Last month, Selby Botanical Gardens unveiled an ambitious augmented reality (AR) exhibition in conjunction with 11 other botanical gardens. Called “Seeing the Invisible,” the exhibition features digital sculptures from 13 artists, each of them “placed” around the lush bayside grounds of the Historic Spanish Point campus and marked with numbered stakes in the ground. On their own, the sheer scope, vision and artist list of the exhibition warrant a visit, but as with all emerging technologies that push the boundaries of what’s possible, the exhibition is not without its stipulations that must be met to maximize enjoyment.

The first is the app designed specifically to accompany the exhibition. At a whopping 2 gigabytes in size, the app can take a very long time to download and install onto an iPhone or Android smartphone. Since the app also relies on so many components of a smartphone’s hardware—GPS, wi-fi and cellular antennas, camera—it drains a battery more quickly than most apps. So, visitors are strongly encouraged to download and install the app before visiting the exhibition–preferably at home over a wi-fi network–and should make sure they have a full charge too. 

Once the app is downloaded and installed, its use during the exhibition is fairly straightforward. “With this exhibition, we tried to approach it on two levels,” says Dr. David Berry, vice president for visitor engagement and chief museum curator. “One level is how the works unfold as visitors interact with them, the other is how to use them as an interesting way to get around the site.” To start, a map of the grounds pops up on your screen with a walking circuit highlighted in green. As a visitor moves, the little blue dot that shows their location moves too. The sculptures themselves are shown on the map in orange. Following the green trail takes visitors on a loop around the entire campus and presents the visitor with each sculpture’s site along the way. 

To activate the sculptures, a visitor must come within 15 feet of the mark on the app’s map. Most of the stakes in the ground will get a visitor close enough, but sometimes the app’s markings must be deferred to. When considering the number of satellites and high-technology required to even attempt the exhibition, this minor inconvenience is easy to forgive.

But more than anything, the novelty of the experience and the quality of some of the works go a long way in overcoming any technical obstacles of the format. “Once you’re using the app, it’s unbelievably compelling,” says Dr. Berry. Many of the pieces move and morph, while others have an audio component to them as well. Some standout pieces include “Gilded Cage” from Ai Wei Wei in the sunken gardens, “Water Serpent” from Jakob Kudsk Steensen sited on a spot overlooking the bay, and “Machine Hallucinations: Nature Dreams” by Refik Anadol (pictured above).

The latter is the work of a Turkish-born artist living in Los Angeles and makes use of a sophisticated algorithm to turn nearly 70 million images of nature into a shifting topographical surface. Even when surrounded by living, breathing nature at Historic Spanish Point, the piece still manages to force the uncomfortable question of how deeply technology and math can recreate the feeling of being in nature—or if they should.

“Seeing the Invisible” runs through August of next year at the Historic Spanish Point Campus. 

Anyone who enjoys medical mystery stories and the voyeuristic pleasure of looking at a couple’s marital intestinal fortitude will be enraptured as I was with Eleanor Henderson’s Everything I Have is Yours: A Marriage. For movie buffs; think Alien meets Revolutionary Road.  

While I understand voracious mystery lovers, I dare an avid thriller fanatic to read this non-fiction and not also call it a page-turner. 

For anyone dealing with one or both of substance abuse or childhood trauma, or anyone who’s had fond homes in Upstate New York (Ithaca to be specific), Florida’s West Coast or the Big Apple, this book will remind you of all the reasons you loved (and maybe occasionally hated) living there.

At times vindicated by ending relationships that were too stressful to endure and then almost equally ashamed that I didn’t stick it out, Henderson addresses wrestling with these same philosophies and ultimately praying that the cyclical neglect, abandonment and dysfunction stops at her generation rather being handed down to her children.  

A beautiful ode to relationships of all types, 'Everything I Have is Yours' is now available in-store at BookStoreOne Sarasota 12 S. Palm Ave. Sarasota, FL 34236 or online at sarasotabooks.com.      

Photo courtesy of The Associated Press

Jewish Family & Children’s Service of the Suncoast, Inc. (JFCS) is 35 years in the making. Present-day JFCS of the Suncoast was founded in July of 1986 to address a growing need to offer social services to Sarasota’s increasing Jewish population, particularly the elderly. However, with each passing decade, the organization’s visionary leaders continuously recognized the overwhelming need to serve the Sarasota community at-large, while still remaining faithful to its founding Jewish traditions and principles. 

With the support of over 800 volunteers JFCS empowers over 5,000 clients annually, including seniors, veterans, at-risk youth and individuals and families, toward self-sufficiency and stability through free and low-cost initiatives such as mental health counseling, youth programs, family services, seniors and caregivers’ support groups, veterans’ housing assistance, life skills and job placement, homeless prevention services, food and financial support and case management. Services are provided regardless of religious affiliation.

Today, JFCS is recognized as one of the leading mental health counseling and human services agencies on the Florida Suncoast. As a preeminent community partner in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Lee and Charlotte Counties, JFCS has been recognized consistently for notable acts of kindness and effectiveness.

In honor of many generous individuals and several monumental milestones, JFCS is hosting a 35th Anniversary celebration at Michael’s On East, on Sunday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m. A commemorative tribute to the organization’s significant contributions to the community will occur during the celebration. Tickets are available for purchase on the JFCS website (jfcs-cares.org). JFCS would like to thank the community for allowing it to positively impact the lives of many area residents. 

