Last week on May 12th, the Art Ovation Hotel unveiled two new exhibitions, in both the Overture and Crescendo Gallery spaces. The first exhibition, which shows until November, features works from Stephen P. Goodman, a New England-based artist and graphic designer.

“Stephen’s works are abstract and truly beautiful. They are photography prints on metal--all inspired by landscapes,” says Francine Birbragher, PhD, and Senior Curator of the Art Ovation Hotel.

The other exhibition, featuring works from four separate artists, was the product of a collaboration between Art Ovation Hotel and the Libertine Fine Art Gallery of St. Petersburg.

“Currently, this is the only gallery that we’ve collaborated with--I typically prefer to work with the artists directly. However, because of Libertine’s diverse array of art and the fact that they are based in St. Petersburg, we became interested in working together,” attests Birbragher.

The collaboration features works from four different artists - Christopher (who goes by his first name only), a world-renowned fashion photographer with over forty years of experience; Shane Bowden, an artist who makes prints and paintings inspired by pop culture; Jason Brueck, an artist who creates prints that combine images of past and present, blurring the lines between the real and surreal; and lastly Kate Harrold, another surrealist photographer whose work is inspired by her childhood.

As the Senior Curator, Birbragher collaborates with the hotel’s committee to decide which artists they want to feature. From there, she determines which works will be showcased and where they’re placed. "I also oversee all of the additional materials--additional text, signage, labels, and the digital presence on our website. A lot to be said about how the owners of the hotel support the arts,” Birbragher states.

Art Ovation Hotel, 1255 N Palm Ave, Sarasota, 914-316-0808. 

Pictured: "Greetings from Florida" by artist Jason Brueck. Photo courtesy of the artist.

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The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County and partnering sponsor, Bookstore1Sarasota, will follow the lead of the nation in acknowledging a student who has achieved excellence in poetry, allowing them to be a leader for their community in raising the profile of poetry and developing its audience. The laureateship is an honorary position held by an emerging poet between the ages of 13 and 19 who is a Sarasota county or surrounding county resident with an interest to be involved in the literary arts community, in volunteer and community service, and in clubs, sports, or other co-curricular activities. Each Youth Poet Laureate serves a one-year term of service, during which they promote a wide range of literary arts and participate in ceremonial, educational and cultural activities throughout the region. They represent and celebrate the diversity and history, and vision of the youth for the suncoast region.

The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County will accept submissions from talented Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto and Charlotte County writers to be considered for the area’s top literary honor for youth. Applications for the 2022 - 2023 Sarasota Youth Poet Laureate are due no later than September 30, 2022 by 5:00 PM EST. A Youth Poetry Laureate Committee, which broadly represents the region's literary community, will review submissions and recommend candidates for consideration. The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County will make the final appointment of the Youth Poet Laureate, who earns a $500 stipend and embarks on a year of opportunities as an ambassador for literary arts and youth expression. They also qualify to be selected as the National Youth Poet Laureate. The National Youth Poet Laureate initiative is a program of Urban Word, an award-winning youth literary arts and youth development organization, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. 

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As COVID infections begin to rise on the Suncoast and throughout Florida, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and its community partners have united to ensure those who need it have access to new antiviral treatments available in the community. The Sarasota County COVID Therapy Coalition formed this spring to make the process less confusing for local residents and care providers – and help prevent severe illness and hospitalization among the elderly and other high-risk individuals during this next phase of the pandemic.

"We wanted to break the cycle of panic and complacency that delays care,” said Manuel Gordillo, MD, medical director of SMH Infection Prevention and Control. “We now have effective outpatient treatments, but it’s important that people get prescriptions in a timely manner and start treatment within the first 5 days of symptoms. Knowing if patients qualify for any of these potentially lifesaving interventions and how to access them can be confusing, even for physicians."

The Sarasota County COVID Therapy Coalition has created a webpage (smh.com/treatcovid) with helpful links, treatment guidelines and physician referral information to help people assess their need, determine eligibility and locate available treatments. The coalition is now working to spread the word and ensure a comprehensive referral network for people who are low income, uninsured or do have a local doctor to assess their risks and provide the required prescription for treatment. While vaccination continues to provide the best protection against COVID-19, the oral anti-viral medication Paxlovid is highly effective to help reduce the risk of severe disease and hospitalization in eligible people, and is widely available from Walgreens and CVS pharmacies throughout the region. For higher risk patients who are unable to receive Paxlovid (e.g., due to a significant interaction with another medication), the monoclonal antibody Bebtelovimab is another possible option. There also is an antibody prevention therapy, Evusheld, available for those who are immunocompromised. 

