wcw NOVEMBER 2023

NOVEMBER 2023
Christine
Kasten
President/CEO,
THE
VENICE SYMPHONY
Also in this issue:
■ Salute to the Arts, Part 1
■ Arts: Circus BIG News
■ Arts: The Sarasota Ballet
■ Arts: Choral Artists

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2 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

NOVEMBER 2023
contents
Editor and Publisher
Louise M. Bruderle
Email: westcoastwoman@comcast.net
Contributing Writer
Carol Darling
Contributing Photographer
Evelyn England
Art Director/Graphic Designer
Kimberly Carmell
Assistant to the Publisher
Mimi Gato
The Season
is
Underway!
Season Preview, Part 1
It’s our arts issue where
we highlight and feature
the many cultural events
taking place this season
- enjoy!
West Coast Woman is published
monthly (12 times annually) by
LMB Media, Inc., Louise Bruderle,
President. All contents of this
publication are copyrighted and
may not be reproduced. No part
may be reproduced without the
written permission of the publisher.
Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs
and artwork are welcome, but return
cannot be guaranteed.
HOW TO REACH US:
Email: westcoastwoman@comcast.net
Highlights, News
and Changes
Theatre, art, chamber music, Celtic
music, photography, new faces and
special anniversaries all on…
p18
EARS
Here are our columns:
n Out & About: includes
fundraisers, concerts, art exhibits,
lectures, dance, poetry, shows
& performances, theatre, film,
seasonal events and more.
n You’re News: job announcements,
appointments and promotions,
board news, business news and
real estate news.
FOLLOW US AT:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
WCWmedia
WCW
35
YEARS
WCW Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 819
Sarasota, FL 34230
photo courtesy of Artist Series Concerts
Local and National
Art Exhibits to
Experience
From the Met in New York City to The
Ringling in Sarasota to local galleries and
art centers - we’ve got it covered!
p22
CAC and Nik Wallenda -
a new holiday experience
email:
westcoastwoman@comcast.net
website:
www.westcoastwoman.com
west coast
WOMAN
The Circus Arts Conservatory has a new
collaboration with “King of the High Wire,” Nik
Wallenda called “A Brave New Wonderland,” an
immersive holiday experience, from November
18 - December 31. Find out more at
p25
departments
4 editor’s letter
7 Out & About: listings for things to do
12 good news dept.
14 dining in: It’s all about the Bird
15 health: all about craniosacral therapy
16 west coast woman: Christine Kasten,
President/CEO,
The Venice Symphony
18 Season Preview: Highlights and more
20 Season Preview: Choral Artists
22 Season Preview:
Art exhibits not to miss
24 Season Preview:
Exciting news from the Circus
25 Season Preview: The Sarasota Ballet
26 feature: EcoSummit
28 health: The Renewal Point
31 Season Preview: Dali Alive 360
32 dining in: can’t forget the vegans
at Thanksgiving
■ on the cover: Christine Kasten, President/CEO, The Venice Symphony.
■ Image: Evelyn England
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 3

just some
thoughts
Louise Bruderle
Editor and Publisher
West Coast Woman
Christine Kasten
President/CEO, Venice Symphony
There are so many women in leadership roles in the
local arts community, which is something to celebrate
and devote many future issues of WCW to. This being
our Season Preview issue (part one) we have another
skillful CEO in Christine Kasten who oversees the
Venice Symphony (VS).
She is joined by Troy Quinn, Music Director/Conductor,
who was selected in 2018. Christine was named
Executive Director in 2016 and thus she was part of the
Christine Kasten
Photo: Evelyn England search committee that selected Troy—something she
calls one of the highlights of her career at VS.
Christine’s leadership and business acumen as well as Troy’s creative
talents make for a good team as VS launches another season. According to
Christine, ticket sales are doing great so get your tickets right away.
And congratulations are in order as Venice Symphony, which started in
1974, will be marking its 50th anniversary next year. To show how much the
Symphony has grown, consider that in 1974 they had 56 volunteer musicians
and played three concerts in the Venice High School auditorium.
Now, performances take place in the Venice Performing Arts Center where
they have 1090 seats.
On January 5 they’ll celebrate their 50th anniversary with a “Venetian
Nights” celebration. For tickets and information, visit www.thevenice
symphony.org.
Arts, Arts and More Arts
I admit, I save old emails, but I won’t say how far back they go. I think of it as
my own personal catalog of ideas. So, when assembling this year’s Season
Preview, I wanted to see what was going on based on emails. I put “art” in
the search window and an overwhelming stream of emails appeared from
local, regional, state and national arts organizations who sent West Coast
Woman their information.
That illustrated to me just how much WCW
covers the arts and is thought of as a media
outlet for the arts. Indeed, this issue is part one
of two Season Preview issues because we have
so much to include that we can’t fit it all into
one issue. We have also signed up more arts’
advertisers who have seen our coverage. Their
ads - when measured online - all do quite well.
According to the Arts and Cultural Alliance
of Sarasota County, in 2022, the economic
impact of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations
in the county was nearly $342 million,
according to the latest Arts and Economic
Prosperity survey prepared by Americans for
the Arts, a national arts advocacy organization,
for the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.
That economic activity supported 5,262 jobs, provided $229.4 million in
personal income to residents, and generated $68.1 million in tax revenue to
local, state, and federal governments. Arts and culture drive commerce to
local businesses. When people attend a cultural event, they often make an
outing of it—dining at a restaurant, paying for parking or public transportation,
enjoying dessert after the show, and returning home to pay for child or
pet care. Overall, in Sarasota County, attendees spend $46.21 per person per
event, beyond the cost of admission.
Expect another great season, so get those tickets, get out, have fun and support
this important local “industry” that is a vital part of our local economy.
Honoring Veterans in November
Arts Advocates
will feature its
member artists
who share the distinction
of having
served in the U.S.
Armed Forces in
an exhibit and
an art talk in
November. Both
take place in the
Arts Advocates Gallery, The Crossings at Siesta Key Mall, 3501 S. Tamiami
Trail, Sarasota.
The Veteran Artist Exhibit runs November 4-25 and features the works of
Diana De Avila, Jessica Hartman, John Quigley, and Mark Wiseman.
There will be an Art Talk: Honoring Our Veteran Artists – Pursuing
Dreams After a Military Career, on
November 10, 4-6 p.m. Hartman, Quigley, and Wiseman will discuss if
and how their military careers influenced their art and their hopes for the
future. Registration is required at ArtsAdvocates.org.
To learn more about Arts Advocates, visit ArtsAdvocates.org.
Have an Extra Coat to Donate?
Have an extra winter coat you don’t wear or
need and want to help another stay warm this
winter? The Turning Points’ One Warm Coat
Drive has started and lasts until November 22.
They’re asking you to hold a coat drive at
your business, school, church, or community to
collect new or gently used coats, hoodies, jackets,
gloves, and hats in all sizes (kids to adults).
Drop them off at their location, 705 17th Avenue
West in Bradenton, Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Contact TJ at tbeckert@tpmanatee.org
if you have questions.
From their website: “Turning Points provides
a variety of free services designed to assist individuals
and families on their path to financial
stability and independence. Turning Points is the one stop shop for preventing
and reducing homelessness in our community. Turning Points provides
a remarkable variety of services designed to assist individuals and families
on their path to financial stability and independence.
“We provide day resource services (such as hot showers, laundry services,
clothing, food), employment services, rental and utility assistance, veteran’s
services (employment, housing and childcare), and free medical and dental
care for the uninsured and underinsured. Over 7,000 people received help
last year with critical services targeted to the essential needs of people in
crisis.” Visit tpmanatee.org
All Faiths Food Bank’s
2023 Bowls of Hope Fundraiser Dec. 3
All Faiths Food Bank has
another edition of one of
its most popular events:
Bowls of Hope. This
family-friendly event
supports All Faiths Food
Bank’s work, benefiting
neighbors who may be
experiencing hunger.
Each year, Bowls of
Hope attracts as many as
1500 guests, who select
offerings from 40 restaurants
and caterers as they
serve soups, bread, desserts, and more. Guests select beautiful, handcrafted
bowls – all donated by local potters, artists, and students – to keep, while
enjoying a modest meal as a reminder of the empty bowls they help to fill.
Bowls of Hope tis on December 3, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium,
2700 12th St., Sarasota. Purchase tickets at allfaithsfoodbank.org.
Coming Up in West Coast Woman
Here’s what we’re working on now:
■ Salute to the Arts, Part 2 is in December. And in January, we have another
lifelong learning issue.
If you want to be a part of any of those issues, email us at westcoastwoman@
comcast.net.
Louise Bruderle | Editor and Publisher |
westcoastwoman@comcast.net
Photo by Cliff Roles
We welcome your thoughts and comments on this column and on other columns and features in this issue.
You can reach us at westcoastwoman@comcast.net. We’re on the web at www.WestCoastWoman.com.
4 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

2024 WINTER OPERA FESTIVAL
VICTOR DeRENZI, Artistic Director | RICHARD RUSSELL, General Director
CARMEN
by Georges Bizet
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6 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

