On August 1st, the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County announced that their executive director, Jim Shirley, will retire at the end of December 2022. Shirley has assumed leadership of the Alliance since first stepping into the role thirteen years ago in 2009. Since then, he has helped spearhead the efforts of the organization responsible for being the chief advocate of all facets in the art community. Although not a native Sarasotan, Shirley’s path to the Arts and Cultural Alliance began out of a need to be more involved in the community.

“It’s kind of an interesting and convoluted story. Although I was involved in the arts as a patron for many years, I have no artistic talent myself. I grew up in a small town in Arkansas, and always envisioned myself as a hometown guy. I always thought that I’d have a job and career doing that, but my career in medical sales took me and my wife all over the country. We first began visiting Sarasota in the early ‘70s and came back for good when our children were in elementary school,” says Shirley.

That stability offered Shirley the rare opportunity to truly involve himself in the community - the way he had always envisioned he would from his time growing up in a small town. “For the first time in my life, my career and my family were in the same area for the foreseeable future - I finally had the opportunity to sink my teeth into something. I told some friends of mine if there’s anything that opens up where my skill set could be applicable, I’d love to give it a shot. Low and behold not long after, the Arts and Cultural Alliance (then called the Arts Council) gave me a call. They said it’s all about the arts but they needed business help,” says Shirley. “What we’ve continued is to serve as the umbrella organization for all of the arts and culture of Sarasota County.” 

Pictured: Jim Shirley. Photo provided by the Arts and Cultural Alliance.

The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County recently announced the launch of a youth poet laureate program for the Culture Coast region. The Sarasota Youth Poet Laureate program aims to identify young writers and leaders who are committed to poetry and performance, civic and community engagement, diversity and social justice across Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto and Charlotte Counties. Applicants should be between the ages of 13 and 19 and must be a resident of Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto or Charlotte County. Along with completion of the application, students are required to submit three original poems, totalling no more than six pages. Finalists will be asked to attend a judging session so that their ability to present their poems effectively (as well as writing good poems) can be assessed. Applications are due no later than Friday, September 30, 2022 at 5:00 PM. A Youth Poetry Laureate Committee made up of professional poets, publishers and spoken word artists with connections to our community will review the 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 inaugural Sarasota Youth Poet Laureate, along with the other finalists will be presented at an award ceremony on Monday, November 7th, 2022 at the Historic Asolo Theatre at The Ringling. To honor this inaugural event and special evening, Ada Limón, Poet Laureate of the United States, will attend as the guest of honor. During her visit, Limón will also visit a school in the region to meet and work with students passionate about the literary arts.

“We are beyond thrilled to have the Poet Laureate of the United States coming to Sarasota to celebrate this program and our students,” Jim Shirley, Executive Director of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County said. “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to meet and work with one of the most successful contemporary poets in the nation. 

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I broke my abstinence of plugging my ears and covering my eyes to political news and took in Andy Borowitz’s (former Harvard Lampoon President and current New Yorker Contributor) Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber. Borowitz’s comically wry and super documented devolution of politicians lured me into both laughing and feeling the urge to cry at what a depressing aftermath we’ve deviated to since the likes of heroes carved into Mount Rushmore.

Borowitz frames his lament into three time stages: Ridicule, Acceptance and Celebration. In the first stage, Reagan and Quayle are a few of the politicians over whom Americans grew appalled. In Acceptance, Clinton’s sax playing, George W.’s chuckling gaffes and Palin's geography blunders lulled Americans into thinking it was beneficial to vote for politicians with whom we could hit the pubs. Currently, many are mixed up in the current sad state of affairs, Borowitz’s Celebration stage, where smart politicians mask their intelligence, pandering to and entering the group fray.

Borowitz’s book thankfully ends with an action plan to help end the Age of Ignorance insisting that political activism (getting active in local level politics and change) is much more sensible that what he calls political hobbyism sitting on the sidelines and commenting on social media thinking you can change minds from the web’s impersonal distance. He is also a fan of my aforementioned avoidance to ‘news’ in favor of attending local governmental meetings.

Profiles in ignorance is available for pre-order at www.sarasotabooks.com or in store upon its publication date of September 13, 2022. ISBN #: 9781668003886

Ring Sarasota is proud to announce its inaugural Fall Handbell Workshop on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at Pine Shores Presbyterian Church, Sarasota, FL. Attendees will join members of Ring Sarasota for three different class sessions, brushing up on handbell techniques and learning ways to improve their skills. Directors are encouraged to take part in a roundtable discussion, focusing on best practices for bell choirs, how to expand your choir membership, and more! Ring Sarasota encourages full choirs to participate, but welcomes all ringers interested in honing their skills. Registration costs $10 per person, but there is a break in price of $80 for choirs/groups with more than eight participants. The Ring Sarasota Fall Workshop is scheduled for 9 am – 12:30 pm on Saturday, October 22, 2022. Registration/check-in starts at 8:30 a.m. Light snacks will be provided. Ringers should bring their own gloves, but no other equipment is necessary. 

For more information, or to register, click here.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announces the extension of the hit Cabaret, The Jersey Tenors – Part II, due to audience demand. Called “One of the best ever at FST” and “Good in so many ways” by the Venice Gondolier-Sun, this energetic music revue highlights The Jersey Tenors’ signature sound, mashing up Rock & Roll hits with opera staples. Featuring such songs as “Killer Queen,” “Eye of the Tiger,” and “’O Sole Mio,” The Jersey Tenors – Part II highlights the quartet’s first-rate vocals, original music arrangements, and crowd-pleasing showmanship. Created and conceived by Brian Noonan, The Jersey Tenors’ latest show will now run in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret through September 18, 2022. Tickets are now on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or 941.366.9000.  The group first appeared at FST during the summer of 2017 and their first show was a hit with audiences and critics, alike. The Jersey Tenors – Part II continues the group’s popularity with reviewers and the public. Due to audience demand, FST is extending the run of The Jersey Tenors – Part II an additional week. The popular Cabaret will now play in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret through September 18, 2022. 

Pictured: Left to Right): Vaden Thurgood, Brandon Lambert, Michael Pilato, and Brian Noonan. Photo by FST.

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Blalock Walters, P.A. is pleased to announce that five attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America® 2023 and two attorneys have been named “Lawyer of the Year.” Mark P. Barnebey received the Best Lawyers in America® 2023 Land Use and Zoning Law “Lawyer of the Year” award in Sarasota metro area. Additionally, Will C. Robinson was named Best Lawyers in America® 2023 Real Estate Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Sarasota metro area. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year," making this accolade particularly significant. Clifford L. Walters, III has been named in the Best Lawyers in America® 2023 list in the field of Real Estate Law; Charles F. Johnson selected in the practice area of Commercial and Litigation – Real Estate and Commercial Litigation; Matthew J. Lapointe was selected for Corporate Law; Fred E. Moore was selected in Commercial Litigation; and Jenifer S. Schembri is being recognized in Tax Law.