wcw JUNE 2022

out and about continued
Buddhas: Chinese religion and
philosophy
4) July 6: From poetry to ghost stories:
An overview of early Chinese
literature
5) July 13: One Belt One Road: China’s
20th century and beyond
Summer Art Camps
Art Center Sarasota offers Summer
Art Camp through August 5.
Each week campers will explore their
creativity, learn about art, and make
original masterpieces that will be
“exhibited” on Friday afternoons for
friends and family. Instructors provide
age appropriate activities for
campers in two groups: Creative Kids
for ages 6-10 and Emerging Artists for
ages 11-15.
Camp runs M-F, 9:30am-3pm.
Before and after care available. Info:
https://www.artsarasota.org/
summer-camp.
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The Island Players on Anna
Maria plan to offer its Children’s
Drama Camp, in partnership with
the AMI Center, led by actress Pam
Hopkins, with two public performances
planned for July 23. Evening
performances will be at 7:30 p.m. in
the new season. Auditions will be
held at 7:30 p.m. on August 1. For
information, call 941-778-5755 or
visit theislandplayers.org.
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ArtCenter Manatee offers sprouting
artists, ages 4 to 6, an opportunity
to express their creativity. In Marvelous
Mondays, children ages 6-10 will
make drawings, paintings and prints.
In Thrilling Thursdays children will
have fun playing in clay. If they want
more, this age group can attend oneweek
KidsArt Camps from 9-3 Monday
through Friday.
Every week has a different theme,
from animals and aliens to artists
and super heroes. Emerging Artists,
ages 11-15, are challenged in
weekly half-day camps where they
can make clay sculptures and learn
on the potter’s wheel, learn mosaics,
painting, drawing, fiber, collage and
more. Scholarships available. Camps
begin May 31. Location: 209 9th St
W, Bradenton. Info: 941-746-2862
https://artcentermanatee.org/kidsart-overview/.
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Selby Gardens has a summer
camp that offers six one-week sessions
(Monday-Friday) from June 6 - July 15.
The first three weeks are at the Downtown
Sarasota campus, while the final
three take place at the Historic Spanish
Point campus. Sign up for individual
weeks of your choice.
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At Mote Marine
Mote Aquarium has a new exhibit
from National Geographic. SHARKS:
On Assignment with Brian Skerry
includes large-scale images that
highlight the work of National Geographic
Explorer and award-winning
photojournalist, Brian Skerry.
The exhibit runs through Aug. 7,
2022. The exhibition strives to raise
awareness about the status of sharks
around the world. Visitors can dive
into the ocean depths to swim alongside
tiger sharks, great whites, oceanic
whitetips and shortfin makos while
learning about each species’ habitat
and threats they face. Additionally,
they’ll get a glimpse into National Geographic’s
ocean conservation efforts.
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National Geographic
Explorer
and award-winning
photojournalist
Skerry has
spent more than
10,000 hours underwater
exploring
the world’s
oceans with a
camera to show
why sharks need
to be protected
and appreciated
as integral species
within the ecosystem.
The exhibition
will include
large-scale images
and videos—all
highlighting Skerry’s
passion, skill
and life-long commitment
to conservation
of the
world’s oceans.
■ Join Mote for
some fun outdoor
exploration.
Participants will
use dip nets to
explore the nearshore
seagrass
beds and learn about the plants and
animals that call the Bay home. All
ages. Fee: $15. Held 11:30 a.m.-12:30
p.m. Next date: June 18.
Pre-registration (including parents/
guardians) is required. This is an outdoor
program and participants will
wade in water up to waist deep. Details
here: https://mote.org/experiences/details/kayaking-with-mote
■ Seashore SEAfari allows you to
explore a mangrove forest. Put on
your adventure hat and come along
as you tour a mangrove boardwalk,
use science tools to test water quality
and complete a seashore scavenger
hunt with one of the best views in
Sarasota. All ages. Fee: $15. Held 10
a.m.-11a.m. June 18. re-registration
(including parents/guardians) is required.
This is an outdoor program (not
water-based) that involves walking.
Details here: https://mote.org/experiences/details/kayaking-with-mote.