out &about
Special Events
The EcoSummit, on October
22. taking place Dec. 5-6 at the Van
Wezel, offers lectures, panel discussions,
storytelling, and music. Dozens
of national, regional, and local experts
will share fascinating insights and
innovations for recharging our environment
and reducing our impacts.
Author Carl Hiaasen will lead a
special evening of Florida environmental
stories with local storytellers
and music. Australian environmental
thought leader and filmmaker Damon
Gameau will kick off the EcoSummit
with a keynote that re-envisions mankind’s
relationship with Earth and how
we find a new balance with nature.
The Green Living Expo, which
takes place Dec. 2-3 at the Sarasota
Municipal Auditorium, is a trade
show featuring sustainable products,
services, and opportunities to
get involved in local environmental
issues. Meanwhile, outside at The
Bay, Sarasota’s newest signature park
along Sarasota’s bayfront, families
can enjoy hands-on environmental
activities and eco-tours from SEC’s
partners. All activities are free and
open to the public. To learn more,
visit eco-summit.org.
▼
Become a Master Gardener Volunteer.
UF/IFAS Extension Manatee
County’s Residential Horticulture
Program is now accepting applications
for the 2024 class of Master Gardener
Volunteers.
The Florida Master Gardener Volunteer
Program has been growing
a greener community in Manatee
County for 44 years. If you are a skilled
teacher, grant-writer, garden manager,
creative writer or if you simply have
a passion for gardening in Florida,
consider applying for the February
2024 training program.
Master Gardener Volunteers in
Manatee County have a long history of
helping our community through educational
outreach programs like Plant-
A-Pail (PAP). PAP targets residents in
food deserts where access to fresh food
is limited. Master Gardener Volunteers
hold workshops in these communities,
teaching people how to grow their own
produce in recycled containers.
You must apply online at app.betterimpact.com
by November 10 to
be considered. Call 941-722-4524 for
assistance with the application process
and more information about the
training program.
▼
The public is invited to enjoy an
elegant night out on November 14 at
the Powel Crosley Estate. The School
of Hospitality and Tourism management
is preparing to host a number
of events as part of the Crosley
Dinner Series and Bulls Bistro.
Proceeds from ticket sales will
support student scholarships and
programs in the School of Hospitality
and Tourism Management at USF
Sarasota-Manatee, which has experienced
unprecedented growth since
expanding programming last year
to meet industry demand in a
post-pandemic world. Visit usf.to/
taste to purchase tickets.
▼
PINC Experience returns to the
Sarasota Opera House on December
7, 8 am - 8 pm at the Sarasota Opera
house. An initiative of DreamLarge
▼
and presented by
All Star Children’s
Foundation and
Ringling College
of Art & Design,
PINC promises
a day of intellectual
indulgence,
featuring 12
thought-provoking
speakers from
every discipline
imaginable who
will immerse you
in innovation, and
creativity, and
leave you with
renewed sense of
community.
PINC brings
together thought
leaders, innovators,
creative
thinkers, entrepreneurs,
specialists,
designers,
artists, scientists,
and anyone looking
to stimulate
their minds,
hearts, and brains.
Learn more at www.PINCexperience.com.
Artist Series
Concerts
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota
is at Selby Gardens on November
16 when the three winners of the
Artist Series Concerts 2023 Statewide
Vocal Competition come together
for Sunset Serenade. It’s a program
of art songs, arias and duos from
Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro,” and
African American spirituals.
Artist Series Concerts has a special
event, the rock and roll oratorio “Caesar!”,
on November 18 at Church of the
Palms. In the concert, internationally
celebrated violinist Alexander Markov,
son of acclaimed violinists Albert and
Marina Markov, features his parents’
artistry alongside his own in a selection
of masterpieces for violin duo and
trio to open the concert.
After intermission, Alexander takes
the stage with his gold electric violin
and brings to life his own composition
about Julius Caesar, the legendary
Roman general and statesman. Written
in five short parts, the lyrics briefly
portray historical moments in Caesar’s
life. “Caesar!” is a dramatic and
contrasting musical journey that takes
listeners into a world of mystery.
Key Chorale and the Booker
High School VPA Choir will share
the stage with Alexander, a rhythm
section, organ, and orchestral musicians
in this unique and unforgettable
performance.
The Queen’s Six comes direct from
Windsor Castle where they work and
live. This extraordinary vocal sextet,
drawn from the lay clerks of St.
George’s Chapel, was recently featured
on “CBS Sunday Morning.” In
addition to their royal duties, they
present concerts that include austere
early chant, bawdy madrigals, haunting
folk songs, and upbeat jazz and
pop arrangements. They perform on
December 17.
For information, visit ArtistSeries
Concerts.org or call (941) 306-1202.
▼
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has “Once On This Island.” Based on the
novel “My Love, My Love” by Rosa Guy, this production showcases Afro-Caribbean
rhythms and instruments, with music and lyrics by the Tony Award-winning
musical team behind “Ragtime” The show runs from through November 19.
The Ringling’s
Art of Performance
Season
The Ringling’s Art of Performance
season in the Historic Asolo
Theater continues.
• November 16-18—Congo Jazz Band
by Les Francophonies (France/
Burkina Faso/Congo). Directed by
Hassane Kassi Kouyaté / Written by
Mohamed Kacimi.
A tragic century of the Congo is
brought to life through a concert of
Congolese music, a form that was
both monopolized by nationalist
dictators and utilized by revolutionaries
as a force for change. Moving
between playing in “the band” and
embodying figures from Congo’s history,
Kouyate’s Leopold II and Patrice
Lumumba tumble through time. The
work’s text cuts through musical interludes
and moments of grave seriousness,
balanced with comedic irony
and an upbeat sound. Performed in
French with English supertitles.
Join them for an Artist Talk with
Director Hassane Kassi Kouyaté
on November 15. Tickets: www.ringling.org.
▼
Key Chorale
On November 18, Key Chorale
Chamber Singers and Booker High
VPA Choir will collaborate with
the Artist Series Concerts for a truly
unique program. Violin phenom Alexander
Markov will present classical
favorites, followed by his original
composition Caesar, for electric violin,
organ, choir, percussion, rhythm
section and orchestral musicians.
On November 26 “Wintertide” will
blend Spanish and Mexican carols in
Conrad Susa’s Carols and Lullabies
with John Rutter’s choral cycle “When
Icicles Hang”. Key Chorale and The
Sarasota Ballet Studio Company
entwine dance and music for this
uncommon program celebrating the
blue nights of winter and the magic
of the season. For more information,
visit www.keychorale.org.
▼
Choral
Artists
Choral Artists
present “Veterans
Day in Song”
on November 11
at 1 p.m. They
will be presenting
the songs that
brought us hope
and inspiration
during military
conflicts from the
Revolutionary
War through Desert
Storm. Held
at Church of the
Redeemer, 222
S. Palm Avenue,
Sarasota. The
featured guest
artist is baritone
Bob McDonald, a
retired Sergeant
Major from The
US Army Chorus.
Christmas
Celebration:
Celebrate the
spirit of Christmas through the
power of song. Featuring an evening
of holiday harmonies and festive
favorites, including African-American
spirituals on December 10, 7
p.m., at Church of the Redeemer, 222
S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota. Tickets:
choralartistssarasota.org/
▼
ensembleNewSRQ
Presents
Ligeti’s 100th is on November 20,
7:30 p.m. In a program celebrating
the birth centennial of the incomparable
György Ligeti, enSRQ welcomes
back pianist Han Chen to perform
the composer’s “Études” and iconic
“Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano.”
Also featured are mixed instrumentation
pieces inspired by Ligeti’s
continuing legacy: “Wax and Wire”
from Viet Cuong, and “Slipstream”
from Stacy Garrop. Held at First Congregational
Church, 1031 S. Euclid
Ave., Sarasota.
ensembleNEWSRQ (enSRQ) is a
versatile chamber music ensemble
in Sarasota dedicated to playing and
advocating for the music of contemporary
composers. Tickets: https://
ensrq.org/
▼
Musica Sacra
of Sarasota
On December 8 Musica Sacra of
Sarasota has A Celtic Christmas, celebrating
the season with the magic of
pipes, fiddles, enchanting songs and
dance. Presented in partnership with
First Presbyterian Church Choir &
The Lubben Brothers Band. Tickets:
www.musicasacrasarasota.org or
call 941-374-0940.
▼
Sarasota Opera
The Music of Giacomo Puccini
will launch Sarasota Opera’s 2023-
2024 mainstage season on November
10 at the Sarasota Opera House. This
concert of selections from the Italian
composer’s operas will be conducted
by Artistic Director and Principal
Conductor Victor DeRenzi and will
▼
continue the company’s partnership
with the Sarasota Orchestra.
Soloists will include Sarasota
Opera artists sopranos Hanna
Brammer and Erica Petrocelli, tenors
Rafael Dávila and Christopher
Oglesby. Baritone Jean Carlos Rodriguez
will be making his company
debut with this concert. The Music of
Giacomo Puccini will feature arias
and ensembles from every one of the
composer’s twelve operas. Tickets:
sarasotaopera.org.
Fun Raisers
For Westcoast Black Theatre
Troupe’s 24th anniversary fall gala,
“Groovin’ on the Soul Train 2,” the
arts organization will celebrate the
music from the #1 television platform
for R&B and soul music. The event will
feature hip décor, a live performance
from WBTT’s singers backed by the
WBTT band. Tunes include memories
“Freeway of Love,” “Love Train,” “Here I
Am Baby,” “It’s Raining Men” and more.
Dinner catered by Michael’s On
East. Groovin’ on the Soul Train 2 is
on November 11 at the Circus Arts
Conservatory’s Sailor Circus Arena,
2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota. Tickets:
westcoastblacktheatre.org.
▼
The Hermitage Artist Retreat
has Artful Lobster on November 11,
11:30am - 2 pm. Now in its 15th year
and coming on the heels of the Hermitage’s
20th Anniversary season, this
event raises funds for the Hermitage’s
artist residency program.
The Artful Lobster is the only Hermitage
benefit to take place on the
grounds of the historic Gulf front campus
– outdoors beneath a large tent –
located at 6660 Manasota Key Road in
Englewood. Catered by Michael’s On
East, there will be performances from
Hermitage Fellows.
Ticket information: Hermitage
ArtistRetreat.org
▼
The Circus Arts
Conservatory
Sailor Circus
The Circus Arts Conservatory
Sailor Circus presents Candyland
running December 26- 31 at Sailor
Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St.,
Sarasota.
This annual holiday spectacle
features students, ages 8-18, who
will dazzle audiences with acts that
include acrobatics, aerial feats, juggling,
contortion and soaring on the
flying trapeze. The fun-filled show
offers families the perfect opportunity
to get into the holiday spirit.
Visit circusarts.org or call the Box
Office at 941-355-9805.
▼
Sarasota Ballet
November 17-18 will present
Program Two when they present the
premiere of The Art of War. Created in
2015 by BalletMet’s Artistic Director
Edwaard Liang, is driving, pulsing,
and powerful. Music by Michael Torke.
This premiere also marks the first
time that The Sarasota Ballet will
work with Liang whose award-winning
choreography has been performed by
companies around the world including
New York City Ballet, Hamburg Ballet,
and the Mariinsky Ballet.
▼
continued on page 8
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 7

out and about continued
Choreographed during the opening
stages of the Second World War,
Ashton’s Dante Sonata continues
the theme of war in Program Two. A
synthesis of wartime symbolism and
his reflections upon experiencing
Franz Liszt’s piano piece of the same
name—the work enraptured Sarasota
audiences during it’s Company Premiere
this past Season.
The triple bill closes with Paul Taylor’s
Company B, framing the turbulent
era of World War 2 through the
songs of the Andrews Sisters. Combining
moments of joy and hilarity with
the heavy reality of war, Taylor creates
a remarkable piece that perfectly exemplifies
the duality of America in the
1940s. At the Sarasota Opera House.
Tickets: www.sarasotaballet.org
Sarasota Concert
Association
Sarasota Concert Association has
Canadian Brass Holiday Concert on
December 4 at the Sarasota Opera
House. Celebrating 50 years of making
spirits bright, the world’s most famous
brass quintet performs festive holiday
favorites, from Carol of the Bells, to A
Charlie Brown Christmas, swinging
Glenn Miller tunes and more. Tickets:
www.SCAsarasota.org.
▼
At the Van Wezel
Coming up (partial list):
• Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock &
Roll - November 10
• Mannheim Steamroller
Christmas - November 19
• Rumours of Fleetwood Mac -
November 25
• Johnny Cash: The Official Concert
Experience - November 26
• Pretty Woman: The Musical -
November 27-28
• Dave Koz and Friends Christmas
Tour - November 29
• Sweet Caroline Tour: A Neil
Diamond Christmas - December 4
• Daniel O’Donnell - December 15
Pre-show dining for both shows is
available through Mattison’s at the
Van Wezel which is located inside the
theatre. Reservations can be made
on VanWezel.org or through the box
office. Tickets: www.VanWezel.org
▼
Bishop Museum
of Science and
Nature
The Bishop has SHE ENGINEERS
through December 31, 2023. 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.
The Bishop Museum of Science and
Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Information:
bishopscience.org.
▼
Sarasota
Art Museum
Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling
College has:
• Contemporary/Traditional: Selections
from the Basch Glass Collection
through Feb. 11, 2024. Drawn
from the Richard and Barbara Basch
▼
Collection, Contemporary/Traditional
gives a
glimpse into the
dynamic world of
international contemporary
glass
art of the late 20th
and 21st centuries.
This exhibition
showcases a
range of glasswork
styles, from delicate
figural sculptures
to powerful
abstract shapes.
• Juana Valdés:
Embodied Memories,
Ancestral
Histories through
Feb. 11, 2024.
This is Valdés’ first solo exhibition at
a museum. It will showcase a range of
works drawn from her three-decadelong
career. Valdés’ work, anchored
in history and narratives related to
her Afro-Cuban heritage, addresses
colonization’s history and migration’s
impact, as well as the issues of gender,
race, and the representation of the
female body.
• Judy Pfaff: Picking up the Pieces
runs November 19-March 24, 2024.
Pfaff, widely regarded as a pioneer of
installation art, has created work that
spans disciplines from painting to
printmaking and sculpture to installation,
eschewing definition. Pfaff
ingeniously transmutes and transforms
materials, including natural
objects from her garden, hand-painted
and digitally manipulated images,
welded steel, aluminum, wood,
expanded foam, melted plastic, blown
glass, neon, and LED lights.
Visit sarasotaartmuseum.org to
learn more. Sarasota Art Museum
is located at 1001 S. Tamiami Trail,
Sarasota.
The Hermitage
The Hermitage Cross Arts Collaborative,
now in its second season,
is a new annual residency program
focused on supporting the talent of
performing artists frequently featured
on Sarasota stages.
This year the program is represented
by musician and composer
Lizzie Hagstedt, whose work has been
developed with Asolo Rep, and Sarasota
Contemporary Dance Company
member Jessica Obiedzinski. After
two weeks on the Hermitage’s historic
beachfront campus, these two creators
will reunite to share selections of their
new works and talk about how they
utilized their residency time as the sun
sets at The Bay on November 14.
On December 14, Hermitage Fellow
Cleyvis Natera reads from and offers
insight into her “refreshingly direct
and declarative” (NY Times) debut
novel, Neruda on the Park, and shares
a glimpse into her writing process at
the Johann Fust Community Library
in Boca Grande.
All events at: hermitageartistretreat.org.
▼
At The Ringling
The John and Mable Ringling
Museum of Art has Mountains of the
Mind: Scholars’ Rocks from China
and Beyond which runs through June
▼
23, 2024 in The Ringling’s Ting Tsung
and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian
Art. The exhibit features a selection of
scholars’ rocks and related paintings
and prints, including rocks recently
donated from the extensive collection
of Nancy and Stan Kaplan, a new
acquisition funded by Lucia and Steve
Almquist and paintings on loan from
the Dongguan Lou Collection.
Scholars’ rocks are collected from
remote geographic locations, where
they have been formed by natural
elements over millions of years. The
stones may then be carved, polished
and inscribed before being displayed
in a custom-made stand to enhance
their visual appeal. Scholars’ rocks are
both natural objects and products of
human creativity.
Mountains of the Mind will feature
a wide array of scholars’ rocks in
various shapes, textures and geological
properties. The rocks are further
contextualized by paintings, prints
and texts that illuminate their cultural
importance for scholars across
the centuries. The stones have been
appreciated and admired in China
for more than a thousand years;
historically, connoisseurs displayed
their stones in their studios alongside
paintings and other treasures, where
they served as a focus for meditation
or creative contemplation.
On view through March 3 is Working
Conditions. Explore labor through
The Ringling’s Photography Collection.
The Industrial Revolution of the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
radically changed the nature of human
labor. Photography was itself introduced
to the public in 1839.
The subsequent development of
photographic media has thus been
intertwined with the culture of labor
ever since. In addition to the camera’s
technical use as an instrument to record,
photographers have also created
images over the decades that have
helped shape how we think about
work and the politics of labor. This
exhibition explores the myriad ways
in which photographs have communicated
ideas about labor since the
nineteenth century through examples
from The Ringling’s photography permanent
collection.
The John and Mable Ringling
Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd.,
Sarasota. Info: www.ringling.org.
Theatre
Urbanite Theatre has THE
SOUND INSIDE running through
December 3. This is a story about the
▼
On December 5 enjoy an
evening with Carl Hiaasen,
Florida’s most savagely funny,
riotous, and cathartic storyteller.
It’s an irreverent evening of
Florida Stories recounting
Floridians’ relationship with
our enchantingly wild lands,
waters, and creatures.
unlikely friendship
between
creative writing
professor Bella
and her enigmatic
student Christopher.
Written
by Adam Rapp,
this six-time
Tony-nominated
play explores the
limits of human
connection and
leaves audiences
questioning what
one person can
ask of another.
www.urbanite
theatre.com
Westcoast
Black Theatre Troupe open its season
with “Once On This Island.” Set
on a verdant Caribbean island, this
Tony Award-winning musical tells
the coming-of-age story of a peasant
girl searching for love and her place
in the world, while dealing with complicated
social issues of race, class
and affairs of the heart.
Based on the novel “My Love, My
Love” by Rosa Guy, this production
showcases Afro-Caribbean rhythms
and instruments, with music and lyrics
by the Tony Award-winning musical
team behind “Ragtime” (lyrics
and book by Lynn Ahrens, music by
Stephen Flaherty).
The show runs through November
19. Location: WBTT’s Donelly Theatre
(1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota).
Tickets: westcoastblacktheatre.org
▼
▼
The Players Sarasota has Pass
Over by Antoinette Nwandu on
November 10-12 and 17-19. Pass
Over reimagines Beckett’s Waiting for
Godot through the eyes of two innercity
Black men.
Moses and Kitch stand around on
the corner – passing the time and hoping
that maybe today will be different.
As they dream of their promised land,
a stranger wanders into their space
with his own agenda and derails their
plans. Emotional and lyrical, Pass
Over crafts everyday profanities into
poetic and humorous riffs, exposing
the unquestionable human spirit of
young men stuck in a cycle just looking
for a way out.
Held at The Players Studio Black Box,
1400 Blvd. of the Arts, Suite 200,
Sarasota. Tickets: theplayers.org
▼
Learn more at
http://ecosummit.org.
Manatee Performing Arts
Center has:
• Peace of Woodstock — go on a
musical journey from the acoustic
opening act of the Woodstock experience,
Richie Havens, through the
closing moments of the festival with
the electric sounds of Jimi Hendrix.
Also featured are songs from Crosby,
Stills, Nash, The Who, Janis Joplin,
Sly and the Family Stone, Joe Cocker,
Arlo Guthrie, Country Joe McDonald,
Santana, the Jefferson Airplane, and
others. Held on November 11.
• Elvis On Tour: The Elvis Presley
Experience — In the spring of
1972, Elvis Presley embarked on a
fifteen-day, fifteen-city tour across
America! Performing in his prime.
Matt Stone, a nationally-acclaimed
Elvis Tribute Artist, who was named
by Graceland as one of the top performers
on the planet, is bak to recreate
these performances. Held on
November 18.
• She Loves Me— In this case of
mistaken identity and letter writing,
two feuding perfume clerks have no
idea that they are in love. Considered
by many to be the most charming
musicals ever written, She Loves Me
is a warm romantic comedy. Dates:
November 30-December 10.
Box Office: 941-748-5878. Manatee
Performing Arts Center, 502 Third
Avenue W, Bradenton.
Venice Theatre has Pickleball
through November 19. Pickleball
is a quippy screwball comedy
about the predominant mania of our
time. Goofy, lightning-fast, and slightly
naughty, it’s a “pwocking” good time
that will “pickle” your funny bone.
▼
• In the Raymond Center (Venice
Theatre’s 130-seat temporary stage in
the Raymond Center directly behind
the main building) running October
13-November 12 is The Addams Family.
Music by Andrew Lippa; Lyrics
by Andrew Lippa, Book by Marshall
Brickman and Rick Elice. Based on
the comic strip The Addams Family
by Charles Addams. Now see Gomez,
Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, and
Lurch live in the Broadway musical hit.
Info: venice theatre.org/
Asolo Rep has Crazy For you
November 18-January 4, 2024. Put on
your dancing shoes as you are transported
back to the Roaring Twenties
by this Tony Award-winning, romantic
musical comedy. Featuring iconic
Gershwin songs such as “Someone
to Watch Over Me,” “I Got Rhythm,”
and “Embraceable You,” Crazy For
You delivers comic high jinks, spectacular
dance numbers, and fun for
the entire family.
▼
Visit asolorep.org to learn more info.
FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor
Training’s has Anton Chekhov’s The
Three Sisters running through
November 19 and showcasing the
talents of second-year Conservatory
actors. Experience the heart-wrenching
tale of the Prozorov sisters, whose
dreams of returning to Moscow are
shattered in a provincial Russian
swamp. Discover the secrets that have
made audiences weep for over a century
and delve into the mystery of why
Chekhov protested dramatic interpretations
of The Three Sisters.
For information, visit asolorep.org/
conservatory
▼
Florida Studio Theatre presents
Little Shop of Horrors starting
November 15. A hapless flower shop
assistant, Seymour stumbles across a
new breed of plant, which he names
‘Audrey II’ after his coworker crush.
The saucy, R&B-singing carnivore
promises Seymour unending fame
and fortune with one condition: he
must keep feeding it blood. Seymour
soon discovers Audrey II’s out-ofthis-world
origins and its man-eating
appetite for global domination.
▼
Carole Kleinberg, artistic director
of Sarasota Jewish Theatre , said,
“Because we sold out and turned away
so many people for ‘Bashert – Some
Things are Meant to Be’ last season, we
▼
continued on page 10
8 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

