When Skyway 2024: A Contemporary Collaboration opens in museums across the region this summer, it will be with the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design as the latest institution to join the initiative.

Begun in 2017, Skyway unites area museums every three years for a collaborative exhibition—held simultaneously across all participating museums—highlighting the working artists of the region who give the Cultural Coast its name. The Sarasota Art Museum brings the number of participating museums to five, joining the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the Tampa Museum of Art, the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg.

“This is a very important exhibition for the region,” says Dr. Rangsook Yoon, senior curator at Sarasota Art Museum, who, with fellow curators from the other participating museums, scrutinized nearly 300 applications from artists in the Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties, meeting many and even visiting their studios to determine this year’s exhibition. “It is an opportunity to broaden the audience for these artists,” she says. “It’s the type of collaboration that enriches the arts ecosystem.”

And when Skyway 2024 opens on July 28, the Sarasota Art Museum will be hosting work by 15 of the 63 featured artists, including Rob Tarbell, Jill Taffett, Kim Anderson, Gabriel Ramos, Ryan Day, Roger Clay Palmer, and Corinne Zepeda. From more traditional mediums like painting and sculpture to cutting-edge augmented reality murals, printing on ice and even portraits made of smoke, the exhibition provides audiences a broad view into the depth and variety of creative work being done every day in studios all across the region. And too often, says Yoon, these hidden gems are not celebrated until they’re gone, finding recognition elsewhere. “They leave to cities like New York and then they’re appreciated,” she says. But with Skyway, local institutions can highlight local artists for local audiences.

“I want people to see the incredible artists living in our region and hear their stories,” Yoon says. “These artists are sharing their lives, so I hope people pay attention.”

To make it even easier, the Sarasota Art Museum will also be hosting a series of events where guests can meet the Skyway artists for a guided experience through the exhibition.

Skyway 2024: A Contemporary Collaboration opens at the Sarasota Art Museum on July 28 and runs through October 27. 

Pictured: Samantha Modder, A Field of Lost Hair Ties (detail), 2023. Digitally manipulated ballpoint pen on adhesive print.

Most people know that while it’s not always the case, the bond between teacher and student can be truly special. All it takes is one great teacher, one instructor that makes their pupil feel encouraged, supported and safe, to change a life. Former Sarasota County Schools Teacher of the Year Es Swihart knows this all too well. Swihart, who currently teaches English and is Head of the English Department at The Out-of-Door Academy, was finishing up her Doctorate in Education at Johns Hopkins University, with a specialty in Mind, Brain and Teaching, when she began to brainstorm about what her dissertation project would look like.

Swihart was doing some summer cleaning one day when it finally hit her. “I came across one of my boxes of letters and the pictures or whatever it is that students have given me over the years and realized that’s my legacy. When I pass on at some point that’s what I want my daughter to see. That’s really what I’ve done with my life, those connections, that’s where my impact has been,” says Swihart. Swihart also realized that every teacher has one of these boxes: a home for all of the different gifts from letters to drawings to photographs that teachers have received from their students over the years.

That sparked what will eventually become the Teacher Artifacts of Worth exhibit, a collaboration between the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and the Sarasota Art Museum. The exhibit, which will open in August, will feature artifacts given to current and former Sarasota County School District Teachers. Everything from photographs to drawings to letters and more will be on display at the Sarasota Art Museum for the entire community to see the positive impact that teachers have had on the lives of their students. Current and former Sarasota County School District teachers are encouraged to submit up to three artifacts to the Education Foundation of Sarasota County to be featured in the exhibit. “I hope the exhibit just uplifts the profession as a whole,” says Swihart. “ I think everybody has had a teacher so they know what education looks like but it’s very different when you’re in the classroom on the other side. The kind of job it is and the kind of energy that it takes is massive and unlike anything else. I really want to highlight after all that work what that impact looks like.”

Submission Window is open from May 10 to June 30, Education Foundation of Sarasota County, 1960 Landings Blvd #120, 941-927-0965.

Pictured: photo courtesy of Education Foundation of Sarasota County.

The Sarasota Ballet shares the news today that Director Iain Webb was awarded the 2024 British National Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement. Graham Watts and Dame Monica Mason presented the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement to Webb at The Coronet Theatre in London on June 3, 2024. The Dance Section of the Critics' Circle, which comprises over 60 dance writers and critics, is responsible for this stellar recognition of Iain Webb's vigor and dedication to dance. For 2024, there were 311 companies, choreographers, performers, and other creative artist nominees. The National Dance Awards have been organized by the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle each year since 2000. The timing of this prestigious award could not have been more fortuitous as Webb was already in London at the time of the ceremony preparing The Sarasota Ballet to debut on their first international tour at the Royal Opera House as part of the Ashton Celebrated programs from The Royal Ballet. Webb attended the award ceremony in the midst of rehearsals for the opening night performances the next evening, graciously accepted the award on stage, and was visibly moved by the acknowledgment of his work throughout his career. When asked about receiving this award, Webb said, “Truly, what an honor it is to be appreciated by the Critics Circle in this way, especially receiving the De Valois Outstanding Achievement Award, as she was such an incredible lady who had a huge impact on my career and my life. To be recognized so highly for the work I have done throughout my career, especially as Director of The Sarasota Ballet, is very humbling. I thank all of those who helped to make this possible, especially Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri, who has been so instrumental in shaping The Sarasota Ballet into the Company it is today, and Executive Director Joseph Volpe, whose leadership has continued to take us to the next level on the international arts scene. I am so very grateful for the support of the Critics and for this extraordinary recognition.” A former First Soloist with The Royal Ballet and a well-known figure on the international ballet scene through his leadership roles, Webb took over the directorship of The Sarasota Ballet in 2007. Under his direction, the Company has performed 183 ballets and divertissements by the end of the 2023 – 2024 Season, including 51 world premieres and 13 American Company premieres. 