Choral Artists
Next up: American Fanfare on
July 4. Celebrate America with choral
fireworks, rousing marches and patriotic
fervor. Old Glory and Uncle Sam
are feted in this annual performance
featuring the Lakewood Ranch
Wind Ensemble and Choral Artists of
Sarasota. Musical fireworks abound
in this annual salute to America at
the Sarasota Opera House at 4 p.m.
For more information, visit www.
ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.
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Lots of Fun
Outdoor Events
The Palm Avenue First Friday
Walks in downtown Sarasota gives
art lovers a backdoor peek without
the hustle and bustle of the crowds
but with the cool breeze and moonlight
sky the evening brings. The
event is held the first Friday of every
month, running 6-9 p.m. The next
ones are on June 3 and July 1. Info:
https://palmave.com/
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Women Contemporary Artists Annual Art Exhibit 2022 - Gail White - "Mucho Mango"
Women Contemporary Artists present the WCA Annual Art Exhibit at the
Lois and David Stuhlberg Gallery of the Ringling College of Art and Design,
2363 Bradenton Rd., Sarasota. Runs June 3-24.
Start your Saturday with a sunrise
stretch at The Sarasota Farmers
Market. They’ve partnered with
Pineapple Yoga Studio to bring free,
weekly sunrise yoga to downtown
Sarasota. Participants meet at the
Mermaid Fountain in Paul Thorpe
Park, near the Intersection of Pineapple
and Lemon Avenues. Enjoy Artful
Movement with Bianca, a 45-minute
guided practice accompanied by a
playlist to match the intention.
Starting at 7 a.m., participants
will enjoy a gentle yoga flow suitable
for all ages and levels. The weekly
45-minute yoga practice will focus
on movements that foster inner and
outer balance.
For information, call 941-225-9256 or
visit sarasotafarmersmarket.org/yoga
Marie Selby
Botanical Gardens
Robert Mapplethorpe and
Patti Smith: Flowers, Poetry, and
Light presents the creative work
of two contemporary icons in dialogue
with nature throughout Selby
Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus.
The immersive, multi-sensory
exhibition includes original photographs
of flowers by Mapplethorpe,
excerpts of poetry, lyrics, and music
by Smith, and new horticultural displays
inspired by their work. It marks
the sixth annual Goldstein Exhibition,
which examines major artists
through the lens of their connection
to nature. The exhibit runs to June
26 at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens,
1534 Mound Street, Sarasota.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
is one of 12 participating gardens
across 6 countries offering “Seeing
the Invisible” which features works
by more than a dozen international
artists such as Ai Weiwei, Refik
Anadol, El Anatsui, Isaac Julien CBE,
Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau,
Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz,
and Timur Si-Qin—including several
artists’ first work in AR.
Visitors will engage with “Seeing
the Invisible” via an app designed
for the exhibition downloadable to
smartphones and tablets. The exhibition
fosters collaboration between
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institutions, artists,
and audiences,
highlighting
the power of art
to connect people
around the
world. “Seeing
the Invisible”
runs to August
31 at the Historic
Spanish Point
campus. Information:
www.
selby.org.
Live
Music
Aviva Senior
Living has its
Amicus Classical
Concert Series
in June. The concerts
are free and
open to the public
as well as residents
of Aviva.
On June 14 at
1:30 p.m., the series
will conclude
with a concert by
Catherine Lan
and Tao Lin, otherwise
known as Duo Beaux Arts.
The duo has performed all over the
world to critical acclaim. La Belle
Epoque is a program of romantic
and virtuosic French music for piano
solo and duet including Faure’s Dolly
Suite and the always popular Clair
de Lune.
The concert is free and held at Aviva’s
Kretzmer Center, 1951 N. Honore
Ave., Sarasota. To RSVP, call Melinda
at 941-702-2597 or at mhaney@avivaseniorlife.org.
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Art Exhibits
Creative Liberties has its first
open exhibition, “Here Comes the
Sun,” running June 9-30. Opening
reception is on June 9, 5-8 p.m. Creative
Liberties Artist Studios is located
at 901-B Apricot Avenue, Sarasota,
in the Limelight District. For more
information, visit www.creativeliberties.net
or call 941-799-6634.
