SRQ DAILY May 19, 2023
Friday Weekend Edition
"I think we often recognize young people for athletic and academic achievements, but we can forget to recognize their artistic and creative achievements."
Traci Kegerreis didn’t set out to sculpt the entire world, but, when you’re an artist, these things tend to happen. And what began last year as a single abstract piece commemorating the four basic ‘spheres’ of the Earth—atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (rock) and biosphere (life)—has now evolved into a full-fledged 17-part series of sculptural works exploring the varied and increasingly esoteric subsystems that comprise our physical world. Entitled Earth: The 17 Spheres, the collection will be on display next week at Art Ovation Hotel, where the artist will be in residence May 23-28, with an artist’s reception May 26 at 6pm.
Working with found objects, Kegerreis’ process begins where another’s has ended. “When we came to Sarasota, we realized how much stuff people just throw away,” she says. Married to a finish carpenter, it didn’t take long for the pair to start revamping furniture on the side. And as a result, Kegerreis soon found herself surrounded by all the leftover pieces and parts of past projects. And these became her medium, the artist-as-Frankenstein stapling life together from abandoned scraps with creative electricity.
For her first full show, Earth: The 17 Spheres, Kegerreis casts a wider, more eccentric net in her found objects, creating her assemblages from mosaic tile and glass, vintage tabletops and trays, bent and painted kitchen utensils, magazines, original photography, twigs, bugs, ceramic doll parts and even odd bits of metal found on the ground. (“My studio is a disaster,” she says.) Kegerreis explores artistic representation of the magnetosphere, protecting the planet’s life from solar radiation, and the asthenosphere, the plasticky substance that the Earth’s crust floats on, enabling continental drift and plate tectonics. “And it’s weird how different each piece started to become,” she says. “But with assembly, you can do anything you want.” And so Kegerreis creates the cryosphere as a series of watercolors under glass and the troposphere as an installation in an antique cabinet, because when the medium is whatever you want it to be, the rules tend to behave in much the same way.
Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to watch the artist at work, as Kegerreis will be creating new assemblages live in the artist’s nook at Art Ovation, every day from 4pm to 8pm, using discarded fencing and old cabinet doors as her canvas. Those feeling bold can even join in the fun, as Kegerreis invites all to not only try their hand at helping her create a new piece, but even to bring their own found objects to contribute. “As long as they’re not too big,” she says. And at the end of the week, the artist will take the collaborative piece back to her studio for touch-ups and refinement, before raffling it off. But even if they don’t take home a new piece of art, Kegerreis hopes visitors leave the exhibition with a new appreciation not just for this weird little planet, but the curiosity to explore a little more.
“I’ve never been really science-y,” says Kegerreis, “but I learned how much there is to learn, even at 53. “And if you can learn and do art at the same time, that’s everything.”
Earth: 17 Spheres will be on display at Art Ovation Hotel from May 23 to May 28, with an artist reception May 26 at 6pm. 
Pictured: The 17 Spheres, the collection will be on display next week at Art Ovation Hotel. Photo courtesy of Traci Kegerreis.
“I think we often recognize young people for athletic and academic achievements, but we can forget to recognize their artistic and creative achievements,” says Caroline Saldivar, the Director of Children’s Theatre at Florida Studio Theatre. “Playwriting is a form of creativity that’s different from being a visual artist or being on the stage, it’s something that happens in your mind that you record on the page.”
This weekend FST is celebrating the creativity of young playwrights with their Young Playwrights Festival Day, the annual culmination of FST’s Write A Play program. Write A Play, which FST launched in 1991, is a year-round arts-in-education initiative designed to foster creativity in students by teaching them how to write their very own play. “The Write A Play program starts in the fall and takes place over the entire school year,” says Saldivar. “Children either come to FST or have a touring show of ours come to their schools, where they will see a production of what we call an ‘example play’—this year it was Charlotte’s Web and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Our playmakers tour had actors go to school all throughout Florida and even to Memphis, Tennessee. After that, those same actors will go into classrooms and teach an introduction to playwriting for kindergarten through 6th grade. The students start by writing a group play and then progress to working with their teacher to write their own personal play.”