 Education and outreach are integral to the mission of Choral Artists of Sarasota. Each year, the organization awards the Dr. Ann Stephenson-Moe Scholarship to a promising young singer. This year, a $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Parrish resident Karson White, who recently graduated from State College of Florida 

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 Melissa Voigt has been named Director of Development of Sarasota Opera. Her promotion was recently announced by General Director Richard Russell and Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi. Voigt first joined Sarasota Opera in 2000 as Individual Giving Officer and became Director of Development in 2002. During her tenure, she led the completion of the $20 million capital campaign that funded the renovation of the historic Sarasota Opera House. She left the company in 2009 to pursue other opportunities and returned in 2021 as Senior Development Officer. “It will be my sincere joy to serve the Sarasota Opera, supporters, and community in this role. Sarasota Opera has always felt like home to me, and it is a pleasure to support Richard Russell, Maestro DeRenzi, our Board of Trustees and my colleagues to elevate our programs and artistic excellence,” Voigt said. “For me, I love watching newcomers discover our world-renowned opera company,  dive into a newfound love of opera, and form lasting friendships with other patrons. To see folks then choose to invest philanthropically in the work we do – how fulfilling!” Russell is equally pleased with Voigt’s return. “I’m thrilled to have Melissa Voigt return as our Director of Development. She has a long history of success in fundraising with the company and the community and I know she will help us achieve even greater heights,” he said.  

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is excited to welcome LESLIE JONES to Sarasota on Friday, November 22, 2024 at 8pm. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am EDT. Leslie Jones is a three-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee as well as a Writer’s Guild Award and NAACP Award nominee for her work on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. She has also been honored as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Jones recently wrapped production on season two of the HBO Max series OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH. The week of January 17th, 2023, Jones kicked off a new era of THE DAILY SHOW as the program's first guest host. In 2021, she starred opposite Eddie Murphy in COMING 2 AMERICA for which she won an MTV Movie Award and was nominated for a People’s Choice Award. Jones will next produce an untitled Christmas comedy for Lionsgate which she is currently developing as a potential future starring role. Additionally, Jones co-hosts the podcast THE FCKRY with comedian Lenny Marcus. Each week, Jones and Marcus interview guests and answer listener questions, while exposing “the fckry” of any given topic. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at www.VanWezel.org, by calling the box office at 941-263-6799 or by visiting the box office Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Groups of 10 or more should contact Group Sales Manager Ellen Dyer at ellen.dyer@sarasotafl.gov. 

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) presents Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, a comedic and touching look at life in 1942, as the next show in its Summer Mainstage Series. Inspired by the WWII courtship of Ludwig’s parents, Dear Jack, Dear Louise begins on July 3 at FST's Keating Theatre. Single tickets are now available at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or by calling 941.366.9000. Dear Jack, Dear Louise is part of a three-show subscription package, which also includes Kander and Ebb’s musical revue The World Goes Round, and The Outsider, a comedy that cleverly critiques modern politics. Subscription packages start at just $59 and can be purchased at 941.366.9000 or online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org.  

Wellen Park is hosting the second annual Great American Picnic in Downtown Wellen on Saturday, June 22. The summer celebration event is free and open to the public. The Great American Picnic includes fun contests, carnival games, family-friendly activities and a foam party. The pie bakeoff and the watermelon-eating contest, both offering youth and adult categories, begin at 4 p.m. Whiskey County, a Nashville-style party band, will perform country and classic rock hits from 5 to 9 p.m. on Solis Hall’s outdoor stage facing the Great Lawn. Event attendees can also take advantage of all Downtown Wellen has to offer – paddling and fishing in the Grand Lake, hiking, biking and e-biking Wellen Park’s miles of trails and pathways, cooling off at the splashpad, relaxing or playing in nature-inspired settings, shopping and enjoying an augmented reality experience capturing downtown’s vibrant, playful spirit. For more information about the Great American Picnic, visitwellenpark.com/events/great-american-picnic-2. 

Don't let the retrospective fool you, Sarasota's mad sculptor still has stories to tell, May/June 2024. 

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