Joseph's Coat Skyspace is a triumph of technology, engineering, and aesthetics. The Skyspace, created by internationally-renowned artist James Turrell, is a gathering place for contemplation, and sustained experience. At sunset, a sophisticated system of LED lights is employed to change the color of the space. In doing so, the artist changes the context in which you view the sky and can radically change your perception of the color of the sky and its spatial relation to you. As you gaze up at the sky through the 24-foot square aperture in the ceiling, you are invited to contemplate light, perception, and experience. Joseph's Coat is a unique experience. Tickets are $10 for non-members and free for members and will be available 30 days prior to each event.

Join New College creative writing professor Dr. Emily Carr for this four-part Zoom workshop series is offered from 5pm to 7pm on the second Wednesday of the month: January 13, February 10, March 10, and April 14. A fee of $95 is required for participation. This includes a copy of the required text, The Creative Tarot: A Modern Guide to an Inspired Life by Jessa Crispin, and all four Zoom sessions. This mixed-genre, all-levels workshop includes a basic introduction to the Tarot, generative writing exercises, storytelling tips and tricks, unique Tarot-inspired provocations for creativity in times of crisis, and a discussion of the various ways writers might use the Tarot in their work. This workshop is open to writers at all levels, working in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Together, we'll explore a series of Tarot-inspired writing activities designed to offer you strategies for using the cards to 1) start a new poem/story/essay 2) inject new life and surprising stakes into a poem/story/essay you're already working on and/or 3) breakthrough imaginative blocks - in this particular historical moment.

In collaboration with the Sarasota Architectural Foundation, the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation and the AIA Gulf Coast Chapter, this exhibit will examine the unique history of architecture in Sarasota from the time of Native Americans to the present and will run from January 12 until April 17, 2021. Timed reservation information will be available soon.

Now in its 12th year, the Ringling College glass sculpture exhibition from the Richard and Barbara Basch Collection presents A Few of Our Favorite Things from January 11 through March 27 at the Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery in the Larry R. Thompson Academic Center. This exhibition features some of the most exceptional examples of art glass and brilliant one-of-a-kind commissions by the greatest masters of the medium from around the world. It highlights the Basch Collection of more than 300 works of art glass by iconic artists, including Giampaolo Amoruso, Martin Blank, Latchezar Boyadjiev, Peter Bremers, Lucio Bubacco, Dale Chihuly, Laura di Santillana, Laura Donefer, Robin Grebe, Colin Heaney, Shin-ichi Higuchi, Richard Royal, Lino Tagliapietra, and Bertil Vallien. Appointments are required to view this exhibition. Admission to this exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery Hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm.

This exhibition showcases the legendary Pop artist's screen prints based on Monet's world-famous paintings of waterlilies and haystacks from February 13 until June 27, 10am to 5pm. Lichtenstein's rarely seen Water Lilies and Haystacks provide an unexpected homage to a staple of the public imagination - Monet's paintings of his garden and home at Giverny that inspired them. The display of Lichtenstein's art in the midst of a horticultural evocation of Giverny creates a unique experience for more than 100,000 garden visitors. Selby Gardens, transformed into Monet's famed gardens at Giverny through the Pop Art lens of Roy Lichtenstein, includes iconic elements of Monet's garden such as the green Japanese bridge, trellises, and benches. This conjuring of Lichtenstein's world also serves as the dynamic backdrop to the lush plantings and mixed borders for which Monet's paintings were renowned. An avid gardener, Monet once said, "My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece." Marie Selby Botanical Gardens evokes this crowning achievement with a surprising Pop Art twist.

Artrageous Paint Pouring Workshop with Jenni Messina will take place February 15 and 16 from 1:30pm to 4:30pm on Zoom. Learn all about the hot new painting method of pouring paint! Jenni will teach you the ins and outs of paint pouring and plenty of tricks that will create amazing and unique results. She has been pouring and experimenting with this technique for three years now and is so excited with the results. All ages welcome. Come and join Jenni for this FUN workshop and let the pouring begin. This is an online course. When you register (and are paid in full), a Zoom link will be emailed to you. If your teacher has additional handouts, those will also be emailed to you. Other Sessions: Thursday & Friday, March 18 & 19; Thursday & Friday, April 8 & 9, 2021.