Program 2 | Sarasota Opera House
CONFLICTED
BeAuty
Edwaard Liang’s The Art of War
Sir Frederick Ashton’s Dante Sonata
Paul Taylor’s Company B
NOV 17
7:30 PM
NOV 18
2:00 PM | 7:30 PM
Program Media Sponsor
941.359.0099 | SarasotaBallet.org
Jennifer Hackbarth and Ricardo Rhodes in Edwaard Liang’s The Art of War | Photography by Frank Atura
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NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 9

out and about continued
are bringing back a slightly revised and
enhanced production of it on November
11 at 7:30 p.m.” This one-woman
musical, written and performed by
Lynne Bernfield, directed by Sharon
Ohrenstein with musical direction
by Tom Pizzi, is about the surprising
and even impossible events which
occur in our lives: the ironic way two
lovers meet, the implausible way a
performer’s career gets started, and
how, against all odds, a dream/wish
comes true.
Sarasota Jewish Theatre’s continues
with three plays from January through
May: “Fully Committed” by Becky
Mode, “Better Late” by Larry Gelbart,
and “The Immigrant” by Mark
Harelik. The plays are presented at
The Players Centre Studio 1130 at the
Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S.
Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
To purchase tickets and subscriptions,
visit ThePlayers.org or call 941-365-
2494. For information, visit Sarasota-
JewishTheatre.org.
At The Galleries
Island Gallery and Studios featured
artist for November is Rick
Cardoza. His exhibit, “From There to
Here” — includes paintings of southern
New England to Florida’s Suncoast
and is on display November 1-30. Join
in for their first Art Walk of the Season
on November 10 from 5:30 to 7:30.
Enjoy drinks and small bites, and the
artists will be on hand to welcome you.
Cardoza is an avid landscape painter
and outdoor enthusiast. He focuses
on capturing the effects of light and
color of the landscape, birds, and figures
in scenes of recreation. He pays
special attention to the atmospheric
mood of the subject in the attempt to
translate a moment of time and place
for the viewer.
Meet the artist in the gallery on
November 25 from 10 am to 6 p.m.
Island Gallery and Studios is located
at 456 Old Main Street in downtown
Bradenton. Visit www.islandgalleryandstudios.org
or call 941-778-6648.
▼
Art CenterManatee has Joyful
Expressions and the annual Holiday
Extravaganza in their galleries.
November 21- December 29. Opening
reception is on Thursday, November
30, 5-7 pm. The annual Artful
Holidays Party and Sale will begin
during the reception.
The annual pottery sale will be on
November 11, 9-2. They’re at 209 9th
St W, Bradenton. Info: ArtCenter-
Manatee.org.
▼
Sarasota Orchestra
Masterworks performances take
place at Van Wezel and Neel Performing
Arts Center.
• The Scottish – December 2, 3 with
Johannes Debus, conductor; Randall
Goosby, violin performing John Corigliano
– Stomp; Mozart – Violin Concerto
No. 3 and Mendelssohn – Symphony
No. 3 (Scottish)
▼
• The Discoveries series features
bite-sized programs delighting both
devotees and newcomers to great
chamber orchestra repertoire. Discoveries
performances take place at the
Sarasota Opera House.
• Cheers to the Music of Dance is on
December 20 with Yue Bao, conductor
performing J. Strauss,
Jr. – Voices of Spring;
Gluck – Dance of the
Blessed Spirits; J. Strauss,
Jr. – Emperor Waltzes;
Brahms – Hungarian
Dance No. 5 and Poulenc
– Sinfonietta
• The Great
Escapes series offers a
mix of popular tunes,
light classics and conductor
commentary.
Great Escapes performances
take place at
Holley Hall.
• Holiday Party –
December 6-10 with
Kelly Corcoran, conductor.
• The Chamber
Soirées series offers
the opportunity to get
up close and personal
with Sarasota Orchestra
musicians as they perform
magnificent, small
ensemble works. This
season includes six programs
featuring string
and piano quartets, classics
for wind and brass
instruments, rare gems
and more. Chamber
Soirées performances take place at
Holley Hall.
• November 19 — A Soldier’s Tale –
Stravinsky – L’Histoire du Soldat (A
Soldier’s Tale)
For further information, visit www.
SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Bookstore1
Sarasota
November Book Clubs:
Book clubs meet in person in the loft
at Bookstore1 at The Mark, 117 South
Pineapple Ave.
• Banned Book Club led by Bryn
Durgin
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by
Alison Bechdel on November 14 from
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
November’s pick is Fun Home: A Family
Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. PEN
America notes: “Fun Home has been
challenged for the very reason it is so
remarkable: it is an unflinching look
at sexuality and repression, and at the
same time a treatise on how reading
can save your life.” A fee $19 includes a
copy of Fun Home.
▼
• Poetry Book Club led by Doug
Knowlton
Fever of Unknown Origin by Campbell
McGrath on November 15 at 2 p.m.
November’s selection is Fever of
Unknown Origin by Campbell
McGrath, a collection of profound
and piercing poems from a finalist for
the Pulitzer Prize about navigating
the modern world in search of beauty
that will endure.
A fee of $29 includes a copy of Fever of
Unknown Origin.
November events:
Events are in person in the loft at the
store at Bookstore1 at The Mark, 117
South Pineapple Ave.
• The Boy From Kyiv: Alexei Ratmansky’s
Life in Ballet: Author & Critic
Marina Harss in Conversation with
Carrie Seidman on November 9 from
7-8 p.m.
Marina Harss will discuss the first
Sarasota Opera has The Little Sweep by Benjamin Britten
November 4, 5p.m. and November 5, 12:30p.m. Sarasota Youth
Opera will present a revival of Britten’s charming opera. Tickets:
www.tickets.sarasotaopera.org.
biography of the most celebrated ballet
choreographer of our time, Alexei
Ratmansky. Come listen to her talk
with Carrie Seidman and local ballet
dancers in this after-hours event.
• White House by the Sea: Reading &
Conversation with Author Kate Storey
is on November 11 from 11 a.m.-12
p.m. The intimate, multi-generational
story of the Kennedy family as seen
through their Hyannis Port compound
on Cape Cod—the iconic place where
they’ve celebrated, mourned, and
forged the closest of bonds—based on
more than a hundred in-depth interviews
by a Rolling Stone editor whose
pieces have appeared in such publications
as Town & Country, Esquire,
and Vanity Fair.
• Bookstore1 PoetryMic with Dariana
Alvarez and Joanna Fox: Readings of
Original Poems by Local Poets is on
November 12, 2-3 p.m. Their free
PoetryMic series introduces you to a
varied group of talented poets that live
in and around Sarasota.
Poets: Dariana Alvarez and Joanna Fox
• Prose Writing Workshop with Magazine1
Editor-in-Chief Ben Kerns is
held on Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. from
November 28 to December 19.
If you’re a prose writer of fiction or
nonfiction work, then you’ll fit right
in at this workshop. This workshop
welcomes all levels of experience
to participate in four two-hour sessions,
designed to take you from
first draft to final draft with written,
constructive feedback provided by
the instructor and fellow attendees.
Expect to write and receive detailed
feedback from your fellow writers
while building a community of readers
in the process. We will also read
and discuss the craft elements of several
published, short pieces of prose.
The workshop cost is $50 which
includes all four sessions plus an
optional introductory session. Registration
deadline is November 14.
Registration for all events: www.sarasotabooks.com,
or call 941-365-7900.
Art Around
the State
The Norton examines
two artforms
which have maintained
worldwide popularity
for centuries: Chinese
and Japanese blueand-white
porcelain
and indigo-dyed textiles.
Including more
than 20 porcelain
objects, dating from
the 1500s to the 1900s,
and seven textiles,
dating from the 1700s
to the 1900s, Classic
Blues highlights the
decorative techniques
of hand-painting and
stenciling used across
both media. Other
techniques featured
include ceramic design
transfers, known as
decals, and resist dyeing
methods utilizing
woodblocks, tie-dye,
batik, and applique
for textiles. Runs to
November 19.
Info: www.norton.
org. They’re at 1450 S.
Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach.
▼
▼
The legacy of writer and painter
Leonora Carrington on view at The
Dalí Museum. During her lifetime,
Leonora Carrington produced more
than 2,000 paintings and authored
several notable written works, earning
the Women’s Caucus for Art Lifetime
Achievement award in 1986. The Dalí
Museum will present “Leonora Carrington:
Writer, Painter, Visionary,”
to Jan. 7, 2024 in The Museum’s Raymond
James Community Room. The
exhibition will highlight Carrington’s
personal life, her written work and her
visionary images.
Carrington’s remarkable life was
filled with adversity and profoundly
shaped her artistic endeavors. Born
into a wealthy conservative English
family, she rebelled early on, finding
solace in her partnership with Ernst.
WWII ruptured their bond when
Ernst was arrested by the French
police and German Gestapo. These
separations initiated Carrington’s
collapse, propelling her to leave
France. In Madrid, another mental
breakdown led her to be institutionalized
in a Spanish asylum against
her will. She orchestrated an escape
by a marriage of convenience with
Mexican Ambassador Renato Leduc,
which facilitated her flight to New
York. She eventually settled in Mexico,
where she thrived creatively,
forming connections with expatriate
artists and marrying photographer
Emerico “Chiki” Weisz. The majority
of her most notable work was created
in Mexico, her primary residence
until her death in 2011 at the age of 94.
Visit TheDali.org.
Explore the Vaults: Water + Color.
This exhibition explores paintings and
drawings from the MFA’s permanent
collection made using water-based
media, including ink, gouache, and of
course watercolor. The works in this
gallery, both on the walls and in the
cabinet drawers, show the wide array
▼
of visual effects—from crisp lines to
delicately hued washes to intensely
saturated passages—created through
water’s interaction with pigments
upon various surface. Among the
most ancient of all artistic techniques
is painting or drawing with pigments
suspended in water.
Because they can be created from
simple substances—such as naturally
occurring minerals, soot,
plant materials, and water—these
paints and inks are found in cultures
around the globe. This exhibition
explores paintings and drawings
from the MFA’s permanent collection
made using water-based media,
including ink, gouache, and of
course watercolor. In contrast to
more complicated media, like egg
tempera or oil paint, water-based
paints and inks are easier to work
with, dry more quickly, and can be
used successfully without specialized
training. Over the last two hundred
years, commercially produced
pigments and new media like acrylic
paint have expanded the range of
colors and finishes for water-based
techniques. The works in this gallery,
both on the walls and in the cabinet
drawers, show the wide array of visual
effects—from crisp lines to delicately
hued washes to intensely saturated
passages—created through
water’s interaction with pigments
upon various surfaces. Runs through
January 7. Info: mfastpete.org.
Meetings
The Palm-Aire Women’s Club
has Dr. Robyn Bell as the keynote
speaker at their November 10 luncheon.
Dr. Bell was the Director of
Instrumental Studies at State College
of Florida. She established the
Music Excellence Sponsorship Fund,
which provided scholarships and
mentorship opportunities to SCF
music students. For further information
email Carol Darling - darlingcj@yahoo.com.
The Palm-Aire
Women’s Club invites all to attend
luncheons and get involved helping
the PAWC grow. Contact Ann
King at Pawc2023@gmail.com to
be included on the email list. Visit
the PAWC website: www.palm-airewomensclub.org.
▼
The Manatee Genealogical Society
will host a hybrid meeting and
program on Tuesday, November 7,
10 am to noon. Program speaker,
Matt Woodside, will present in person
“Living Off the Land”. Matt is
the Curator of the Manatee Village
Historical Park.
This presentation will explore how
settlers in the mid-1800s through the
early 1900s took advantage of readily
available natural resources of the
land and the sea.
Members of the public are welcome
to attend. Guests attending via Zoom
must register at least one day in advance
by emailing: info@mgsfl.org.
Participants attending in person will
meet at the Manatee Central Library,
which is located at 1301 Barcarrota
Blvd West, Bradenton.
The Manatee Central Library Auditorium
will open at 9:45 a.m. for
in-person attendees. The Zoom meeting
will begin at 10 a.m. For more information,
visit https://mgsfl.org/.
▼
10 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