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Resilient Retreat has received the largest-ever single donation: a $3.5 million gift from an anonymous local donor inspired by the organization’s unique approach to address trauma among survivors of abuse and those that experience trauma in the workplace. Made in honor of longtime supporter, James “Jim” Roque, who died September 27, 2021, the gift is spurred by profound concerns over community health in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Additionally, the anonymous donor has offered up to $1 million as a match for monies raised by Resilient Retreat to establish a general endowment fund. The offer is good for one year and is contingent upon completion of fundraising for the Retreat Center. When completed in 2022, the Retreat Center will be able to further expand its capacity to offer healing services to the community, including modalities like neurofeedback, yoga, meditation, massage, time in nature, gardening, and support groups as well as enhancing self-care skills through workshops on healthy cooking, journaling, and other beneficial activities. 

The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board on Monday authorized Sarasota Memorial staff to move forward with construction of a new 7-story Cancer Pavilion on Waldemere Street. Preliminary plans also call for an adjacent parking garage and skybridge connecting the pavilion to the oncology tower SMH opened on its Sarasota campus last November. The pavilion will be the third in a series of premier facilities that are part of the health system’s expanding Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute. Responding to the rising number of local cancer cases and the complexity of modern cancer care delivery, the health system launched its comprehensive cancer program in 2018 to give cancer patients, caregivers and medical providers access to the latest treatments, technologies, clinical trials and supportive care in their own community. Site work on the $220 million Cancer Pavilion is slated to begin later this year, pending regulatory permits and approvals. Conceptual plans feature a 7-story, 200,000-square-foot facility on the north side of Waldemere Street, steps away from the Jellison Cancer Institute Oncology Tower. To make room for the pavilion and parking garage with about 700 spaces, SMH plans to demolish the existing Cape Outpatient Surgery Center and smaller SMH-owned building on the southwest corner of Floyd Street and U.S 41. As part of a planned, phased approach with the recent opening of the Oncology Tower, SMH will temporarily transition outpatient surgeries currently being performed at the Cape to existing operating rooms in the hospital during construction. Outpatient surgeries will resume in the Cancer Pavilion once operational. SMH selected EYP Architects and Turner Construction/J2 Solutions to design and build the new facility. When complete, the pavilion will house a new breast health center, outpatient surgery suites, radiation oncology, infusion services, diagnostic imaging, and integrative and supportive care. The Cancer Pavilion also will be home to medical, surgical and radiation oncology physician clinics, said medical oncologist Richard Brown, MD, who serves as the Institute's chief program medical director and oversees a team of more than 90 specialists caring for local cancer patients. 

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) named Jennifer Jaso, a sixth-grade teacher at Sarasota Middle School in Sarasota County, as a finalist for the 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year award. The announcement came during a surprise visit to Sarasota Middle School, with Deputy Chancellor for Educator Quality Dr. Paul Burns imparting the honor. The Florida Teacher of the Year program recognizes excellence in teaching and celebrates outstanding professional educators in schools across the state. The 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year winner will be announced on July 14 in Orlando.

Jennifer Jaso is a social studies teacher who is highly regarded for her ability to build relationships with students and work with them to develop critical thinking skills amid content knowledge. She holds several leadership roles, including department chair, professional learning community leader and History Day coordinator. Dr. Jaso is a long-standing presenter at the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference and the Florida Council for the Social Studies Conference. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Florida State University, as well as a Doctor of Education from Argosy University. Five finalists were chosen for 2023 Teacher of the Year from nearly 185,000 public school teachers throughout the state. After each school district selects its teacher of the year, a selection committee representing teachers, principals, parents and the business community reviews each district application on the basis of outstanding ability to teach and communicate knowledge of the subject taught, professional development, philosophy of teaching, and outstanding school and community service. The winner will serve for one year as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education.