traveler and aspiring artist, was caught in a magical moment of art history, and it was here where his wild beast peers gave him the nickname Salóp, the moniker he still signs his paintings with.

It was also in this transformative period of his odyssey where his style was formed. To this day, Salóp’s work still evokes the requisite elements of the Fauvist aesthetic. He employs wild, crude brush strokes with a bold, expertly composed and minimalist color palette; the perspectives in his pieces are often jilted and askew; the objects simplified almost to the point of abstraction. But there is also an added element of youthful exuberance in his work, as though he is perpetually seeing the world with a sense of childlike wonder. And, like many a classically trained artist, he shares an affinity for the female form, but always as an object of beauty rather than sexuality. 

His collection at Ligon Fine Art showcases the full force of his mastery in the medium, and even in the twilight of his humble Homeric journey, Salóp continues to find something fresh to say in a style that feels as familiar as it does bold. 

Photo: Salop's 'Flower Power' evokes the fauvist style of early 20th Century France. Courtesy of Ligon Fine Art.

Whether it’s the African polyrhythms or James Brown’s exalted, aerobic treatment of the genre, few styles of music compel a body to move quite like funk. So, it was probably just a matter of time before Sarasota Contemporary Dance and its troupe of expert movers decided to incorporate the music into a live performance that celebrates funk’s origins while reframing it in a fresh, modern way. The soundtrack for this collaboration is provided by none other than Reverend Barry & The Funk, the area’s eminent 8-piece funk band that features a 3-piece horn section. 

The Funk are fronted by bass player, bandleader and primary vocalist Barry Nicholson, while a bevy of Grammy-nominated musicians accompany Nicholson with expert virtuosity. With their high-energy mix of celebrated covers and dazzling originals, SCD was given plenty to work with. “The music created the space for fun and experimentation,” says artistic director and co-founder Leymis Bolaños Wilmott, who was inspired to choreograph dances specific to the individuality of each of the six SCD dancers pegged for the show. Without divulging too much, Wilmott says each dancer will have certain “obstacles” or “props” with them on stage as they perform to some undisclosed funk classics from James Brown and others, as well as the debut of original music from Reverend Barry & The Funk.

But in spite of the lighthearted fun of the music, collaborating and choreographing for the genre proved to be a worthwhile challenge. “Funk is so improvisational and fun,” says Wilmott, a contrast to the more formal approach of a typical SCD show. It was important that Wilmott find a balance between honoring the fun and subversive nature of the genre while still packaging it in a stage production that SCD feels familiar to audiences. And, of course, it all had to be framed in a way that was clearly contemporary. “There’s this implied fourth wall in our performances,” says Wilmott, “but I wanted to try and break it down a little bit to have a relational, call-and-response theme that was so central to the genre.”

The funky string of shows took place over the weekend of December 5-8, 2019. 

Throughout Asolo Rep's critically acclaimed run of  The Sound of Music, the theatre has provided free and discounted tickets for more than 1,200 area youth and families. This initiative supports the institution's belief that it is crucial for the next generation to experience the magic of live theatre at a young age. The theatre hosted a sold-out student matinee on December 4 for more than 500 students (grades 8 - 12) from schools in Sarasota and Manatee County. As part of the program, Asolo Rep Education & Engagement department provided educational materials (curriculum, interactive activities, and discussion questions) to connect the show onstage to the lives and learning of students. The theatre also provided an additional 200 discounted tickets for students from other schools for performances throughout the run. 

More than 100 families (500+ patrons) attended Family Day at The Sound of Music on Saturday, December 14. Attendees received discounted tickets and also engaged in pre-show interactive activities, hosted by arts partners Embracing Our Differences, The Ringling and The Sarasota Opera, including an opera singing lesson, a paper collage craft, an inside look at the real von Trapp family and more.

Asolo Rep's Education & Engagement department is in the process of expanding its offerings. Visit https://www.asolorep.org/engage-learn to stay up to date.  The Sound of Music runs through December 28. For tickets and information, visit www.asolorep.org. 