MEDICAL DERMATOLOGY
MOHS SURGERY
COSMETIC PROCEDURES
Heidi K. Anderson
MD
Amy Fenenga
PA-C, MPA
Bradley Kovach
MD
Megan Sorensen
PA-C
Check our website for upcoming
cosmetic specials and events!
Monika Holder
PA-C
Candice Staron
APRN, FNP-C
For your Skin.
For your Well-Being.
5310 Clark Rd. Suite 201 • Sarasota, FL 34233
941-925-3627 • DocsofSarasota.com
S R SOT CONCERT
SOFIA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
with PIANIST SIMEON GOSHEV
Nayden Todorov, conductor
Monday, Jan 15, 7:30 pm | Van Wezel
An All-Beethoven program!
HARLEM QUARTET
Wednesday, Jan 24, 7:30 pm
Riverview Performing Arts Center
Mendelssohn, Britten, and jazz standards
DETROIT SYMPHONY
with CELLIST ALISA WEILERSTEIN
Jader Bignamini, conductor
Monday, Feb 19, 7:30 pm | Van Wezel
Elgar Cello Concerto and Scheherazade
ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC
with PIANIST DANIIL TRIFONOV
Lahav Shani, conductor
Sunday, March 3, 7:30 pm | Van Wezel
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 and
Romeo and Juliet
PIANIST BRUCE LIU
Friday, March 29, 7:30 pm
Riverview Performing Arts Center
Performing Ravel, Chopin and Liszt
SSOCI TION
CANADIAN BRASS HOLIDAY CONCERT
Monday, Dec 4, 2023, 7:30 pm | Sarasota Opera House
Performing fun and festive holiday favorites.
2023-24 Season single tickets on sale now!
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NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 11

good news department
Barancik Foundation Honors Five Teachers
Family members of Triad Alternave School teacher Robert Whipple (center) joined the surprise
presentation of the Ripple Effect Teacher Award in Whipple’s classroom.
Five Sarasota County educators were recently
named 2023 Ripple Effect Teacher
Award winners by Charles & Margery
Barancik Foundation and Sarasota County
Schools.
Each award, which recognizes educators
for their impact on their students, schools,
and community, came with a $5,000 check
for the teacher from Barancik Foundation.
The Ripple Effect Teacher Awards program
honors the chosen profession of Margery
Barancik, co-founder of the foundation
that bears her name, who was a teacher
and lifelong supporter of education.
Barancik Foundation presents the Ripple
Effect Teacher Award to five educators
twice a year, in September and May, to
mark the respective birthdays of Margie
and Chuck Barancik. The recipients of the
fall 2023 Ripple Effect Teacher Award were:
• Elizabeth Donofrio, Venice High School
• Kim Hunt, Venice Elementary School
• BJ Ivey, Sarasota High School
• Marjie Smith, Sarasota Middle School
• Robert Whipple, Triad Alternative School
“Margie Barancik understood the positive
ripple effect that great teachers have
throughout the lives of their students,”
said Hansen. “These Ripple Effect Award
winners deserve to be recognized and
thanked. Our community is immeasurably
better because of their dedication,
professionalism, and hard work.”
The Ripple Effect Teacher Award program
was launched in 2021 and invites
Sarasota County School District principals
to nominate one educator from their
school who sets the bar for innovation
and creates lasting impacts on their students
and peers. To date, Barancik Foundation
has presented 30 Ripple Effect
Teacher Awards.
Child Protection Center, Inc. awarded grant by
Venice Coldwell Banker Realty
The Child Protection
Center, Inc (CPC) has
been awarded a $5,822
grant by the Venice
Coldwell Banker Realty
Cares Foundation. This
funding was awarded
to continue the foundation’s
support of the Children
and Families Supervised
Visitation Program
(CFSVP), one of CPC’s core
programs providing child
abuse intervention services. CVSVP is the
only non-profit program in Sarasota County
providing on-site supervised visitation
services. CFSVP provides a safe place for
children to interact with parents without
the stress of being in the middle of a family
argument, observing a parent who is
impaired by substance abuse, and without
uncomfortable conversations that include
adult topics.
By accessing CFSVP, the risk of violence
to children decreases as the program addresses
the needs of both the child and
parents to interrupt the cycle of abuse.
Over 50 Sarasota County citizens serve as
CFSVP volunteers. For more information
on CPC or to inquire about volunteering
with the Children and Families Supervised
Visitation Program, visit www.cpcsarasota.org
or call 941-365-1277.
All Faiths Food Bank in DeSoto opens
Sarasota Orchestra receives grant from The
Exchange
Sarasota Orchestra has received a $35,000
grant from The Exchange in support of the
2023-2024 Young Person’s Concerts (YPC).
Sarasota Orchestra’s YPC are experienced
by nearly 9,000 students annually and
have been presented since 1953.
This live orchestra concert experience
for fourth and fifth grade students combines
a year-long curriculum in schools
with a field trip to see the professional Sarasota
Orchestra in concert. The 2023-2024
Young Person’s Concerts were held this
past October with eight daytime concerts.
The curriculum guide was developed by
a team of area music teachers and the Sarasota
Orchestra Education Department; it
includes detailed lesson plans with information
on the featured composers, specific
pieces, and general music vocabulary.
To learn more about Sarasota Orchestra’s
2023-2024 season and programs,
visit www.SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Resilient Retreat awarded grant from
Michael Saunders and Company Foundation
Resilient Retreat received a $1,000 grant
from the Michael Saunders and Company
Foundation for training first responders
and helping professionals during a time of
critical need.
Resilient Retreat’s mission to help those
impacted by trauma and abuse. They provide
free, evidence-based programs to survivors
of trauma and abuse, first responders, and
helping professionals, to heal the impacts of
trauma on the mind, body, and spirit.
The grant provided by the Michael Saunders
Foundation Grant will partially fund
a four-part educational series for first responders
and helping professionals, focusing
on compassion fatigue, well-being
Elsa and Peter Soderberg
All Faiths Food Bank has served DeSoto
County for over 25 years and, in the fall
of 2019, celebrated the official opening of
its new DeSoto Food and Resource Center
(DeSoto FRC) in Arcadia. Funded by six donors
and initiated as a pilot program, the
DeSoto FRC was created as a hub to provide
services and strengthen partnerships
with other programs.
Building on their initial grant to support
the opening of the DeSoto FRC, Elsa and
Peter Soderberg have provided a threeyear
lead gift of $600,000 to help subsidize
three new mobile pantries. These
new mobile pantries will provide food
to neighbors in remote areas of DeSoto
County, as well as offer benefits assistance,
nutrition education, wrap-around
services on-site and compensation for
a truck driver. The funding will be distributed
on a payment schedule running
through June 30, 2026.
“We believe collaborating with
like-minded funders optimizes the opportunities
for catalytic change and we will
continue to support the DeSoto FRC as the
needs of the community evolve and more
is understood about how to best serve
people living in DeSoto County,” said Peter
Soderberg.
In 2021-2022, All Faiths conducted two
new community assessments that examined
DeSoto County issues facing residents
such as, the impacts of Covid and
hurricane disasters on available services
and gaps in services and opportunities
for the DeSoto FRC to provide additional
assistance. Based on the findings of the
assessments, it was determined there was
a need for expansion of the facility and
additional services including food distribution,
outreach, and benefits assistance
in remote, unserved areas.
In DeSoto County, where agriculture is
the dominant industry, the number of persons
living in poverty is nearly 26% (the
national average is 12.8%). With a population
of just over 34,400, median household
income in DeSoto County is just under
$40,000 versus the median income in
Sarasota County of nearly $72,000.
during a natural disaster, self-care, healing-centered
engagement, peer support,
and leadership training.
According to data from their 2022 reports,
over 80% of professionals are currently
experiencing compassion fatigue and 75%
are experiencing burnout and secondary
traumatic stress (PTSD for helpers). After
participating in programs at Resilient Retreat,
over 75% of participants reported an
improvement in emotional regulation, 85%
reported a decrease in burnout symptoms,
and over 70% reported an improvement in
compassion satisfaction. In 2022 Resilient
Retreat provided training to 1,891 community
members in 38 local organizations.
12 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

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dining in
It’s all about the Bird
In its many forms, shapes and preparations
Turkeys are traditionally eaten as the main course of Thanksgiving dinner
feasts in the United States and Canada.
But, did you know that turkey meat has been eaten by indigenous peoples
from Mexico, Central America, and the southern tier of the United States
since antiquity. In the 15th century, Spanish conquistadores took Aztec turkeys
back to Europe.
Turkey was eaten in as early as the 16th century in England. Before the 20th
century, pork ribs were the most common food for the North American holidays,
as the animals were usually slaughtered in November.
Turkeys were once so abundant in the wild that they were eaten throughout the
year, the food considered commonplace. Turkey with mole is regarded as Mexico’s
“national dish”. Turkey rice is regarded as one of Taiwan’s national dishes.
A few healthy
substitutions can turn
this traditional comfort
food into a nutritional
powerhouse. The first step
is to replace the typical
beef or pork with lean
ground turkey. Onion
and cremini mushrooms
add texture and variety
to help you get more
vegetables on your plate.
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Makes 8 servings
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
F Turkey Meatloaf
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, trimmed
and chopped
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 lbs. ground turkey (mix of dark and
light meat)
Turkey Meatloaf T
Salt and freshly ground black pepper,
to taste
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 Tbsp. fat-free, reduced-sodium
chicken broth
1 tsp. tomato paste
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup ketchup
In skillet, sauté onions and mushrooms in oil. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire, broth
and tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room
temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, eggs and onion-mushroom mixture.
Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf in shallow baking dish. Brush ketchup
on top.
Bake 90 minutes or until meat is cooked through and internal temperature is 165 degrees
F. Serve hot. Leftovers may be served cold in sandwiches.
If you’re looking for
an easier alternative
to making a
whole turkey for
the holidays, try
this simple roast.
Individual turkey
breasts are seasoned
with flavorful herbs
and cooked together
with a medley of
vegetables to add
healthy nutrients
and save time.
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1 1/2 tsp.
dried
3 sprigs sage, or 1 tsp. dried
5 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1 tsp. dried
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
F Herb Roasted Turkey Breast w/Vegetables
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast w/Vegetables T
2 (2 1/2 lb. each) bone-in, skin on
turkey breasts
6 shallots, peeled and halved
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and
chopped into 1” cubes
1.5 lbs. Brussels sprouts, halved
1 lb. whole carrots, tops removed and
sliced in half lengthwise
F Roasted Turkey Breast Porchetta Style
The Italianinspired
blend
of herbs and
spices sets this
recipe apart from
all the others
and produces
moist, flavorful
meat with very
little salt.
Makes 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Roasted Turkey Breast Porchetta Style T
1 tsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh
rosemary
1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh sage
2 garlic cloves, chopped
In small, dry skillet, combine coriander and fennel seeds and toast over medium-high
heat. Shake and move pan in circular motion occasionally at first, then
constantly until seeds are golden and fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer seeds
to plate to cool.
In food processor, pulse fennel seeds with herbs, garlic and toasted coriander until
finely chopped to make seasoning mixture. Add salt and pepper and whirl until all
ingredients are very finely chopped, 30 seconds. With motor running, drizzle in oil.
Set seasoning mixture aside for 15 minutes.
While seasoning sits, use your fingers to gently separate skin from turkey breast meat,
taking care not to tear skin. Using your hand, rub one third of seasoning mixture under
skin on each side of breast and coat inside of breast with remaining mixture. Rub
your oily hands over skin, coating it lightly. Seal breast in plastic wrap and set on a
plate. Marinate breast in refrigerator for 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place rack in large roasting pan. While oven heats, unwrap
turkey and let sit on counter.
Pour chicken broth into roasting pan. Set turkey breast on rack. Roast turkey, turning
pan in oven every 20 minutes to help it brown evenly. Breast is done when instant read
thermometer inserted into thickest point reads 165 degrees F., about 2 hours for a
6-pound breast (allowing 20 minutes per pound). Skin can be dark without meat being
dry, but tent foil over breast if skin is getting too dark. Skin near bone may look pale
pink due to brining effect of seasoning paste.
Let breast rest for 20 minutes before carving. Strain juices to serve on the side.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place oil, rosemary, sage, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in food processor and
pulse until finely chopped.
Gently pull skin back from turkey breast halves. Rub ½ of oil-herb mixture all over
turkey breasts, both under skin and then on top.
Arrange 6 shallot halves each on two large, deep baking pans.
Set turkey breasts on top of shallots and add ½ cup chicken broth to each pan.
Roast for 60 minutes.
While turkey is roasting, toss sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and carrots with
remaining oil-herb mixture in large bowl. Set aside.
Remove turkey from oven and transfer turkey and shallots to cutting board. Carefully
drain the broth (can save for gravy, if desired) from both pans.
Divide and spread sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts (flat side down) and carrots over
both baking pans in an even layer. Place turkey and shallots on top of vegetables and
roast until turkey registers 165°F on meat thermometer and vegetables are golden
brown, about 60 to 75 minutes more. Note: If vegetables or turkey skin are starting to
burn, lightly tent the pan in foil.
Transfer turkey to clean cutting board and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve with roasted vegetables.
Makes 10 (4-5 oz) servings
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole turkey breast (5lb.), bone-in
4 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium
chicken broth
14 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