This year, FST’s Write A Play program received over 4,200 submissions from student playwrights located all over the map, from FLorida to upstate New York and even Israel. At the Young Playwrights Festival Day, participating students, teachers, and their families can come to FST to see live performances of this year’s winning plays. “This year’s compilation is titled The Last Acorn & Other Winning Plays. We’ll have live performances of the winning plays in addition to a bid reception for these winning playwrights,” says Saldivar. “It’s kind of like a gala for eight-year-olds. We really think of our young playwrights as some of the most important people in the community right now. They are creatives that are creating right now and we want to celebrate them and make them feel special.”
1241 North Palm Avenue, Sarasota.
Pictured: 2022 Young Playwrights Festival Day. Photo courtesy of FST.
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to announce the long-awaited return of the annual Sarasota Improv Festival, the premier Festival of its kind in the Southeastern United States. Founded by Rebecca Hopkins in 2009, the Sarasota Improv Festival has become a destination event, drawing thousands of people from across the state of Florida and beyond. After a three-year hiatus due to COVID, the Festival is back for its 13th year and will feature over 20 of the top improv troupes from across the country and as far as Canada and the United Kingdom. The 13th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival will be held on FST’s downtown Sarasota campus Thursday, July 20, through Saturday, July 22, 2023. Headlining the 13th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival is MC Hammersmith, a multi award-winning hip hop improviser and comedian from the United Kingdom. A full Festival schedule is included in the attached press release, which is also copied below my signature.
Wellen Park invites the community to an evening of illumination and music Friday, May 26, in Downtown Wellen. The Luminescence Festival, from 6 to 10 p.m., marks the beginning of the Memorial Day holiday weekend with a moment of reflection as hundreds of glowing luminaries light up nearly 3 miles of shoreline along the Grand Lake. The festival also celebrates the 80-acre lake’s ceremonial opening and includes signature jazz performed by Orlando-based Eighth Note Collective on the Solis Hall outdoor stage and a table-decorating contest as part of exclusive VIP experiences. Guests must register in advance to receive a lantern bag, marker, tealight and sand. Luminaries will be available for pick up from 6 to 7 p.m. on May 26 in Downtown Wellen during the event. The festival begins at 6 p.m. with music by Eighth Note Collective, known for its dynamic twist on classical jazz. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs for general admission seating.Luminaries will be placed around the Grand Lake at sundown, along with a special lighted boat parade presented by the Venice Youth Boating Association. A magical display of projection art and live music will take place from 8:45 to 10 p.m. The Luminescence Festival’s VIP experience, available for reserved tables of two, four and eight, features a premium location on the event lawn and a chef-prepared picnic basket and wine from The Banyan House restaurant. VIP guests receive stemware, linens, plates, cutlery and a luminary and are encouraged to bring decorative items to design the ultimate tablescape. An undercover and incognito local design professional will judge tables based on overall design and creativity. The grand prize-winning table receives a $250 gift card to The Banyan House and a case of wine. Three runners-up win $100 gift cards to The Banyan House and a bottle of wine. Picnic basket pick-up and table decorating begin at 5 p.m. at Solis Hall. For general admission tickets, visit wellenpark.com/events/luminescence-festival-general-admission. For VIP experience tickets, visit wellenpark.com/events/luminescense.
PIctured: Wellen Park’s Luminescence Festival marks the beginning of the Memorial Day holiday weekend with a moment of reflection as hundreds of glowing luminaries light up nearly 3 miles of shoreline along the Grand Lake.
For the past 18 years, Choral Artists of Sarasota has celebrated America’s freedom and independence with a July 4th concert of rousing, patriotic songs. According to Joseph Holt, the artistic director and conductor of Choral Artists of Sarasota, this may be area audiences’ final opportunity to experience the group’s beloved Independence Day concert. Why close the curtain on this crowd-pleasing annual concert? According to Holt, it’s definitely not a question of public appeal. He notes that these Independence Day concerts became so popular, Choral Artists had to move them to the Sarasota Opera House in 2019.
