The Sarasota Art Museum (SAM) is all about pushing the boundaries of contemporary art. The Hermitage Artist Retreat is all about providing a creative haven for contemporary artists of all disciplines. Since both organizations reside in Sarasota County, it only made sense that they would eventually collaborate. What couldn’t be anticipated, however, is just how special a collaboration this would be.

This weekend is the last chance to see Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat at SAM. The exhibit, which spans the museum’s entire second floor highlights the work of 10 U.S.-based artists. Although these artists differ widely in their respective mediums–installation, video, printmaking, conceptual drawings and more–all 10 share one commonality: they have all attended artist residencies at the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s beachfront campus.

“The museum and the Hermitage have a long standing collaborative relationship. Because we both work for and support contemporary artists, it was only natural that we would expand our partnership to include an exhibition,” says Virginia Shearer, Executive Director of SAM. “Being that the Hermitage has this 20 plus year history of working with emerging, mid-career and blue chip contemporary artists, there were many many different artists that we dreamed about working with. We realized in order to really highlight and give emphasis to individual artists we’d have to narrow it down for a proper show.”

The show purposely highlights a diverse range of artists that operate not only in different mediums, but come from differing life experiences. Iconic African-American artists like Trenton Doyle Hancock and Sanford Biggers share the space with other artists such as Syrian-American Diana Al-Hadid or Peruvian sculptor Kukuli Velarde. Also featured in Impact is long-time Sarasota artist and former Ringling College of Art and Design professor John Sims, who passed away in 2022. “Jon moved here in the late 1990s to work as a professor at Ringling College in math and time-based media. He was an incredible personality, amazingly visionary, but also was really true to focusing on being a Black northerner living in the South. For more than 20 years he really explored that in his work as a conceptual artist, working in installation, video, painting and drawing,” says Shearer.

March 10 to July 7, 2024, Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-309-4300.

Pictured: Michelle Lopez's installation piece "House of Cards" currently at SAM is part of the Impact exhibition.

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Touch is a relatively new novel out in paperback by Olaf Olafsson. Much like a Japanese haiku (referenced in the novel) Olafsson achieves a lot of emotion in this beautifully spare, character driven novel about an Icelander who falls in love with a Japanese woman in London. Miko has been told she is 'hibakusha' meaning tainted by the effects of Hiroshima’s tragic nuclear after effects and consequently shamed by her well meaning father into thinking she is damaged goods. This information thwarts her attempts at a long term relationship. Years later, and separate marriages in between, Kristopher goes in search of Miko, unaware of why she disappeared years ago. Touch is romantic in a subtle, Scandinavian kind of way.

Touch has been made into a movie by Icelandic Director Baltasar Komakur and is opening July 12th at Burns Court Theater. Roxanne will be moderating a community talk back at Burns Court Theater on July 12 after the 6:30 pm showing. Reading the book beforehand is not mandatory, however, there are copies of Touch available at Bookstore1 Sarasota at 117 S. Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota or at their online store www.sarasotabooks.com.

Bookstore1 Sarasota at 117 S. Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota, www.sarasotabooks.com. 

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is pleased to announce the State of Florida has included $1,000,000 in its new budget to support FST’s efforts to provide workforce housing in its new Arts Plaza project. When asked about his support, Senator Jim Boyd commented, “The arts are essential to our community and I was happy to support Florida Studio Theatre; their expansion offers housing and employment, as well as reaching new theatre audiences.” Representative Fiona McFarland added, “This theatre has always offered top tier performances at affordable ticket prices, and they continue in that vein to build affordable housing for artists. They are a great cause to support.” FST’s Arts Plaza has been designed to meet a wide range of FST’s artistic needs while serving its robust and growing audience. This state-of-the-art building will be nestled amongst FST’s existing five-theatre campus in downtown Sarasota.  

It's the DOG DAYS of Summer Trivia on Wednesday, July 10, with special guest host Muffy Lavens of Shut Your Five Hole & Listen podcast. She is an active volunteer with Satchel's Last Resort so she will be combining her love for dogs with a little bit of hockey trivia thrown in. Doors open at 6pm. Trivia starts at 6:30. First place team wins $40 Hamlet's gift certificate, 2nd place receives $20 and losing team gets Free Fries (because losing is still fun around here)! Proceeds benefit Satchel's Last Resort. They will even have adoptable dogs join the first hour for you to get some puppy love before putting your brain to work! Hamlet’s is located in the courtyard of The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, 821 Apricot Ave in Sarasota. For more information visit www.HamletsEatery.com or call 941-445-1938 to make your reservation. 

With beautiful waters and many locations to explore, there is no wonder why Sarasota is one of the most popular sailing communities in Florida, July/August 2024.

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