your healthier health you
Craniosacral Therapy Can Be Life Changing
CST treats the whole body physically, physiologically, mentally, emotionally and energetically
Clients come to me because they are in physical
pain such as neck, back, pain and TMJ as well as
for chronic headaches and migraines.
Pain and stress caused by
shortened Fascia
Fascia (strong connective tissue) encases all
our muscles, organs, brain and spinal cord.
Whenever fascia shortens any place in the
body, the entire network of fascia creates an
increased tension affecting the functioning
of our physical body as well as our organs,
our brain and spinal cord.
Our body is the history of every major
trauma we have experienced physically and
emotionally beginning with birth issues, falls,
head trauma, car accidents, childhood abuse
issues, death, divorce and other emotional
issues. Our body tries to minimize each trauma
by shortening fascia to isolate the energy
coming into the body from that trauma.
Shortened fascia results in pain, loss of mobility
and range of motion, organs becoming
less efficient and with parts of the brain and
spinal cord becoming stressed.
To keep the brain functioning, the body
transfers some of your functional work play
energy (7:00 AM-10:00 PM) to the brain resulting
in less energy to make it through each
day. As we age, the accumulation of all the
tightened fascia, from every major trauma
in life, begins to restrict every aspect of our
body’s functions resulting in pain, loss of mobility,
mis-functioning organs, loss of energy,
as well as our brain losing some its sharpness.
How Craniosacral
Therapy Works
The Craniosacral Therapist creates a safe
place, with gentle holding techniques, that
engages your body’s ability to self correct,
reorganize and heal itself with the release
of some of that tightened fascia during
each session. As the Craniosacral Therapist
engages your body, you will feel fascia releasing.
As the fascia releases, pain begins to
decrease, range of motion and mobility improve,
organs begin functioning better and
with less stress on the brain feels, it returns
the energy it borrowed at the time of each
trauma resulting in an immediate increase in
your energy levels. Rarely does anyone leave
from my first session not feeling better.
Short Leg Syndrome
Eighty-five percent of my clients have one
of their legs pulled up 1/2 to 1 by shortened
fascia. The tension from short leg syndrome
on the sacrum (5 fused vertebrae at bottom
of the spine) is transferred up the dural tube
that encases the spinal cord into the lower
and upper back, the neck, the cranium and
The physical stress in bodies caused by shortened
fascia (connective tissue) shuts down
energy flows to certain organs. Short leg syndrome
by ½ to 1 in (where one leg is pulled up
by shortened fascia) shuts down energy flow to
the spleen (an important part of your immune
system) and the small and large intestine. With
the release of that shortened fascia, energy returns
to these organs.
the brain. Headaches, migraines, TMJ and
neck problems can originate from the fascial
stress in the sacrum.
Releasing this sacral stress increases energy
in the bladder, sex organs, kidneys and
the chakras as well as releasing major stress
in the upper part of the body.
Cause of Shallow Breathing
A great majority of the clients who come to
me for various problems are also shallow
breathers. Fascial stress in the diaphragm
restricts the depth of breathing by restricting
energy flow to the lungs, the pericardium
and the heart. With the release of fascial diaphragm
restriction, the client immediately
starts breathing deeply and energy is restored
to the pericardium and the heart.
Shoulder blades that are cemented to the
body also restricts how much the rib cage can
open and thereby also restricting depth of
breath. Without proper breathing, your cells
do not get enough oxygen. Everyone, especially
people suffering from bronchitis, asthma
and COPD as well as shallow breathing can
benefit when the fascial stress is released.
Specialized Training
to work with Brain
Dysfunctions
Just as the body physically gets stressed from
physical and emotional trauma, the functioning
of the brain is also affected by fascial stress. For
our brains to remain healthy, we need dynamic
production of craniosacral fluid which performs
the important function of bringing nourishment
to all the cells in the brain and spinal
cord as well as cleansing all the metabolic
wastes given off by those same cells.
Once the craniosacral fluid cleanses these
metabolic wastes, efficient drainage of these
metabolic wastes into the lymph system is
absolutely necessary. Research has shown,
that at night, craniosacral fluid cleanses amyloid
plaques from the brain. If the drainage
is inefficient, then the brain is being bathed
in a toxic slurry. How does 15 or 20 years of
your brain being bathed in a toxic slurry
affect you: senile dementia, Parkinson’s,
Alzheimer’s and other brain dysfunctions?
A Craniosacral Therapist, who has received
training in working with the brain, can reverse
that stress on the brain that eventually can
result in those brain dysfunctions. As we all
know, the proper functioning of the body is
dependent on a healthy functioning brain.
Babies and Children can benefit
■ Our little boy Leo, four years of age, had a
difficult birth and at 7 months was put on antibiotics
for an ear infection and as a result developed
c-diff. His development came to a stop.
At 3 years, with the help of an OT, he started
to walk and talk. In spite of the improvements,
he was unable to answer questions and his
communication skills were very poor. Leo
had very poor muscle tone, a lot of stress in
his body and physical activities such walking,
jumping and climbing were difficult for him.
Beginning with the first session with Terry,
he began showing improvement and with each
following session. Everyone from his teachers
to his grandparents noticed an increase in his
■ “I was in awful pain and the
MRI showed 2 pinched nerves
and stenosis. I scheduled surgery.
My daughter suggested Craniosacral therapy.
After only 2 visits the pain was reduced to
advanced craniosacral about 80% and therapy I canceled the surgery. I went
for a 3rd visit and I am about 90% better.”
■ “Simply Amazing! One visit was all it took for
Terry to relieve 85% of my year long, nagging
(sometimes severe) neck/shoulder tightness/
pain!! My breathing improved tremendously.”
physical strength, as well as improvements in
comprehension, speech and communication
skills. For the first time, he started participating
in class lessons and interacting with his
classmates. Terry has made a huge impact on
getting Leo to a place a little boy should be at
age four. We cannot thank Terry enough.
■ Terry’s treatment helped our 6 week old
baby boy from recent hospitalization into
the first series of healthy bowel movements
when seemingly nothing could help. Our son
was able to latch onto the breast and for the
first time completed his feeding. He was much
calmer after working with Terry.
■ “He was able to relieve tension that I have
been carrying around for 15 years or more.
I left his office table with more energy than I
have had in years.”
■ “I began working with him because I was
dealing with anxieties, depression and lots of
emotional pain inside and out. You don’t realized
how much stress can cause damage to
your body, mind and soul. I can say Terry was
a big help.”
Terrence Grywinski
of Advanced
Craniosacral Therapy,
B.A., B.ED., LMT #MA 6049
Testimonials from Clients
SOURCE:
■ Terrence Grywinski of Advanced Craniosacral Therapy,
B.A., B.ED., LMT #MA 6049. Terry has specialized in Craniosacral
Therapy since 1994 when he began his training at the Upledger
Institute. Described by his teachers, clients and colleagues
as a “gifted healer”, Terry’s intuitive sense and healing energy
provides immediate and lasting relief from injury, pain, mobility
issues as well as dysfunctions of the body and the brain. Part
of Terry’s ongoing education, he has completed 4 craniosacral
brain and peripheral nervous system classes which enables him
to work at a cellular
level and with brain
dysfunctions.
Call 941-321-8757
for more information,
Google Advanced
Craniosacral
Therapy.
■ “On a recent vacation to Siesta Key, I re-injured
my back. I found Terry online. I can say
with complete joy that was the best decision
I made in the history of my back pain. I have
sought many modalities and visit a CST regularly
and never have I had such a healing in
my entire body.
After 3 sessions, I made a 16-hour drive
home with no pain or discomfort in my entire
body. Unbelievable. My body has a sense of
moving freely and that is completely new. I’m
advanced craniosacral therapy
so grateful to Terry for his knowledge, for his
sensitivity to my needs and his kind generosity
in healing my body. I will see him when I return
next year.”
■ “I am a snowbird who spends 7 months
in Sarasota. I have had back problems for 25
years. Terry’s techniques have led to a great
deal of release and relief in areas that have
been problematic. I have been seeing him over
the years when my body says ”it’s time”. Usually
after a few sessions, I can tell a huge difference.”
PAID ADVERTORIAL
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 15

Christine
Kasten
President/CEO,
THE
VENICE SYMPHONY
o
She’s been
with the
Venice
Symphony for
seven years.
Troy Quinn,
the Symphony’s
Music Director/
Conductor, is in
his fifth season.
The Symphony is
marking its 50th
in 2024. That all
adds up to a lot
of stability and
makes for a very
bright future for
the Symphony.
o
16 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

She’s been with the Venice
Symphony (VS) for seven
years now. Troy Quinn, the
Symphony’s Music Director/
Conductor, is in his fifth
season. The Symphony itself
is marking its 50th in 2024.
That all adds up to a lot of
stability. And that’s important in the competitive
field of arts entertainment.
That stability combined with business
and creative smarts is why their website
says, “Last season almost every concert sold
out and seating for certain concerts is already
becoming limited so don’t wait to buy
your tickets.”
The Venice Symphony season is underway
and they’re back performing at
the Venice Performing Arts Center with a
variety of concerts that run through April.
Christine came on board with VS in 2014
as sales and marketing director then went
to work elsewhere until the Symphony
asked her to come back. She then served as
their interim executive director and was appointed
CEO and President by their Board
of Directors in 2016. They obviously liked
what they saw in Christine.
Then VS began its search for a new permanent
music director. Christine was thus able
to be a part of the search for a new conductor
that chose Troy Quinn, something she calls
one of the highlights of her career at VS. The
Symphony then introduced a “Pre-Concert
Talk Series”, a free and informal discussion
with the Maestro and guest soloists.
Venice Symphony’s history reflects
steady change and growth. It was incorporated
in November, 1974, when 56 area
volunteer musicians joined together under
the leadership of Hartley Haines, the director
of music in the public schools. The
orchestra played three concerts in the Venice
High School auditorium with banks and
subscribers covering the costs, according to
their website.
New conductors would come on board
over the decades, all the while VS expanded
its programming. Concerts were held at
Church of the Nazarene in Venice for years.
In 2014, the Symphony moved its concerts
to the Venice Performing Arts Center at
Venice High School. “I was able to see the
last concert The Venice Symphony held
at the Church of the Nazarene before it
moved to the new performance space,”
Christine recalls.
With Christine as executive director, more
dynamic changes were to come. In May
2019, The Venice Symphony, in partnership
with Atlanta Braves Spring Training, presented
its first Patriotic Pops concert at Cool
Today Park, bringing in more than 3,000
people. She was the one to reach out to Cool
Park today noting, “They’re in our ‘backyard’”
and the event drew 5,000 attendees.
Christine “took a hard look at everything”
including things like the Symphony’s logo
and website and decided on a rebranding,
to name a few. Plus she has instituted a 10-
year plan. When she started, she explains,
it was just herself and one other person.
Now VS has 14 staffers. While moving to the
Venice Performing Arts Center was “key”
so was finding a new conductor. “We did an
international search and 175 applied.” She
and her search committee chose the seven
finalists and each was asked to conduct a
concert featuring music they selected for
The Venice Symphony’s 2017-18 season—
which was her idea.
While the Symphony had to switch to free
virtual concerts, (sponsored by Gulf Coast
Community Foundation), when COVID-19
forced the cancellation of the 2020-21
season, in 2021-22 the Symphony sold out
nearly every concert. “We did online concerts,
recorded chamber music and put it on
YouTube,” she explains, adding that post-
COVID, “Ticket sales went right back up.”
In the non-ticket area, Venice Symphony
holds an annual food drive for the South
County Food Pantry and a toiletries drive
for Backpack Angels. Under Christine’s
watch, VS’s many performing and education
partnerships and collaborations
include the Venice Art Center, Venice Institute
for Performing Arts, EdExploreSRQ,
Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute, Venice
Main Street and and Wellen Park.
Venice Symphony also has an extensive
music education program offering a “Symphony
in the Schools” program that brings
symphonic music to third graders. Their
Summer Music Camp allows students in
grades K-12 to spend two weeks immersed in
playing music. As well, the Venice Symphony
Youth Orchestra offers young musicians in
7th to 12th grades quality instruction. Concert
Strings also offers younger students -
3rd to 8th grade - quality music training.
Prior to Venice Symphony, this CEO, who
is a native Iowan who later lived in western
Massachusetts, moved with her husband
Chad and their three children to Durawall,
New Zealand. “We were those crazy people
who decided to quit our jobs and construct
residential concrete walls. They have no AC
or central heating there. We started up the
company and ran it for four years.”
Back in the U.S. they landed in the world
of plentiful AC where she saw the Venice
Symphony opening. Christine had been
coming to Florida for years and has family
here so it was a very good fit. Still, even a
dynamic organization like the Venice Symphony
cannot always shake off misperceptions.
People still ask if the musicians are
volunteers. No, they’re highly paid professional
musicians from all over the country.
Of the 75 or so who perform with VS, many
have doctorates in music, quite a few teach
and almost all perform in other symphonies
and orchestras around the country.
Ticket sales make up a third of the VS
budget so to that end Christine has created
a development department to seek more
non-ticket funding and support.
Christine is clear-eyed and, to use the
over-used phrase, laser-focused. “No one
ever masters this position. There are always
challenges. You have to make sure you have
a strong team and that they’re taken care of
and enjoying themselves.”
She adds, “This is a pivotal year. We’ve
added four more concerts.” A quick look
at their website shows that their “Holiday
Spectacular” concerts have all sold out.
Looking ahead, Christine reports that
they’ll lengthen their season and add an
October concert next year.
Their programming reflects the changes
that orchestras have had to make to reach
a new music consumer who may not want
to buy season tickets, instead opting to buy
at the last minute. Or those who are more
drawn to pops music, show tunes, holiday
songs or thematic concerts like their “Hooray
for Hollywood” with Michael Feinstein
in concert on February 9, 2024. That concert
will also be a celebration of their 50th
anniversary.
The Symphony’s fundraiser “Venice
Nights” will transform the Venice Community
Center into a replica of its Italian namesake
on January 5. Guests will be able to
stroll the “piazza” they’re creating and see
statues and art come to life. Symphony musicians
will serenade guests and the Venice
Symphony Jazz Orchestra will also perform.
Christine’s board believes in “conservative
growth” which she defines as, “We’re
growing here, but we’re growing smart.”
It also sounds like a lot of fun.
STORY: Louise Bruderle
IMAGES: Evelyn England
A Tuna
Christmas
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Nov. 29-Dec. 17, 2023
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Photo: simonapilolia
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 17

