Head down Fruitville, away from downtown and out past the fairgrounds, to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota and its Lexow Wing Gallery, where, if you’ve made an appointment, they’ll open the doors instead of throwing you out and you’ll find yourself surrounded by 17 not-small and definitely colorful portraits of the iconic Mexican artist-activist Frida Kahlo. Painted by Sarasota artist Beck Lane, the exhibition represents only a portion of Lane’s ongoing “55 Frida Project,” seeing the artist paint 55 portraits of Kahlo in homage to the 55 self-portraits Kahlo made over the course of her career.

“She knew her value in this world when no one else recognized it,” Lane says. “I want people to see that.”

Not simple recreations of Kahlo’s original self-portraits, each of Lane’s paintings comes from an archival black-and-white photograph of Kahlo. It’s a method that Lane has used for many of her projects, having a lifelong love for black-and-white photography and a little bit of the opposite for the full-color version. “They have more soul,” she says. “And the color seems to take out that connection I feel.” It’s a  eeling she describes as first a strange sound in her head and then a jolt down her spine and into her hands. A feeling that says, “It’s time to paint the donuts.” Or something like that.

With an image selected, Lane begins each portrait by first chalking in the figure and the basic shapes, then adding the first layer of color with aerosol—spray-paint and stencils—to enhance outlines and build the palette. Then comes the oil paint. And it’s here that, again, Lane makes a defense of her monochromatic source material. “If I had a color photograph in front of me,” she says, “it would be telling me what to do. That takes all the fun and exploration and adventure out of the painting.” Mixing the oils with mineral spirits or a gel medium, Lane can control the viscosity and, in doing so, determine how much of the underlying aerosol shines through, creating a sort of glow. It’s an effect the artist has enjoyed exploring and employing, but never on Kahlo’s face or eyes, where she wants audiences to see the subject’s power absent any such trickery.

Because although Lane does not pretend to any special connection to Kahlo’s art or her activism, she can’t help but be moved by the eyes of a woman who was dismissed her entire life but kept fighting. “Here’s a woman who could have been utterly and completely crushed by life,” Lane says. “And I want people to see themselves in her and feel lifted and like they can keep fighting.”

Currently on display at the Lexow Gallery at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, The 55 Frida Project runs through July 14. The gallery is open Sunday, 10am-1pm, and Tuesday through Friday by appointment. An artists reception will be held tonight from 5pm to 7pm.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota. 

Pictured: Beck Lane with three of her portraits of Frida Kahlo.

“Here at The Ringling, we have a performing arts series with contemporary, multidisciplinary events from August till April, excluding the summer months so that we can reserve the theater for the circus, allowing this to be the main focus of our performance programming this summer,” says Elizabeth Doud. “We try not to have more than this event happening in the summer because one, it’s a really important time off for families, students and other camp groups and two, it provides the circus to perform indoors when it’s too hot to perform outdoors in the tent."

Doud, The Ringling’s Connie-Kuhlman curator of performance, is talking about the Summer Circus Spectacular, a long-standing collaboration between the Circus Arts Conservatory and The Ringling. The one-hour show runs twice a day from June 9 through August 12 at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater. The show will feature performances from some of the world’s most entertaining acts, including the master of ceremonies, Heidi Harriot, a third-generation circus performer and The Alexis Brothers, a hand-balancing duo who have performed together for more than 40 years. Other acts include Garret Allen, on the aerial rope, Tersit Asefa Dersu, a bounce juggler from Ethiopia and the clowning act, Dick Monday & Slappy.

“We have a lot of different kinds of tourism passing through the museum, which is great because we can offer a live circus experience right inside the museum,” says Doud. “This show is the product of an ongoing relationship that we’ve had with the Circus Arts Conservatory for years and we’re really excited to be able to have it again this summer.”

Summer Circus Spectacular, Tuesday to Friday at 11am and 2pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 5pm, The Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota. 

Pictured: The Alexis Brothers will astound audiences with their feats of strength, balance and beauty. Photo by Cliff Roles.

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Told from the point of view of the ghost of Niki Armaos, this epic historical WWII fiction is set in Greece starting with the life of her socialist father, Antonis Armaos. What unfolds is a stoically resilient journey reminding me of Wei Wei’s memoir 1000 Years of Years of Joys and Sorrows.

If you know about Greek culture and its people, you know how passionate they live their lives and the lengths they are willing to go to fight for both country and family. Chomenidis captures the feeling of fear and moral conviction through beautifully drawn complex characters.

In Niki’s (which means Victory in Greek) case, this meant eight years of cloistered hiding while her father was wanted for treason. Chomenidis’ rifles his protagonist’s story with vigor and I found myself unable to stop reading this 450 plus page Prix Du Livre Européen Winning novel. In isolation, her father homeschools her with strict goals to become multilingual and culturally sophisticated.

As her family resumes normal life after government exoneration, Niki’s life blooms into a coming of age discovery with the pleasures and pitfalls of dating as she waitresses at a high end restaurant. I’ll leave the rest of the story for the reader, but let me just say I haven’t read a book with such specificity in regards to food and relationships in quite some time. Niki becomes not only a character, but a friend.

Niki by Christos Chomenidis Publication Date: June 13, 2023 ISBN 97816354211972. 

Running June 30 to July 2, join the Teen Summer Bootcamp actors as they swim through the ocean in Disney’s Finding Nemo Jr., the musical adaptation of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo. With new music by award-winning songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez we follow Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, who lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. With the help of lovable characters such as optimistic Dory, laid-back sea turtle Crush, and the supportive Tank Gang, Marlin and Nemo both overcome challenges on their journey to find each other and themselves. This is the first production directed by brand-new Director of Education, Thayer Greenberg! Dates and times for performances are: June 30 – July 1, 2023 at 7pm; July 2 at 2pm.

3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130, Sarasota. Please enter the mall by Connor’s Steak & Seafood. 

For ticket information click here

The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (SPAA) is launching a series of self-guided public tours of murals across the city to promote its new community art and wellness initiative, Murals in Mind. The tours kick off with Pride in the Arts, a suggested tour of a selection of SHINE murals and accompanying recorded performances and stories that promote community inclusiveness. Tour participants are invited to visit each public mural and scan a PixelStix marker with any smartphone to view recordings by community artists. “The Murals in Mind initiative is designed to provide unrestricted public access to art accompanied by recorded performances focused on community wellness, beauty, and inclusion. These murals are meant to offer an experience that leaves the participant feeling inspired, uplifted and hopeful. While this is not a replacement for therapy, it is therapeutic in nature and thoughtfully delivered by performing artists that match the inspired images by the muralists themselves,” says Terry Marks, SPAA CEO. The SPAA Pride in the Arts tour includes a visit to four must-see St. Petersburg murals, starting with Nowness is the Portal at 3000 Central Ave. and Pride & Love at 2437 Central Ave., continuing to Rooted in Community at 1000 3rd St. S. and culminating with Love Shines at 330 Beach Dr. NE along the 2023 Pride Parade route. Recorded performances and stories are accessed on any smartphone.  Murals in Mind shifts negative perceptions and offers hope and help for day-to-day living. This 24/7 accessible gallery is a public and daily reminder that there is hope, help, and resources to provide a shift in thinking, feeling and action.  

To learn more, visit

Artists Helping Artists | Creative Liberties open their third artists' studio gallery space at Gaze Gallery, May/June 2023. 

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