'Tis the season for some heartfelt homemade Southern cooking, with some character and spice. Tailing behind the teeming trend of food trucks, Shiny Gumbo is pulling up and feeling shiny new. You may have seen the shiny all-chrome truck mirroring its driveby scenery cruising around town and posting up with colorful Christmas lights for the holidays. The family—Patrick and Leigh Spencer, with their children Oliver, Trustin and Gracenne—have been seen at Big Top Brewing Co., at the University Town Center Mall, 50 Paramount Apartment Homes and various local festivals as of late. A fun family affair, their New Orleans-inspired menu features saucy creations like Crawfish Étouffée—a rich, blonde roux, fresh  tomatoes, cajun seasonings, and succulent crawfish tail served over rice, as well as Red Beans n' Rice—slow-cooked red beans, spicy and smoky sausage,  cooked together in a cajun sauce, served over rice. Dive into their signature dish, the Gumbo—a dark, rich roux with cajun seasoned chicken and sausage slow cooked stew. and lastly, what would a jumbo food truck be without Jambayala—a traditional creole rice dish with seasoned shrimp, fresh tomato, onion and green peppers and creole spices. Be sure to welcome the Spencer family to the avid and ethnic food truck scene here, and don't be shy to get down and dirty with more than one of their soulful dishes—lots of napkins are on standby and satisfying Southern helpings are guaranteed.  

Photo courtesy of Shiny Jumbo.

Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight is pleased to announce the sheriff’s office collected more than 1,450 donations including more than $4,100 in gift cards, during the agency’s third annual holiday toy drive. In 2017, the sheriff’s office launched its inaugural holiday toy drive in the front lobby of the agency’s new Sarasota headquarters. A tree was selected by local Boy Scout troops for the 2017 event and again in 2018. This year, the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Public Safety Department stepped up and donated a tree where agency and community members donated toys for children ranging from newborn to 18 years old, over the course of two weeks. Today, deputies delivered 1,453 gifts including $4,120 in gift cards, to the 12th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem offices in downtown Sarasota. 

Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy, Inc. (SMART) received a $7290 grant from the Norman and Phyllis Siskel Donor Advised Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The grant will be used to support SMART’s Warriors in Transition program which is aimed at empowering veterans with an emphasis on leadership, team building, and physical and emotional well-being. 

"We are so grateful for the support of the Warriors in Transition program by the Norman and Phyllis Siskel Donor Advised Fund.  By partnering with our horses, veterans learn to ask for space and set healthy boundaries, lead without force, relax without losing awareness, and rebuild trust.  This generous donation allows SMART to continue to serve the brave men and women of our military” said Melissa Spillenkothen, Acting Executive Director of SMART Inc. 

Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy, Inc. (SMART) is pleased to announce they have received a $10,000 Grant from the Thomas Robert Wall Family Foundation Fund of the Manatee Community Foundation. The grant will be used for lighting the covered arena.

“We are very grateful for this grant which brings us closer to our dream of lighting the covered arena.  With the addition of lights in the arena, SMART will no longer have to cancel or cut short our evening classes once daylight saving time ends.  Instead, we will be able to continue our full schedule of classes. ” said Melissa Spillenkothen, Acting Executive Director of SMART. 

The Operation Outbreak (O2) educational platform, developed at Sarasota Military Academy (SMA), a local, public charter school, was recently named the world’s most innovative hybrid learning program at the 2019/2020 Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards Ceremony in London, England. 

The global educational awards program, jointly organized by the Wharton School and QS Quacquarelli Symonds, featured judges from around the world who selected the SMA Prep Operation Outbreak program out of approximately 2000 programs from 84 countries. Operation Outbreak was announced as the Gold Winner of the Hybrid Learning Award category during a ceremony held in London on December 10, 2019.

Dr. Todd Brown, Sarasota Military Academy Outreach Director and creator of the Operation Outbreak program and Dr. Andres Colubri, of the Sabeti Lab, submitted an extensive application for this opportunity and was placed on the shortlist, comprised of the top 15% of applicants to the competition, including applications received from over 2000 educational innovators from 84 countries.