Art Center Sarasota’s 2023 exhibition season continues with its annual regional exhibit, the largest juried exhibition of the year. “Identity: Exploring the Human Condition,” highlights the diverse talents of artists from across the southeast region of the United States and will be on display in all four gallery spaces. On view from June 1-August 5, the opening reception is Thursday, June 1, 6-8 p.m. The juror is Christy Paris, an art professor and PhD candidate in the College of Education at the University of South Florida. A “Juror’s Critique,” with Paris, will take place on Tuesday, June 6. Art Center Sarasota is located at 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For information, visit www.artsarasota.org or call 941-365-2032.
Pictured: First Place: “Southgate” by Karla Pirona. From the 2022 regional exhibit at Art Center Sarasota. Photo courtesy of Art Center Sarasota.
Asolo Repertory Theatre’s new work development program, Ground Floor, will present a free staged reading of the play, Dancing in the Blue Light, conceived by Tomé Cousin and
Monteze Freeland and written by Monteze Freeland on Monday, May 26, at 2:00 p.m., in the Asolo Rep Rehearsal Hall. In this sexy, sultry play with music and dance, Cousin and Freeland capture the beating heart of a moment in time that needs to be remembered. As the records spin in an underground club in 1960s Baltimore, a close-knit group of Black, same-gender-loving men and women meet once a week to drink, flirt and dance. In this small bubble, they are seemingly free of the pressures of the larger world, but past and present traumas haunt them, limiting their abilities to truly connect. With the streets above becoming increasingly unsafe, this small community must decide how far they will go to ensure their own survival. Cousin, who will direct the reading, is a renowned director, choreographer and author who has won numerous awards and commissions for his work in musical theater, ballet, film and art installations. He has received recognition from organizations such as the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The writer of the play, Freeland, is a Baltimore-based multidisciplinary artist who excels in acting, directing,writing, producing and teaching. He is the current Co-Artistic Director of City Theatre Company, was named Person of the Year for Theatre in 2021 by City Paper and Performer of the Year in 2017 by the Post-Gazette. Freeland’s directing credits include various productions at City Theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Prime Stage Theater, CLO Summer Academy and Pittsburgh Public Theater. This reading is the second event in Ground Floor’s new Muriel O’Neil American Heritage Commission Series, which is set to commission three plays by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) playwrights and directors over the next three years, made possible by a generous $75,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. A staged reading of Dancing in the Blue Light will be presented in the Asolo Rep Rehearsal Hall on Monday, May 26 at 2:00 p.m. This performance is free.
Music Director Jeffrey Kahane has woven together a very special theme for this year’s Sarasota Music Festival: the power of storytelling through music. "One of the most fascinating aspects of music history is that music eventually developed into a language with the capacity to tell stories and evoke images without using words," Jeffrey explains. What types of stories can you expect to encounter this June? The following is an enticing glance at the marvels to come, curated by our innovative Music Director: Centuries before stories and poems were first set down in writing, the sister arts of music and storytelling were inextricably linked, filling a deep human need for words to be illuminated, enriched and enhanced by musical sounds; During our opening week, Vivaldi’s Summer (from The Four Seasons) and Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony will vividly depict country life, the beauty and terror of nature, and humanity’s interaction with it. Valerie Coleman’s Rubispheres, by way of contrast, will take you into the heart of urban life with its vibrant portrayal of Manhattan’s cityscape; Respighi’s enchanting Botticelli Triptych brings to life three iconic paintings by one of the greatest painters of the Renaissance. The gifted young American composer Emily Cooley’s Argo evokes the mythical ship of the Argonauts in a gloriously lush orchestral tapestry; Among the greatest of all instances of a literary masterpiece inspiring a musical one is Mendelssohn’s sublime incidental music for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which depicts the enchanted forest world of the fairies and the humans whose lives become intertwined with them. Explore these and other wonders of the chamber and orchestral repertoire at the Sarasota Music Festival from June 5-24.
Sea + Sun | Let the good times roll with summer staples, May/June 2023.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ 2023 Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature showcases the creativity and innovation of American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933). The first exhibition of its type to be presented in a botanical garden, the exhibition highlights the inspiring connection between Tiffany Studios and the natural world through unique horticultural displays in the Tropical Conservatory and the Gardens, accompanied by seminal examples of Tiffany’s work on view in the Museum of Botany and the Arts. To learn more, visit selby.org. Selby Gardens Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota.