Season Highlights:
events we think you’ll find interesting or unique
HIGHLIGHTS
Pickleball is so popular
it has its own show -
but hurry
At Venice Theatre is Pickleball, Jeff
Daniels’ quippy screwball comedy
about the predominant mania of our
time. Goofy, lightning-fast, and slightly
naughty, it’s a “pwocking” good time that
will “pickle” your funny bone and runs
through November 19.
Pickleball has 8.9 million players in the
USA and a growth rate of 158.6% for the
last three-year period (2020-22). Understandably,
it has been the fastest-growing
sport in the US for the last three years
(2020, 2021, and 2022). Tickets: venicetheatre.org.
Location: Pinkerton Theatre,
140 Tampa Ave. W. Venice.
Chamber Orchestra
Announces New,
Expanded Season
The Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota’s
seventh season has an expanded number
of concerts and a prestigious line-up of
guest artists. The season will include three
orchestral concerts at First Presbyterian
Church in Sarasota and two recitals at
St. Boniface Episcopal Church on Siesta
Key. In addition, the Chamber Orchestra
will perform a side-by-side concert with
the Venice High School Orchestra in the
Venice Performing Arts Center.
The Chamber Orchestra was established
by conductor Robert Vodnoy and violinist
Laurie Vodnoy-Wright in 2017, aspiring
to fill the niche of the chamber orchestra
repertoire.
Their first concert in their Orchestra Series
will be at First Presbyterian Church of
Sarasota on December 5, entitled Holiday
Gems with Giuseppina Ciarla (harp) and
Rafael Ramirez (mandolin).
The annual holiday concert will feature
music by Debussy, Vivaldi, Mahler,
and Tchaikovsky, plus holidays favorites.
Harpist Giuseppina Ciarla and mandolinist
Rafael Ramirez are the soloists.
Italian born Giuseppina Ciarla is a
classical musician and a groundbreaking
crossover performer combining her artistry
of harp and voice. Principal harpist with
the Sarasota Opera since 2002, Giuseppina
Ciarla performs in the US and in Italy.
For more information, visit www.
chamberorchestrasarasota.org, or call
219-928-8665.
Hermitage Artist Retreat
partners with
Benderson Park
The Hermitage Artist Retreat has a
new partnership with Nathan Benderson
Park as a part of the Hermitage’s 2023-
2024 season. Expanding on the Hermitage
programming at Selby Gardens and other
venues throughout the region, the new
“Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park”
series launches this year following a Hermitage
program at the park last season.
Each program
in the “Hermitage
Sunsets @ Benderson
Park” series will
feature a Hermitage
artist (or artists) to
be announced. The
outdoor series features
performances
Terry Guest and Lady Jess on Hermitage
Beach
and explorations of works-in-progress by
Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni.
“Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park”
events are currently scheduled to take
place by Benderson Lake near the Nathan
Benderson Family Finish Tower (5851
Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota).
The first event is on November 16 at 5
p.m. and features Hermitage Fellows Terry
Guest and James Anthony Tyler. These two
talents split the bill to share some of their
latest work and discuss the creative process
as the sun goes down over the lake.
Admission is free, but registration is required
at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
Pipes, Fiddles,
Enchanting Songs and
Dance
On Friday, December 8, Musica Sacra
Sarasota is performing A Celtic Christmas,
celebrating the season with the
magic of pipes, fiddles, enchanting songs
and dance. Presented in partnership with
First Presbyterian Church Choir and The
Lubben Brothers Band featuring Sarasota
bagpiper Kevin Wiegand.
Held at First Presbyterian Church, 2050
Oak Street, Sarasota. Info: www.musicasacrasarasota.org
Fluid Impressions: The
Paintings of Syd Solomon
The Ringling College Galleries +
Exhibitions Department, along with
the students enrolled in the Role of the
Curator class within the Business of Art
and Design Department, present Fluid
Impressions: The Paintings of Syd Solomon;
an immersive collection featuring
expressive, storytelling paintings from
Abstract Impressionist, Syd Solomon.
Syd Solomon, Island Memory, 1983
One of Sarasota’s most influential artists,
Solomon, created abstract paintings
that distinctly capture the essence of natural
elements shaped by his surroundings
and life experiences. His artistic sensibilities
proved invaluable during the early
days of WWII. Even years following his
passing, the enduring impact of one of the
city’s most influential artists still persists.
This exhibition was led by a student
curatorial team who applied, and were
selected, to participate in a semester-long
class titled Role of the Curator led by
Ringling College’s Director and Chief
Curator, Tim Jaeger. The students were
provided a hands-on overview of how to
successfully produce a blue-chip exhibition
as well as other related arts disciplines
that included business practices
and entrepreneurship.
The exhibition features not only Solomon’s
visually stimulating paintings, but
also bridges together the important stories
from Sarasota’s history while preserving
Solomon’s legacy in the art world.
November 6 – March 25, 2024 in the
Lois And David Stulberg Gallery, Ringling
College of Art And Design
Opening Reception + Art Walk: Friday,
November 10, 5 to 8pm
Free Student-led docent tour will be
provided every Wednesday beginning
November 8 – December 6 from 1 to 2pm.
Reservations are required.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/
fluidimpressions#/
On Exhibit at
The Ringling:
Working Conditions
Working Conditions explored labor
through The Ringling’s photography
collection. The exhibit runs through
March 3, 2024.
Bill Owens (American, born 1938), Industrial
burger maker
Photography was introduced during
the Industrial Revolution as a time- and
labor-saving means of recording images.
In addition to the camera’s technical use
as an instrument to record, photographers
have created images over the decades that
have shaped how we think about work
and the politics of labor. This exhibition
explores the myriad ways in which photographs
have communicated ideas about
labor since the nineteenth century.
https://www.ringling.org/explore/
exhibitions/
NEW FACES
Venice Theatre
Kristofer Geddie is the organization’s
new Executive Director. Geddie has
worked as the theatre’s General Manager
since 2016. He first came to Venice Theatre
in 2010 to play the role of Coalhouse
Walker
in Ragtime.
He was
hired shortly
thereafter
in
2011 as the
organization’s
first
Director of
Diversity.
Geddie’s
predecessor,
Murray
Chase, who
served as
continued >>
18 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

season highlights continued
Executive Director since 1995, will continue
working with the theatre to supervise
the restoration of the main building after
it was severely damaged by Hurricane Ian.
Chase’s official title is now Restoration
Supervisor.
Musica Sacra of Sarasota
Steven Phillips is Musica Sacra’s new
Artistic Director, succeeding founding director,
Dr. Bob Parrish. Phillips currently
serves as Director of Music Ministries at
First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota.
Their season runs through May 2024.
Call 941-374-0940 or visit www.musicasacrasarasota.org/
The Sarasota Ballet
Jennifer Hackbarth, most recently
with Dresden Semperoper Ballet in Germany,
has joined The Sarasota Ballet
Company for the 2023-2024sSeason as
their new Principal Dancer. Jennifer has
danced a
variety of
lead roles
including
classics
and more
modern
ballets by
prestigious
choreographers.
A lifelong
fan
of George
Balanchine’s
work,
Jennifer is excited at the chance to dance
more of his works this season. She is also
looking forward to further developing
her artistic range and talent performing
roles by choreographers like Sir Frederick
Ashton, who has had an integral influence
on The Sarasota Ballet’s growth and
reputation.
Jennifer joined the Dresden Semperoper
Ballet in 2017 as a Demi Soloist. Prior to
that, Jennifer was an Apprentice at the
New York City Ballet. Tickets:
The Venice Chorale
The Venice Chorale has Brent
Douglas as their new Artistic Director.
He is an accomplished conductor with
an background in symphonic, operatic
and choral genres. Beyond conducting,
Douglas is a pianist, harpsichordist and
organist. In addition to his performing
career, he also taught choir, orchestra,
piano and organ for nine years at
Eckerd College.
Douglas holds a Bachelor of Piano
Performance and a Master of Conducting
from the University of South Florida. He
will oversee all artistic aspects and activities
of The Venice Chorale, including the
Concert Choir and Youth Programs.
He will be following Peter Madpak’s
leadership over the past eight years.
thevenicechorale.org/
The Stage at Payne Park
The Stage at Payne Park LLC (The
Stage), a wholly-owned subsidiary nonprofit
organization of The Players, Inc.
has hired Michael Ayres as its executive
director and
vice president
of advancement.
He has
more than
18 years of
experience as
a fundraiser,
grant writer,
team builder,
event manager
and community liaison.
Most recently, Ayres was the director
of development services for Visible Men
Academy in Manatee County. Prior to
that, Ayres acted as the corporate development
and special events officer for
Sarasota Opera.
Asolo Rep
Asolo Rep has two new leaders – Peter
Rothstein, the newly appointed Producing
Artistic Director, and Ross Egan,
the recently appointed Managing Director.
Since 2019, Egan has been Managing
Director of the historic Barter Theatre
in Abingdon, VA where he led the organization
through the pandemic by building
and producing Barter at the Moonlite
Drive In, becoming one of the first theatres
in the world to produce at the time.
Prior to joining Barter’s leadership
team, he was Director of Operations for
the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and
founded the Joseph Jefferson award-winning
Refuge Theatre Project in Chicago.
NEW PLACES
The Stage at Payne Park LLC (The
Stage) is a wholly-owned subsidiary nonprofit
organization of The Players, Inc.
When The Players Centre for Performing
Arts moves into Payne Park Auditorium
to begin its 2025-26 season in September
2025, the facility will have a new look, a
fresh brand and 50% more square footage.
To accomplish this, The Players Inc.
has spun off The Stage at Payne Park LLC,
a wholly owned subsidiary nonprofit. The
new organization will guide an $8 million
to $9 million renovation and expansion to
create and operate a contemporary, flexible
live performance space with a seating
capacity of nearly 300.
Payne Park Auditorium
ANNIVERSARIES
This year marks the 20th anniversary of
the Perlman Music Program Suncoast’s
largest event: The Perlman Music Program
(PMP) Winter Residency. Led by
acclaimed violinist and conductor Itzhak
Perlman and his wife, Toby Perlman, this
two-week event energizes local audiences
while providing unparalleled musical
training for gifted students ages 12-20+
from all over the world, who play the violin,
viola, cello and bass.
Toby and Itzhak Perlman
Photo by Burt Farbman
Lisa Berger, executive director of Perlman
Suncoast says that they are “honored
to support the PMP Winter Residency for
the past two decades. Last year, after a
two-year hiatus, audiences were able to
watch the interplay once again between
young, gifted musicians and world-renowned
faculty, including Itzhak Perlman.”
—————————————————————
Selby Gardens’ Orchid Show 2023 highlights
50 years of Selby Gardens. The
exhibit has horticultural displays in their
Tropical Conservatory that feature spectacular
orchids from their collection.
The exhibition continues in the Museum
of Botany & the Arts, where a selection
Marie Selby
of rare artifacts
and historical
images tell
the story of Selby
Gardens’ first
50 years, with
emphasis on
the plants and
people who have
made it such a
special place.
The Orchid
Show 2023 is on view to November 26
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens was
founded in 1973 when Sarasota resident
and passionate gardener Marie Selby
bequeathed her former home and property
“for the enjoyment of the general public.”
The 15-acre original Downtown Sarasota
campus features botanical highlights such
as a captivating banyan grove planted by
Marie and her husband, William, nearly a
century ago.
In 2020, Selby Gardens adopted Historic
Spanish Point as a second campus. Selby
Gardens is the only botanical garden in
the world dedicated to the display and
study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads,
gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical
plants. Since 1973, scientists from Selby
Gardens have ventured into some of the
world’s wildest places to identify, study,
collect, and learn from these resourceful,
remarkable plants.
—————————————————————
In 2003, a group of 13 Sarasotans came
together to further their goal of enhancing
Sarasota’s rich cultural landscape
with a contemporary art museum. After a
two-year dialogue with area arts, educational,
and community leaders, the
Historic Sarasota High School
Sarasota Art Museum partnered with
Ringling College of Art and Design
to transform the historic Sarasota High
School into an art museum and visual
arts educational center.
Since that meeting 20 years ago, Sarasota
Art Museum, the region’s first museum
dedicated to contemporary art, has
15,000 square feet of dedicated exhibition
gallery space, Bistro, shop, auditorium for
educational events, performance and film
and a sculpture courtyard.
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 19