Arts Advocates announces the receipt of a gift of five Florida Highwaymen paintings, generously donated by members Cecilia and Richard Conder. These pieces are now on exhibit in the Arts Advocates Gallery, located in the Crossings at Siesta Mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, in Sarasota. The Highwaymen were a group of 26 African American landscape artists, mostly self-taught from the Fort Pierce, Florida area, active from the mid-1950s into the 1980s. They painted on inexpensive Upson board or Masonite and made frames from crown molding. Because no galleries would accept their work, they sold their art door-to-door or from the trunks of their cars, often still wet, along Florida’s eastern coastal roads. Their renown grew internationally during the early 2000s, and the members have been recognized for their contributions to mid-twentieth century Florida culture and history. Their success and longevity are remarkable considering they began their careers in racially unsettled times, in a place where the civil rights movement was in its infancy. 

The Highwaymen paintings are on exhibit through December 2021; gallery hours are every Saturday from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. They are also included in the docent-guided gallery tours on November 3 and December 1 at 11:00 am. along with the Sarasota Colony Artists exhibit. Reservations for tours are required. To register for gallery tours, and learn more about or become a member of Arts Advocates, visit ArtsAdvocates.org.  

Pictured: John Maynor's

Sarasota resident, Mariah Salinas, earned a cash price and a trip to Hollywood as a winner in the Illustrators of the Future Contest. Her art will also be published in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 37. Mariah is a sophomore at Ringling College of Art and Design majoring in Illustration, and hopes to someday create her own comics with her best friend who is joining her on her journey at Ringling. 

The Contest, one of the most prestigious writing and illustrating competitions in the world, is currently in its 38th year and is judged by some of the premier names in speculative fiction. The intensive mentoring process from the Illustrating Contest has proven very successful—with 370 past winners going on to produce over 6,000 illustrations, 360 comic books, graced 624 books and albums with their art and visually contributed to 68 TV shows, and 40 major movies.

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Award is the genre’s most prestigious award of its kind and has now become the largest, most successful and demonstrably most influential vehicle for budding creative talent in the world of contemporary fiction.

For more information about the Contests, go to WritersoftheFuture.com 

Pictured: Mariah Salinas' artwork, courtesy of RCAD.

Seven middle school students at the Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences (SSA+S) have come together alongside teacher David A. Carr and the Rosemary Art & Design District (RADD) to create an exhibit celebrating John Chamberlain, one of Sarasota’s great artists, who’s 1980s studio was located on the edge of the Rosemary District. Led by teacher, David A. Carr, SSA+S students were asked to study Chamberlain's sculptures and life, then tasked with deconstructing and reimagining his volumetric, expressive sculptures in two dimensions - while reflecting the energy, vivacity and complexity of Chamberlain’s original work. RADD and SSA+S worked together to turn the student artwork into a public exhibit that explores the influence of great artists on future creatives. Located on the future site of Rosemary Park (corner of Central Avenue and Boulevard of the Arts), the outcome is a temporary, outdoor art exhibit for the community to enjoy.

For more information about RADD, please visit: rosemarydistrict.org. For more information about SSA+S, please visit ssas.org.  

America’s favorite dance show returns to the Van Wezel to celebrate its 30^th Season with Dancing with the Stars – LIVE! 2022 Tour on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 8 pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 8 at 10 am. 

Launching January 7^th in Richmond, VA, this year’s all-new production will feature fan-favorite professional dancers thrilling audiences with all of the breathtaking dance styles seen on ABC’s hit show Dancing with the Stars. The show continues its legacy of performing showstopping routines from the TV show alongside new numbers choreographed specifically for the live show, ranging from time-honored dances like the Quickstep and Foxtrot to sizzling Latin styles like the Cha Cha, Salsa, and Tango. In this year’s state-of-the-art production, audiences will have the opportunity to experience the excitement, glitz and glamour they see in the ballroom every Monday night live in their hometowns.

The tour delivers a spectacular night of pulse-pounding dance performances from world-renowned dancers including Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Artem Chigvintsev, Sasha Farber, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater, and Britt Stewart with more surprise casting to be announced. Previous Mirrorball Trophy winner Alan Bersten says, “After not being able to tour last year, we’re all so excited to bring the “Dancing with the Stars - Live Tour” back to all of our dedicated fans around the country. I’m especially looking forward to this year’s tour because we also get to celebrate our show’s amazing 30^th Season.”

Tickets are $47-$102 and can be purchased at VanWezel.org, by calling the box office at 941-263-6799 or by visiting the box office Monday through Friday between 10 am and 6 pm - Saturday from 10 am - 4 pm. VIP packages are also available.  

The Bay Sarasota is on track to open summer of 2022, providing an iconic destination that will welcome everyone to the area. From sunset strolls to free park programs, The Bay will offer park-goers a place to gather, connect, explore and appreciate Florida’s natural beauty. Yesterday, The Bay Park Conservancy (BPC) hosted a public, community meeting at the Municipal Auditorium to update the community about the City and the Park Conservancy's draft Implementation Agreement, park development, as well as activation and programming. The Bay Park’s draft Implementation Agreement lays out the management, operating and maintenance responsibilities of the City of Sarasota and The Bay Park Conservancy for the park. From inception, community outreach has been vital to the success of The Bay. Through the inclusive process of community and neighborhood meetings, online and social media updates, park user surveys and hosting of visits to The Bay, the organization's goal is to continuously share park progress and plans with future park goers and locals alike. 

You can read the Implementation Agreement for Phase 1 here as well as check out the Phase 1 Site Recommendation Plan. Visit thebaypark.org for more information.  

In our latest video, we sit down with Chef Ken Lumpkin at Kojo Restaurant to learn how to make one of their signature dishes.

Watch it now!