Florida Studio Theatre presents the original music revue, Reel Music, celebrating the movies that helped create the soundtrack to the last century. Featuring classics like “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Circle of Life,” and “My Heart Will Go On,” this new Cabaret traces how films—and the music highlighted in them—have evolved over the past one hundred years. Created by Richard Hopkins, Rebecca Hopkins, and Sarah Durham with musical arrangements by Jim Prosser, Reel Music begins playing February 15, 2023, in FST’s Court Cabaret. Single tickets for Reel Music
range between $18-39 and are now on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or at 941.366.9000.
This monthly gathering of car enthusiasts brings together automobile lovers from every walk of life, not to mention a wide array of spectacular cars. Bring your own vehicle (all makes and models are welcome) to show off, or check out the hundreds of cars on display. Each month, the event sponsors a different charity, and attendees are encouraged to donate $10 to benefit the charity. The event, occuring on the second Sunday of each month, will feature live music, complimentary coffee and more. To learn more, visit facebook.com/carsandcoffee941. Sarasota Cars and Coffee, The West District at University Town Center near Ford’s Garage, 295 N. Cattlemen Rd., Sarasota.
EHS Recruiting Company, a leading provider of staffing solutions for the hospitality industry, has released a cookbook, Cooking With Friends, An EHS Culinary Adventure. Each recipe in the book is accompanied by a story about the career and personal journey of each chef, offering readers a unique and personal look at the culinary industry. The book includes a range of dishes, from classic comfort food to contemporary cuisine, and showcases the diverse flavors and cultures that make up the American culinary landscape. The cookbook features recipes from James Beard Award-winning chefs Rick Tramonto and Nicola Zanghi and local chefs Greg Campell, Steven Phelps, and Jeremy Thayer. TV culinary stars also contributed several signature dishes to the book. Local and national chefs will be present at the cookbook signing on Sunday, May 21. Daiquiri Deck, St. Armand’s Circle, 325 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, ehsrecruitingcompany.com.
The Ringling presents a solo exhibition of works by Lorna Bieber in May that includes two new pieces making their debut in the Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art. Her artwork first and foremost encourages us to indulge in the pleasures of looking and discovering anew the details of the visual world. Her artistic practice is grounded in appropriating, recycling, and manipulating imagery. The work reminds us of the image world that inundates our daily existence. Our experience of reality is mediated through a barrage of photographic digital images that supplants our connection to the natural world. Yet, Bieber is less interested in a critique of this condition than she is in offering her work as an antidote, a way to inspire viewers and reconnect with our shared sense of wonder. Included with museum admission. The Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, ringling.org.
It is common to see orchids grown in pots but did you know that most of them grow on trees in nature? The roots of an orchid wrap around or adhere to the bark without actually penetrating it. Unlike parasites, orchids do not take any nutrients from their host plant. Most orchids are epiphytes, which derive nutrients from the air, rain, water, or debris and only use other plants, like trees, as an anchor. With some initial support, mounting an orchid to your tree or a wooden plank can be a fun, easy process. For a hands-on workshop, join UF IFAS Extensions Manatee County on Saturday, May 20 for Orchid Mounting, Make and Take Workshop. Learn how to properly mount an orchid, care for it after, and take home your own orchid and wooden plank for $25. Register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/608684601027.
Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is delighted to announce two upcoming events at their forever-protected Myakka Headwaters Preserve, an Artists Day on Friday, May 19, and a morning of education and exploration on Saturday, May 20. The self-guided Artists Day takes place from 7 am to 12 pm. Participants will be provided a trail map upon entry and need to bring their own supplies for the medium of their choice. The May 20 event takes place from 9 am to 12 pm and will include guided preserve tours and lunch on the land. Conservation Foundation representatives will be onsite during both events to answer questions about the property and the vital work of the organization. Experience this stunning landscape firsthand on May 19 and 20. Both events are free and open to the public though registration is required. To learn more and sign up, visit conservationfoundation.com/events. Myakka Headwaters Preserve, Myakka Headwaters Preserve, 9600 Wauchula Rd., Myakka City.