Choral Artists of Sarasota’s
2023-2024 Season
Artistic Director
Joseph Holt
Photo by Nancy Guth
Choral Artists of Sarasota’s
45th season features six concerts
in November, December,
February, March, April and
May.
A season highlight includes the Florida
premiere of “Abraham Lincoln Walks
at Midnight” by Florence Price, an African-American
composer whose works were
lost during the middle of the 20th century
and later discovered in an attic trunk in
2009. Another season highlight is a performance
of Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering
Matthew Shepard,” a modern-day
“Passion” (modeled after the great “Passions”
of J.S. Bach) that tells the story of
Matthew Shepard, a gay American student
at the University of Wyoming who was beaten,
tortured, and left to die near Laramie on
the night of October 6, 1998.
This season also marks the launch of the
group’s United We Stand Memorial Day
concert, a moving tribute to those in the
armed forces who have made the ultimate
sacrifice. This concert serves as the kickoff
for the Choral Artists’ tour to France to
participate in the 80th anniversary of D-Day
in Normandy.
Artistic Director Joseph Holt says, “In the
kaleidoscope of choral performances offered
this season, each concert features a unique
tribute, commemoration, celebration, or recognition
of people and events that have made
a difference in our lives. From the movies to
the military to Matthew Shepard, we have all
been touched and inspired by their impact,
each telling a story resonating deep within
us. The medium of choral music, a magical
marriage of words and music, takes us on
this musical journey like no other. Our season
concludes with a musical salute to the
brave men and women who fought in World
War II, and we are honored to be representing
the people of Florida and the United
States by participating in the 80th anniversary
of D-Day in Normandy, France, in 2024.”
Holt will also illuminate the creative process,
presenting “Meet the Music” prior to
each concert throughout the season. Each
will focus on the upcoming concert with a
special guest joining the conversation and
performance. “Meet the Music” programs are
held at Art to Walk On at 16 South Palm Avenue
in downtown Sarasota, 5:30-7 p.m., with
a wine and hors d’oeuvre reception. Planned
dates are November 2, November 30, February
1, February 29, April 4 and May 16.
For more information and to purchase
tickets, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.
org or call 941-387-4900.
The Choral Artists of Sarasota’s
2023-2024 season schedule:
• Veteran’s Day in Song: Presenting the
songs that brought hope and inspiration
during military conflicts, from the Revolutionary
War through Desert Storm. The featured
guest artist is baritone Bob McDonald,
a retired Sergeant Major from The US Army
Chorus. Saturday, November 11, 1 p.m., at
Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Avenue,
Sarasota.
• Christmas Celebration: Celebrate the
spirit of Christmas through the power of
song. Featuring an evening of holiday harmonies
and festive favorites, including African-American
spirituals. Sunday, December
10, 7 p.m., at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S.
Palm Avenue, Sarasota.
• Choral Cinemagic: Featuring popular
movie music, including from the James
Bond films, “Momma Mia!,” “Sister Act,” and
a medley of all-time favorites. Sunday, February
4, 7 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church,
2050 Oak Street, Sarasota.
• Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight:
Featuring the Florida premiere of “Abraham
Lincoln Walks at Midnight” by Florence
Price, a moving depiction of the man burdened
by the tragedies of the modern world,
based on the poem by Vachel Lindsay. Price
is an African-American composer whose
works were lost during the middle of the
20th century and later discovered in an attic
trunk in 2009.
Also performed will be Joseph Haydn’s
“Lord Nelson Mass,” also known as “Mass
in a Time of Anxiety,” recognized as one of
his greatest compositions. Sunday, March
10, 7 p.m., at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee
Ridge Road, Sarasota.
• Considering Matthew Shepard: Featuring
Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering
Matthew Shepard,” a modern-day “Passion”
(modeled after the great “Passions” of J.S.
Bach) that tells the story of Matthew Shepard,
a gay American student at the University
of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured,
and left to die near Laramie on the night of
October 6, 1998.
In partnership with Embracing Our Differences,
Project Pride, ALSO Youth, and
the First Congregational Church UCC, this
beautiful musical story transcends tragedy.
Sunday, April 14, 7 p.m., at Church of the
Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota.
• Memorial Day Concert: United We
Stand: The Choral Artists teams with the
Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble to perform
a moving tribute to those in the armed
forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
This concert is also the kick-off for the
group’s tour to France to participate in the
80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy.
Sunday, May 26, 4 p.m., at Sarasota Opera
House, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota.
• D-Day Commemoration Journey: June
3-11: Choral Artists of Sarasota has been invited
by Historic Programs, which partners
with the Department of Defense, Office of
Commemorations, to be the principal choral
ensemble for the 80th D-Day anniversary
commemorations in France in June. In addition
to participating in commemoration ceremonies
at the cemeteries in Normandy and
Brittany, the group will perform a concert
in the town square at Sainte-Mère-Église in
Normandy and also at L’église de la Madeleine
in Paris.
Choral Artists is inviting the public to
join them on this journey.
For more information, contact
info@ChoralArtististsSarasota.org.
About Choral Artists
The Choral Artists of Sarasota comprises
32 of the region’s most notable professional
singers. Eight young singers, ages 16 to 22,
are also invited to join the group each year,
as part of the organization’s educational
outreach. One of these gifted singers will be
awarded the Ann Stephenson Moe Apprentice
Scholarship, a funding program to support
private lessons, vocal training at an institution
of higher learning, or other expenses
related to advancing their musical education.
“Ensuring the future of choral music means
investing in the next generation of musicians,”
says Susan Burke, executive director
of Choral Artists of Sarasota. “That means
engaging young people on their own terms.”
The Choral Artists of Sarasota, entering
its 45th season, features 32 of the region’s
most notable professional singers and eight
apprentice singers. The group celebrates the
rich, artistic expressiveness of choral music
through innovative repertoire, inspired
performances and stimulating educational
outreach. Under the artistic direction of Dr.
Joseph Holt, Choral Artists of Sarasota performs
a repertoire spanning four centuries,
and includes symphonic choral works, intimate
madrigals, folk songs, close-harmony
jazz, and Broadway show music.
The ensemble also specializes in premiere
performances of lesser-known choral
works—particularly music by living American
composers. Choral Artists of Sarasota
has performed premieres by René Clausen,
Dick Hyman, Robert Levin, Gwyneth Walker
and James Grant.
As part of the organization’s educational
outreach, eight young singers from area
schools, colleges and universities, ages
16 to 22, are invited to join the group each
year. For more information, visit www.
ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.
20 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

SAVE $3 W/CODE WCW
DAILY TROLLEY TOURS
ENTERTAINING • INFORMATIVE
Christmas Carol
Trolley:
Letters To Santa
A Downtown Holiday Music & Light Show
DECEMBER 5-29 • 5:30 OR 7:30 PM
Ages 3+ • $29.99 Kids • $49.99 Adults
Includes FREE Soft Drinks/Beer/Wine Before Boarding
Celebrate the holidays on our 90-min
downtown light & music theatrical tour
performed by the Trolley Troubadours.
PERFECT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
GIFT CERTIFICATES MAKE GREAT
Christmas Presents!
Buy in any value. Never expire. Good for ALL 16 tours!
ALL
ITEMS
20%
OFF
Buy gift card online or call and we will mail
out physical certificate.
Sip & Shop
ANNUAL HOLIDAY SALE!
Monday, December 4, 2023 • 4PM-7PM
FREE • RSVP REQUIRED!
Many More Tours Online.
DiscoverSarasotaTours.com
941-260-9818
The Trolley Cottage Gift Shop | 1826 4th Street | FREE PARKING!
Susan Goldfarb
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
2023-2024
LECTURE SERIES ✱ PAINTING
LANGUAGES ✱ QIGONG
YOGA ✱ MEDITATION ✱ BRIDGE
MAH JONGG ✱ CANASTA
SUPREME COURT ✱ THEOLOGY
WELLNESS ✱ AMERICAN HISTORY
LITERATURE & POETRY
MOVIE & BOOK GROUPS
MUSIC & DANCE APPRECIATION
MORNING FORUMS & TED TALKS
WORLD POLITICS & CURRENT EVENTS
FILM FESTIVALS ✱ JAZZ NIGHTS
WRITING WORKSHOPS
iPHONE & iPAD ✱ NATURE WALKS
BIRDING ✱ WOMEN’S GROUPS
SATURDAY WORKSHOPS
BROADWAY BIOS ✱ CONCERTS
SPECIAL ONE-TIME EVENTS
& MUCH MORE!
Programs Available In Person and on Zoom
ANNUAL HOLIDAY SALE!
Monday, December 4, 2023 • 4PM-7PM
567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, FL
www.TBIeducationcenter.org
email: edcenter@longboatkeytemple.org
For a brochure call: (941) 383-8222
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 21

Local and National Art Exhibits
to Experience
NATIONAL MUSEUMS
Met presents
The Harlem Renaissance &
Transatlantic Modernism
In February 2024, The Metropolitan
Museum of Art will present The Harlem
Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism
exhibition. Through some 160 works, it
will explore the far-reaching ways in which
Black artists portrayed everyday modern life
in the new Black cities that took shape in the
1920s–40s in New York City’s Harlem and
Chicago’s South Side and nationwide in the
early decades of the Great Migration when
millions of African Americans began to
move away from the segregated rural South.
The exhibition will establish the Harlem
Renaissance as the first African American–
led movement of international modern art
and will situate Black artists and their radically
new portrayals of the modern Black
subject as central to our understanding of
international modern art and modern life.
A significant percentage of the paintings,
sculpture, and works on paper on view in
the exhibition come from the collections
of Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs), Fisk University Galleries
and Howard University Gallery of Art. Visit
www.metmuseum.org/
Love Gardening?
Check out The Morgan
Their latest exhibit is Seeds of Knowledge:
Early Modern Illustrated Herbals. Seeds
of Knowledge highlights the collection
of 15th to 17th-century European printed
herbals assembled by Dr. Peter Goop of
Liechtenstein.
Herbals were highly illustrated texts that
included both the folklore of plants and
their medicinal uses, and they served as references
to both doctors and lay healthcare
providers. The text and illustrations were
repeatedly refined as the medicinal benefits
of a plant’s use were more clearly understood,
and the style of illustration tended
towards higher degrees of naturalism.
These books were working manuals
and were frequently annotated by readers
with notes on herbal remedies, medicines,
or other uses not found in the printed
text. Dr. Goop’s collection is one of the
most extensive in private hands. Using
the Morgan’s 10th-century manuscript of
Dioscurides’ De materia medica as
a centerpiece, this Thaw Gallery exhibition
will explore developments
in the understanding of the healthful
and healing properties of plants, as
Europe moved away from medicinal
folklore towards an increased understanding
of the natural world.
Open through January 14, 2024.
Visit www.themorgan.org.
At The Frick
Since opening in 1935, The Frick
Collection has inspired generations
of artists who have engaged with
the complex legacies and enduring
importance of Old Master painting.
Barkley L. Hendricks was one such
artist, and the Frick—with its iconic
portraits by Rembrandt, Bronzino, Van
Dyck, and others—was one of Hendricks’s
favorite museums.
At the Frick Madison, Barkley L. Hendricks:
Portraits at the Frick presents
14 early works by this pioneering American
artist who, beginning in the late 1960s,
revolutionized contemporary portraiture
by uniting portraits of Black figures with
traditions of European painting.
His work has inspired some of the most
prominent artists of today, including
Derrick Adams, Mickalene Thomas, and
Kehinde Wiley. Frick Madison is a particularly
appropriate venue for this show, as it
was in the Breuer building (then the home
of the Whitney Museum of American Art)
that Hendricks first showed his art in a New
York City museum exhibition, in 1981.
Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the
Frick, which will display paintings drawn
from both public and
private collections,
is organized by the
Frick’s Curator Aimee
Ng and Consulting
Curator Antwaun
Sargent. The accompanying
catalogue
is authored by Ng
and Sargent, with a
foreword by Thelma
Golden and contributions
by Adams,
Thomas, and Wiley,
along with Hilton
Als, Nick Cave, Awol
Erizku, Rashid Johnson, and Fahamu
Pecou. The Frick will present a
roster of educational programs to
complement the show.
Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits is
on exhibit through January 7, 2024.
Visit www.frick.org
At the Whitney:
Henry Taylor
For more than thirty years, the
Los Angeles–based artist Henry
Taylor has portrayed people from
widely different backgrounds—family
members, friends, neighbors, celebrities,
politicians, and strangers—with a
mixture of raw immediacy and tenderness.
His improvisational approach to artmaking
is hinted at in this exhibition’s title, Henry
Taylor: B Side, which refers to the side of
a record album that often contains lesser-known,
more experimental songs.
Taylor’s paintings, executed quickly and
instinctually from memory, newspaper
clippings, snapshots, and in-person sittings,
are variously light-hearted, intimate, and
somber. In them, he combines flat planes
of bold, sensuous color with areas of rich,
intimate detail and loose brushstrokes to
create paintings that feel alive.
Taylor offers a view of everyday life in
the United States that is grounded in the experiences
of his own community, including
the incarceration, poverty, and often deadly
interactions with police that disproportionately
affect Black Americans.
Henry Taylor: B Side presents the artist’s
paintings along with a selection of his
assemblage sculptures, rarely exhibited early
drawings, a large grouping of painted objects
on recycled cigarette packs and other everyday
supports, and two new installations, one
made specifically for this exhibition.
Information: whitney.org
Sapphic Paris at the Barnes
Marie Laurencin’s contributions to 20th century
art are under recognized, and Sapphic Paris
is the first major US exhibition of her work
in over 30 years. Marie Laurencin: Sapphic
Paris examines questions about representation
and access throughout art history.
Beginning in the early 20th century,
French artist Marie Laurencin created a
unique pictorial world that placed women
at the center of modern art. With a highly
original painting style that defied categorization,
she moved seamlessly between the
male-dominated cubist avant-garde, lesbian
literary and artistic circles, and the realms
of fashion, ballet, and decorative arts.
The exhibition explores Laurencin’s
career, from her self-portraits to her
collaborative decorative projects;
from her early cubist paintings to
her signature work—feminine and
discreetly queer—that defined 1920s
Paris. Runs through January 21,
2024. www.barnesfoundation.org
FLORIDA MUSEUMS
The Ringling
Who is the intriguing man wearing a
religious habit and a gold hoop earring
in The Ringling’s portrait by Italian
Baroque master Il Guercino? And why
does he point to a stack of drawings?
This fascinating exhibition investigates
the sitter, Fra Bonaventura
Bisi (1601-1659), a Franciscan Minor
Conventual friar whose work as an art dealer,
printmaker, and celebrated painter of miniatures
made him a major figure in the artistic
culture of seventeenth-century Bologna.
Offering a captivating glimpse into the
worlds of art making and art collecting in
Baroque Italy, the exhibition explores Fra
Bisi’s artistic training, his close relationships
with Guercino and other Bolognese
artists and intellectuals, his extraordinary
painted miniatures, his dogged pursuit of
continued on page 24
22 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