Creative Liberties was founded
in November 2021 by Barbara Gerdeman
and Elizabeth Goodwill,
two artists and art educators. They
launched this venture to empower
regional artists with a variety of business
services and studio and exhibition
opportunities. The Creative
Liberties Artist Studios is a collective,
communal space that provides work
and display space for local artists.
There are also display walls available
for non-studio artists to rent. Monthly
artist markets provide an opportunity
for local artists to sell their work.
Nine artists have made the Creative
Liberties Artist Studios their artistic
workspace. These include: Jenny
Berry (oil painting); Elizabeth Goodwill
(book art, fiber art and mixed
media); Barbara Gerdeman (photography,
acrylic painting, and mixed
media); Donna Bergman (collage and
mixed media); Lisa DiFranza (acrylic
painting, gouache, and mixed media);
Traci Kegerreis (acrylic painting,
collage and mosaics); Sandy Koolkin
(acrylic fluid painting, watercolor and
fiber art); Jay Li (pastel portraiture)
and Judy Levine (jewelry design, collage
and photography).
■ For information about Creative
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Liberties, visit www.creativeliberties.net
or call 941-799-6634. The
studios are open to the public Thursday
through Monday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.,
and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by
appointment.
Sarasota Art Museum has Daniel
Lind-Ramos’ Las Tres Marías runs
through August 7, 2022. Las Tres
Marías is comprised of two new
assemblage sculptures created
specifically by Lind-Ramos for
the Museum’s exhibition, Baño de
María and María Guabancex, in
addition to his previously-made
work, María de los Sustentos.
Daniel Lind-Ramos (b. 1953, Puerto
Rico) creates assemblages from found
and reclaimed objects, many of which
were collected in the aftermath of
Hurricane Maria. Through the combination
of natural and manufactured
materials, Lind-Ramos’ sculptural
assemblages recall the experiential
elements of the hurricane—wind,
rain, thunder, and lightning—as well
as cultural signifiers of Puerto Rico,
specifically, the city of Loíza, where
the artist was born and still resides.
The devastating impact of Hurricane
Maria (2017) in Puerto Rico is still visible
in the physical destruction, and
felt in the memories and collective
consciousness of Puerto Ricans, but
Lind-Ramos’ Las Tres Marías serves
as a testament to the resilience of the
people and community.
Las Tres Marías will be exhibited
in the 3rd Floor’s Tom & Sherry Koski
Gallery and Lois & David Stulberg
Gallery to August 7, 2022.
Sarasota Art Museum also presents
I M(O)ther: Threads of the
Maternal Figure, the first U.S. solo
museum exhibition of Jamaica-based
textile and fiber artist Katrina
Coombs, through October 2,
2022. This exhibition will feature 12
fiber artworks including large-scale
installations and intimate sculptures
that reference the artist’s personal
experiences, as well as experiences of
other maternal figures in her life.
On view in the Museum’s John &
Charlotte Suhler Gallery, I M(O)ther:
Threads of the Maternal Figure illuminates
the range of fiber arts techniques
Coombs uses in her practice,
including the laborious technique of
finger-knitting the works with various
fiber materials. Coombs’ works
are inspired and guided by a quest to
deepen the spiritual, emotional, and
psychological understanding of the
numerous conflicting roles that have
been attributed to women in contemporary
society
While the use of fiber is central to her
work, Coombs skillfully weaves and
stitches cowrie shells, amethyst stone,
mirror, and beads into tactile and
large-scale forms. These non-fiber elements
are used to communicate conceptual
ideas of identity, the maternal
figure, wealth, ancestry, and security.
The works in this exhibition span
over a range of time (2015-2020), referencing
a number of the artist’s personal
experiences, as well as experiences
of other maternal figures in her
life. Coombs’ work communicates a
range of ideas in pieces that are intended
to physically envelope the viewer in
some instances, and in other instances
keep the viewer at a distance.
There will be a Curator Talk with
Emory Conetta on Thursday, June 9,
6 pm. Free for members, $20 not-yet
members. Location: Sarasota High
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8 WEST COAST WOMAN JUNE 2022