Students from 18 elementary, 7 middle and 6 high schools throughout Sarasota County will show off their creative talents at the North County K through 12 Spring Art Show, May 9 through 20, at Art Center Sarasota. The North County Art show is presented in conjunction with the South County Art Show at the Venice Art Center from May 2 through 11 to comprise the Sarasota County Schools’ Spring Art Show, serving all the county’s public schools. On Tuesday, May 16 and Thursday, May 18, Art Center Sarasota will stay open until 7 pm to give families an opportunity to view the exhibition. Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For information, visit www.artsarasota.org or call 941-365-2032.
SHE ENGINEERS is a bilingual (English and Spanish) poster exhibition highlighting eight women in various engineering fields. In their own words, the women share their passion and what inspired them to become engineers. If we support a woman in STEM, then she can change the world.
Join Sarasota Art Museum for Jazz Thursdays featuring live jazz music, contemporary art, and sips and bites from Bistro. Hosted by the Jazz Club of Sarasota. Jazz Thursday happens on the second Thursday of each month, 5:30-8 p.m. Galleries, Bistro, and SHOP open. FREE for Members, $20 for Not-Yet Members.
Reclaiming Home, Contemporary Seminole Art group exhibition will mark The Ringling’s first presentation of contemporary art by Native American artists with ancestral, historical, and present-day connections to Florida. An imperative step toward establishing a meaningful relationship with the Native American artistic community, Reclaiming Home will highlight the breadth and depth of the artwork by Seminole, Miccosukee, and mixed-heritage artists from Florida with the important work by internationally-recognized artists. The exhibition will expand the conceptual framework of Native American art made in Florida today and provide a fuller understanding of the complexities of issues within the art of the Seminole diaspora. Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, ringling.org.
Florida Studio Theatre is proud to present the world premiere of Visit Joe Whitefeather (and bring the family!) by award-winning playwright Bruce Graham. It’s the 1970s in Beaver Gap, Pennsylvania, a small town with a problem. Tourism has declined and it doesn’t look like there is any hope on the horizon. When a new resident joins forces with the bewildered city council, they devise a plan to rename the town to honor a dead, Native American war hero who had never visited the town before. It’s a plan so wild and insane that it just might work. Tickets range from $25-39 and are now on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or at 941.366.9000. FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 1st St., Sarasota.
Eco Engineers are plants and animals that profoundly impact their ecosystem. Through their presence or behavior, eco engineers create microhabitats, or unique areas within an ecosystem. Other species have taken notice of these microhabitats and decided to move in! In this exhibition, explore nine of Florida’s eco engineers and discover why our landscape wouldn’t be the same without them. Eco Engineers is a bilingual (English and Spanish) special exhibition created by our own Museum curators. Included with museum admission. The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton, bishopscience.org.
Joseph’s Coat: Skyspace by James Turrell (2011) is a triumph of technology, engineering, and aesthetics. The Skyspace, created by internationally-renowned artist James Turrell, is a gathering place for contemplation and offers a unique 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 we view the sky through the 24-foot aperture in the ceiling, affecting our perception of the natural environment and the surroundings. As we gaze up at the sky we are invited to contemplate light, perception, and experience. Tickets are $10 and are free for members. Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, ringling.org.
With the Major League Baseball season now underway, the Orioles’ year-round baseball operations continue in Sarasota with Extended Spring Training. The public is invited to watch Orioles minor league players in action at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in April, May, and June. Baltimore’s farm system is currently rated as the top player development system in baseball, according to Baseball America, ESPN, and MLB Pipeline. Visit orioles.com/sarasota to learn more.
Madeby Gallery invites you to the Disney Artist and Ringling College Alumnus Tim Rogerson Show now through May 26. Over 50 of Tim’s original paintings, giclee on canvas, and lithograph prints are for sale. Many have been personalized on the back by Tim, which brings added value to the Disney piece. Don't miss this rare opportunity to add to your Disney collection. Tim Rogerson is a Disney Fine Artist and Ringling College Alumnus. He is one of only a select group of artists allowed to recreate iconic Disney characters and scenes. Visit madebygallery.com to learn more. Madeby Gallery, 2700 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
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