At last Thursday’s 10x10 Series, presented by Halflants and Pichette Architects, speakers from various local circles shared compelling stories about their work and lives. During the event, ten speakers, each an expert in their field, are challenged to create a ten-slide presentation, with only 30 seconds to speak about each slide. While the presenters work in a vast array of areas, from commercial real estate to painting, their talks all shared some element of what inspires them.

For some presenters, like Ian Black, founder of Ian Black Real Estate, travel and time spent with family drive him forward. He spoke about his childhood in Ireland, his fascination with the countries of Israel and Panama and his love for his wife. “What keeps me going are our two daughters and three wonderful grandchildren. We live our lives vicariously through them. They keep us going and we love them,” he said.

Other speakers, like creative director and educator Amanda Elsbree, discussed the ways that fashion, dance and design move her, displaying images of vintage clothing and connecting them to costumes worn to this day during ballet performances. Artist Tim Jaeger offered the audience a glimpse into his process of turning beach observations into vibrant paintings of people floating on inner tubes by the shore. “I started flying drones over our beaches about 10 years ago, looking at how people arranged themselves there and embracing the rich colors that are all around us, which evolved into different paintings,” adds Jaeger. “I got into texture. With artificial intelligence and everything that’s around us now, I wanted to create something with a surface. While technology is constantly in our faces, you can never fall out of love with a real painting.”

Although each speaker’s relationship with their own sources of inspiration remains an intimate experience, their presentations illustrate their enthusiasm for sharing that spark of an idea with the rest of the world. Senior Planner and Public Art Manager for the city of Sarasota Mary Davis Wallace delved into the importance of public art for all people. “Public art planning is the intersection of planning and placemaking. We try to create beautiful spaces and utilize public art in different ways and stages,” she says. From an image of a giant smiley face squished into an alley to a cloudlike fountain in a park, she examined how this kind of art impacts communities. “Public art is always one of the best places to intervene in a person’s day-to-day life,” adds Wallace, eager to pass the inspirational baton on to the community and mirror the goals of the 10x10 to bring everyone together.

The 10x10 Series will return on May 25th for the first time in Tampa. The next Sarasota event will occur this fall. For more information, visit 10slides10speakers.com. 

Mary Davis Wallace speaks about public art at the April 10x10 Series. Photo by Nicholas Ferris.

Children got a chance to go behind the scenes at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital as part of Take Your Child to Work day. They came to work with mom and dad and got to tour the emergency room, try out surgical instruments and see what happens in radiology. The goal is to help children learn more about what their parents do when they are away from home and inspire the next generation to pursue careers in healthcare. The children started the day in human resources and had their photos taken. They were given official name badges and after a hospital tour and some hands on T-L-C lessons for their teddy bears, they joined their parents for lunch in the hospital cafeteria. 

With college acceptance letters now going out to high school seniors, students are experiencing the joy or the disappointment of getting into the school of their dreams or evaluating what comes next. For many who had their hearts set on a four-year university, now will be a time of confusion, stress and reflection, as major life decisions need to be made fast. If they don’t want to take a “gap year” or go to a community college, there is now a powerful and impactful new path to reaching the school and ultimately the job of their dreams – ENTITY Academy (EntityAcademy.com) ENTITY Academy is dedicated to closing the gender pay gap by training, mentoring and placing women in 21st century careers. They plan to upskill/mentor/provide career placement opps to over 1M women by 2025 and it is a perfect solution for those that might not have been accepted to their college choice or who may not be able to afford a four-year school at this time. An eight-month program at ENTITY can prepare female students for a high-tech career, while giving their college resume a major boost, as they can seek to re-apply for admissions in the future. The skills and education provided by ENTITY will give students an advantage compared to their counterparts while separating them from the pack for those making the college admission decisions. It’s a great solution that helps turn a challenging situation into a positive while providing graduating seniors with a new option for their educational future. The online and in-house programs at ENTITY offer real-world work experience (no fetching coffee here); top-notch curricula; soft skills workshops in resilience, leadership, and communication; and, of course, world-class mentors. At ENTITY, students have the unique opportunity to explore their creative passions while learning from successful women. A college rejection letter does not have to mean the end of the road for a dream. With ENTITY Academy an impactful education experience can still be the next step and set students on the road to success. 

To learn more click here.

Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation's Artist-in-Residence program brings nationally recognized artists to the Gulf Coast Region to engage in artistic exploration of a community need.

Our 2023 Artist-in-Residence was Adrian Anantawan, a renowned violinist with a limb disability who joined us for a week-long residency to explore access to the arts and what it looks like in our community. 

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With the Sarasota County school year coming to an end, Barancik Foundation is inviting educators to make time this summer to design fellowships that help renew and reinvigorate their love of the profession. Beginning May 1, eligible educators can apply for up to $12,000 through the foundation’s TIME Fellowship initiative. Launched in 2022, the Time to Inspire Margie’s Educators (TIME) Fellowship was developed in honor of Margie Barancik, a former educator who understood the impact of having a motivated, highly effective teacher in the classroom. To celebrate her commitment to education, 25 educators are awarded the unique opportunity to develop fellowships that provide personal or professional renewal, directly impacting Sarasota County’s classrooms each year. To date, 50 local educators have received funding to support childhood dreams and bucket list experiences, from African safaris to European adventures, diving the Great Barrier Reef, and exploring the city streets of New York. Each fellowship expands the educator’s experiences funneling inspiration to Sarasota County students. Sarasota County educators who lead and/or teach in traditional public schools, not including private, charter, or virtual schools, are invited to apply. This includes teachers of record (licensed teachers assigned the lead responsibility for full-time instruction and grade assignment in classrooms), assistant principals, and principals. To learn more about qualifications, the fellowship timeline, and application process, visit barancikfoundation.org/TIME. 

New College of Florida has received a record level of funding in the Florida Legislature’s 2023-24 General Appropriations Act (GAA), bringing the total new funding received in the last 90 days to $50 million. In total, in the GAA, New College received $10 million in additional recurring funding, $15 million in nonrecurring funding, $5.8 million for renovations to the Hamilton Classroom Building Remodeling, $3.5 million in renovations for the Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center. This is in addition to the $15 million in funding authorized by the legislative budget commission previously, bringing the total funding in 90 days to nearly $50 million.
Founded in Sarasota in 1960, New College of Florida was named the No. 5 Public National Liberal Arts College from U.S. News & World Report in 2023 and is the Honors College of Florida. New College provides students with a highly individualized education that combines academic excellence with career preparation experiences. New College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors in arts, humanities and sciences; a master’s degree program in applied data science; and certificates in technology, finance, and business skills. 

Sarah Wertheimer, the executive director of Embracing Our Differences (EOD), recently announced that a $5,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch provided vital resources for 1,000 area students to participate in EOD’s field trip program. This initiative underwrites bus transportation and docent-led tours for thousands of students and teachers to visit EOD’s annual outdoor exhibit. This year, to celebrate EOD’s 20th anniversary, the organization presented two exhibits—one in Sarasota’s Bayfront Park (January 18-March 12) and the second in North Port’s Butler Park (March 22-April 19). In all, more than 15,500 students participated in the field trip program. EOD’s annual outdoor exhibits are the heart of a year-round program of activities designed to use art as a catalyst to create awareness and promote respect, kindness, and belonging. 

Turning 25 | Mark Famiglio, and the untold story (until now!) of the Sarasota Film Festival, May/June 2023. 

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