Plein Air Painting Class with Joseph Melancon will take place offsite at outdoor locations on Wednesdays from February 17 through March 24 from 1pm to 4pm. Join Joseph in painting outdoors at various locations around Sarasota. Among other things, you’ll paint trees, water and beaches as well as structures and boats with distant and close up views. Learn methods and techniques to produce exciting paintings. You can eliminate unnecessary detail while being more spontaneous and painterly! He will emphasize keeping everything simple including brushes, limited colors, and easels. Joseph will be available to give you each individual guidance as your paintings develop. You will see how you can alter the composition of the scene to create a better relationship of the parts. He encourages risk taking and boldness in painting. With opaque paints you can easily make changes if things don’t work out as planned. Each outing will start with a demonstration of how to choose a view and block in the scene. This will establish the basic composition of shapes and values without thinking in terms of final colors. He’ll show you how you can mix color and apply it in a loose bold style with various types of brushes. You can get to the next level using your own style. Joseph will supply maps for the various locations around town, all easy to get to. We’ll have big fun and stay as safe as possible by being outdoors, masking up and socially distancing.

Mixed Media Workshop with Allison Lehti will take place on February 17 from 1:30pm to 4:30pm on Zoom. Discover the joy of mixed-media acrylic painting in this 3 hour workshop designed to increase your creative skills using an abstract composition with a limited color pallet. For beginning to intermediate skill levels. Instructor will provide examples of artwork, overall and step by step methods, informational handouts and links for continued explorations. This is an online course. When you register (and are paid in full), a Zoom link will be emailed to you. If your teacher has additional handouts, those will also be emailed to you.

Women’s Resource Center Hosts A Free Woman-Owned Business Webinar on February 17 from noon to 1pm. Guest speakers include representatives from the Small Business Development Center, the Manatee County Libraries Information Services, CareerSource Suncoast’s Thrive program, and the owner of Snarky Tea. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, new business applications are up over 26 percent compared to last year with many of those coming from companies started by women. A recent study found that, between 2014 and 2019, the number of women-owned businesses climbed 21 percent to a total of nearly 13 million companies, representing 42 percent of all U.S. small businesses with revenue topping $1.9 trillion—growing at double the rate of all U.S. businesses. Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is hosting a free online webinar, February 17, noon-1 p.m., to help connect women to free resources to help them evaluate this potential career path. The session is part of WRC’s monthly Career Connections program to link women to quality jobs and funded trainings. Participants can attend by phone or computer and will be able to ask questions via a chatbox. Register at www. mywrc.org/womenowned or call (941) 256-9721 for more information.

The Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (CWC-FPRA) is hosting “Striking the Balance in a Year of Transformation” on February 17 at noon, featuring Universal Orlando Resort’s Alyson Gernert, APR, CPRC. As the Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Gernert will be discussing how her team worked to strike the balance amidst a global shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including finding new ways to communicate, care for their guests, care for their employees and care for self. Gernert has worked on Universal’s communications team for more than 12 years and also serves as the state president for Florida Public Relations Association. Tickets for the program are $10/FPRA members, $15/guests; cost includes access to the recordings after the event. To register, visit cwcfpra.com/events. This event is virtual via Zoom. Upon registration, event attendees will receive a Zoom link for the event. A link to a recording of the webinar can be provided to registered event attendees following the event as well. The Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association meets monthly for professional development luncheons and networking. Visit www.cwcfpra.com for more information.

Reaching agreement is often a difficult task, but in a democracy, lasting progress is only possible through dialogue. What makes true dialogue possible? Lincoln Rafael Díaz-Balart (’72-’76) is a Cuban-American attorney, consultant, and human rights advocate. He represented South Florida in the Florida Legislature from 1986 to 1992, and in Congress from 1993 to 2011. He authored and passed significant pieces of legislation in Congress, such as the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act of 1997 (NACARA), which granted legal residency to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. who were previously at risk of deportation. Díaz-Balart founded the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) in 2003, which he still serves as chairman. CHLI provides internships and leadership training in our nation’s capital to college students. After leaving Congress in 2011, he founded El Instituto La Rosa Blanca (The White Rose Institute), which stands in solidarity with the pro-democracy movement in Cuba. He currently is a practicing attorney based in Miami. This event will take place on February 18, 2021.

Virtual