THE VENICE SYMPHONY 50TH ANNIVERSARY
NOVEMBER 2023 - APRIL 2024
AT THE VENICE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
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A SYMPHONY FANTASTIC!
Nov. 17 • 7:30 pm
Nov. 18 • 3:30 and 7:30 pm
ARABIAN NIGHTS
Mar. 15 • 7:30 pm
Mar. 16 • 3:30 and 7:30 pm
A HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR
Dec. 15 • 7:30 pm
Dec. 16 • 3:30 and 7:30 pm
THE CROWN JEWEL FINALE
Apr. 26 • 7:30 pm
Apr. 27 • 3:30 and 7:30 pm
Thanksgiving
TALL TALES AND TREASURE
Jan. 12 • 7:30 pm
Jan. 13 • 3:30 and 7:30 pm
DISNEY’S MAESTRO: A
TRIBUTE TO ALAN MENKEN
Feb. 23 • 7:30 pm
Feb. 24 • 3:30 and 7:30 pm
SPECIAL
EVENT
February 9-10
Hooray for Hollywood
with
Michael Feinstein
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THE DATE
Venetian Nights
Forty-One
Buffet Dining
11am - 8pm
City Grille
A la Carte Dining
11am-11pm
Riverwalk Grille
A la Carte Dining
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January 5, 2024
Venice Community
Center
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For more information, visit
thevenicesymphony.org or call 941-207-8822
START A NEW FAMILY TRADITION!
CREATED, ADAPTED & DIRECTED BY NATE JACOBS | CHOREOGRAPHED BY DONALD FRISON
NOV 29–DEC 30, 2023
westcoastblacktheatre.org
941-366-1505
1012 N ORANGE AVE SARASOTA
Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of
Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 23

art exhibits continued
artworks for collectors such as Cardinal
Leopoldo de’ Medici of Florence and the
Este rulers of Modena, and his passionate
efforts to promote the appreciation and
collecting of drawings as an art form.
The breadth of Bisi’s artistic activity
is illustrated through the wide range of
media chosen for the exhibition, including
oil paintings, miniatures in tempera on
parchment, drawings, prints, metalwork,
and published writings of the period. Loans
from important museums and private collections
in both Italy and the United States
join selections from The Ringling’s own
exceptional collection of Italian Baroque
art. Through January 7, 2024
www.ringling.org
MFA St. Petersburg
Their exhibit, The Nature of Art, looks at
the disparate ways humans have engaged
in artistic expression to understand our
environment, mediate our relationship with
nature, and attain a more profound comprehension
of our role within the world.
The Nature of Art will bring together, for
the first time, special exhibition galleries
in the Hough Wing with the MFA Collection
galleries in the Volk Wing. The connected
ideas generated from The Nature of Art will
traverse throughout the MFA Campus,
sparking conversations with works in the
collection and allowing visitors to experience
them through a new lens. mfastpete.
org. Runs to April 14, 2024.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Grey Hills Painted Red,
New Mexico (detail), 1930
Native America:
In Translation at USF
Contemporary Art Museum
The USF Contemporary Art Museum,
part of the Institute for Research in Art in
the USF College of The Arts, presents Native
America: In Translation. Native
America: In Translation assembles the
wide-ranging work of nine Indigenous
artists who pose challenging questions
about identity and heritage, land rights, and
histories of colonialism.
Probing the legacies of settler colonialism,
and photography’s complex and often
fraught role in constructing representation
of Native cultures, the exhibition includes
works by lens-based artists Rebecca
Belmore (Anishinaabe, Lac Seul First
Nation), Nalikutaar Jacqueline Cleveland
(Yup’ik), Martine Gutierrez (American),
Koyoltzintli (Ecuadorian-American), Duane
Linklater (Omaskêko Ininiwak from Moose
Cree First Nation), Guadalupe Maravilla
(American), Kimowan Metchewais (Cree,
Cold Lake First Nations), Alan Michelson
(Mohawk, Six Nations of the Grand River),
and Marianne Nicolson (Musgamakw
Dzawada’enuxw First Nations), offering
new perspectives on Indigenous identity by
reimagining what it means to be a citizen in
North America today.
Martine Gutierrez
Runs to December 1, 2023. Location:
4202 E Fowler Ave Stop CAM101, Tampa.
Information: cam.usf.edu
LOCAL GALLERIES
Define Art Gallery
and Studio: New Location
on Palm Avenue
Define Art Gallery and Studio
has a new location, in downtown
Sarasota, at 68 South Palm Avenue
in Sarasota. The new gallery takes
another step in its goal to bring artwork
to members, artists, collectors,
and the west coast Florida communities.
“Our vision is to define an
art world where each piece of art
speaks a story and each artwork
creates emotion,” says Define owner
Deena King, a mixed-media artist
with a penchant for paper craft and collage.
Define Art Gallery is a platform for
emerging and established artists. They have
art from more than 20 local artists. Define
Art Gallery offers an in-person and online
engagement for buyers and collectors
through the in-house gallery and international
online exhibitions. These online
exhibitions draw artists from across the
United States, Europe and Asia. Info:
www.definegallery.com
SPAACES Contemporary
Art Gallery
On display: Exit
Music: Continuum
with Nathan
Beard. Beard’s
richly-layered Exit
Music paintings
combine playful
Abstract Expressionism
with
fields of color that
transition slowly
through color and
temperature.
He slices blue
painter’s tape,
strip- by-strip, and methodically applies it
to create cyclic patterns that enhance the
dimension and movement of roughly-hewn
serpentine forms floating in an expressionistic
soup. Beard often chooses colors for their
metaphorical possibilities, and the dance
between chaos and order helps him meditate
upon the weaving of human will with natural
forces. Runs November 4-December 16.
SPAACES Contemporary Art Gallery,
2051 Princeton St, Sarasota. Info: spaaces.art
ArtCenter Manatee
Through November 17 the have three
exhibitions:
In the Florida Finds Kellogg Gallery: A
show that asks artists to share their favorite
Florida find, whether that is a favorite
beach, native creature, local seafood shack,
the myriad of natural springs, or a favorite
fishing pier.
Goldie Tremblay “Inside Out at Ca’ d’Zan”
In the Searle Gallery: Technology has
been working its way into our daily lives
since the end of World War II. Once a thing
relegated to factories and industry, technology
has changed our lives for the better…
or has it? What do we lose when we let
technology in?
In the Reid Hodges Gallery: Highlights
the works of their talented faculty. All
mediums are represented, including silver-smithing,
pottery, watercolor, acrylics,
oil, sculpture, pastels, scratchboard, fused
glass, mixed media and more.
Coming up: November 21 – December
29 they have Joyful Expressions in the
Kellogg & Reid Hodges Galleries. Artists
are asked to share what brings joy to their
lives this time of year. Is it family gatherings,
making cookies, decorating the tree,
or something else that lightens the heart for
you? Opening reception: November 30, 5 – 7
pm. Info: artcentermanatee.org
SARTQ Artist Collective
SARTQ Sarasota Artist Collective is
a network of Sarasota artists, managed
exhibitions and events, and collaboration
with the community. Current members include
Diana DeAvila, Danielle Dygert, Lori
Childers, Zachary Gilliland, Grace Howl,
Julie Kanapaux, Ellen Kantro, Sarah Kraft,
Dana Laag, Pamela Olin, Taylor Robenalt,
Javier (Javo) Rodriguez, Emmie Wells and
Sam Wuerfel.
SARTQ was founded and formed in
early 2008 by local artists Tim Jaeger and
Joseph Arnegger. SARTQ Artist Collective
Teams Up with CoreSRQ for their annual
print party on November 4, 1 am - 4 pm
at CoreSRQ, North Branch, 1075 S Euclid
Ave, Sarasota.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their
own clothing items such as t-shirts, tote
bags, towels, etc., any item that can lie
flat under a screen and accept ink. Theparty
is open to all ages and aims to be a
family-friendly gathering. Throughout the
day, local food trucks, including Big Blue
Cheese Company and Bite Me Cookies by
Cindy, will be on-site, ensuring that guests
can have a bite to eat and hangout while
they wait for their prints to dry.
Information: www.sartq.com
Creative Liberties
Creative Liberties has its Second
Saturday Open Studios on November 11,
10am-3pm. Artists all over Sarasota open
their studios every second Saturday to let
you have a peek at their process. Meet the
artists. Watch them work. Buy their art.
Locations include:
) Creative Liberties Artist Studios &
Gallery, 901-B Apricot Avenue, Sarasota.
www.creativeliberties.net
) Creative Liberties Artist Studios,
Gallery & Creative Academy,
927 N. Lime Avenue, Sarasota.
) Palmer Modern, 925 N. Lime Avenue,
Sarasota. www.palmermodern.com
) The Bazaar at Apricot & Lime,
821 Apricot Ave., Sarasota.
www.bazaaronapricotandlime.com
) Lina Rincon Art Gallery & Studio,
1734 4th Street, Sarasota.
www.linarinconart.com
) Gimson Arts, 1748 Independence Blvd,
#G6, Sarasota. www.stephgimson.com
) Jonathan Herbert at 10th Street
Gallery, 1655 10th Street, Sarasota.
www.jonathanherbert.com
) Towles Court Artist Colony, 1938
Adams Lane, Sarasota.
www.towlescourt.com
) SPAACES, 2087 Princeton Street,
Sarasota. www.spaaces.art
) Midge Johnson Fine Art,
3983 Dedination Drive Unit 104, Osprey.
midgejohnsonfineart.com
24 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

Nik Wallenda & Circus
Arts Conservatory partner
to bring performing arts to UTC
The CAC and Wallenda will present “A Brave New Wonderland,” from Nov. 18 through Dec. 31,
behind The Mall at UTC
The Circus Arts Conservatory
has announced a new
collaboration with world-famous
“King of the High
Wire,” Nik Wallenda. The
CAC and Wallenda will present “A Brave
New Wonderland,” an extraordinary immersive
holiday experience,
from November
18 through
December 31. The
Big Top will be located
behind (just
east of) The Mall at
UTC. Wallenda will
produce, direct and
headline the show.
It is hoped that this
collaboration will
continue for many
years to come.
The CAC and Wallenda
will also play
a large role in the
UTC holiday parade
and tree lighting on
November 11. For complete “Wonderland”
show and ticket information, and the
parade/tree lighting details, visit the CAC
website at circusarts.org.
While the University Town Center/Nathan
Benderson Park area is already home
to sports, shopping and dining, there is
currently no ongoing arts presence in the
area. But that’s about to change: a new collaboration
between hometown hero and
international superstar Nik Wallenda and
the Circus Arts Conservatory (CAC) will
create a world class holiday experience
that will undoubtedly become a Southwest
Florida family holiday tradition for generations
to come.
Wallenda, renowned for his breathtaking
high-wire performances and artistic vision,
has made a name beyond daredevil for
himself as a current producer, partner, and
visionary of the iconic Big Apple Circus in
New York City. The legendary production
has been a beloved holiday tradition for
New Yorkers for 45 years, captivating millions
with its world-class entertainment
and captivating performances.
“I’ve always dreamed of sharing the
magic of my New York City productions
with my beloved hometown – and revered
circus community – of Sarasota,” said Wallenda.
“With ‘A Brave New Wonderland,’
I’m thrilled to collaborate with the Circus
Arts Conservatory to bring this dream to
life and create unforgettable holiday memories
for the community that means so
much to me.”
Nik Wallenda and the Circus Arts Conservatory will collaborate on the
immersive holiday experience, ‘A Brave New Wonderland’
“A Brave New Wonderland” will feature
a blend of circus acts, aerial performances,
and holiday storytelling, all curated under
the creative genius of Wallenda, who will
not only be producing and directing the
show but also headlining.
Sarasota, known for its rich history in
circus arts and performance, is the perfect
backdrop for this holiday spectacular, and
the CAC – as the curator of the circus arts
in our region – is the perfect partner to
present this highly-anticipated offering to
the wider community.
“When Nik came to us with his idea for a
holiday show, we were thrilled at the concept
and got to work right away to help
bring the idea to life,” said CAC Executive
Vice President/COO Jennifer Mitchell.
“Our mission is to advance the extraordinary
legacy and heritage of the circus;
Nik Wallenda holds a prominent place in
circus history. It’s entirely appropriate for
Sarasota’s ‘hometown hero’ and ‘hometown
circus’ to come together for a show
that will delight and inspire residents and
visitors alike!”
For more about Nik Wallenda, visit nikwallenda.com;
for more about the CAC,
visit circusarts.org.
Sunday, November 26, 4PM
Sarasota Opera House
Wintertide blends Spanish and Mexican carols in
Conrad Susa’s Carols and Lullabies with John Rutter’s
chilly choral cycle When Icicles Hang. Key Chorale and
The Sarasota Ballet Studio Company entwine dance
and music for this uncommon program celebrating
the blue nights of winter and the magic of the season.
Featuring Classical Guitarist
PAUL MOELLER
Presenting Sponsor:
Purchase your tickets today at:
KeyChorale.org • 941.552.8768
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 25

The Sarasota Ballet’s 2023-2024 Season
World and Company Premieres, works by renowned
choreographers, and Sarasota favorites
The Sarasota Ballet’s
2023-2024
season includes
world premieres,
company premieres,
works by renowned
choreographers, and Sarasota
favorites.
Works for the Company include
a new to the repertoire
work by Jessica Lang, Edwaard
Liang’s The Art of War, and
a world premiere by Gemma
Bond. Resident Choreographer
Ricardo Graziano returns with
some of his most acclaimed
works and a world premiere,
which will be his 11th one act
ballet for the Company.
Renowned as the ‘Father’
of Ballet in America, George
Balanchine, is showcased
through Theme and Variation,
Who Cares?, and Emeralds
from his masterpiece, Jewels.
Mentor and a significant
source of inspiration to Webb
and Assistant Director Margaret
Barbieri, Sir Frederick Ashton,
comes to life with both humor (Varii
Capricci), drama (Dante Sonata), and
swiftness (Sinfonietta).
Artistic Director Iain Webb continues
to bring back beloved works by Johan
Kobborg (Salute), Sir Kenneth McMillan
(Las Hermanas), Paul Taylor (Company
B), Twyla Tharp (In the Upper Room),
and Christopher Weeldon (The American).
While the ballet’s season is already underway,
here’s a look at their remaining
programs.
Program Two:
November 17-18
at the Sarasota Opera House
The Art of War (Company Premiere)
Choreography by Edwaard Liang; Music by
Michael Torke
Dante Sonata Choreography by Sir Frederick
Ashton; Music by Franz Liszt
Company B Choreography by Paul Taylor;
Music by The Andrews Sisters
Created in 2015 by BalletMet’s Artistic Director
Edwaard Liang, this premiere also
marks the first time that The Sarasota Ballet
will work with Liang whose award winning
choreography has been performed by
companies around the world including New
York City Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, and the
Mariinsky Ballet.
Choreographed during the opening stages
of the Second World War, Ashton’s Dante
Sonata continues the theme of war in
Program Two. A synthesis of wartime symbolism
and his reflections upon experiencing
Franz Liszt’s piano piece of the same
name—the work enraptured Sarasota audiences
during it’s Company Premiere this
past Season. The triple bill closes with Paul
Taylor’s Company B, framing the turbulent
era of World War 2 through the songs of the
Andrews Sisters.
Program Three:
December 15-16
at the Sarasota Opera House
Theme and Variations - Choreography by
George Balanchine; Music by Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky
Divertissements including: Les Lutins; Choreography
by Johan Kobborg; Music by
Henryk Wieniawski and Antonio Bazzini
In the Upper Room - Choreography by Twyla
Tharp; Music by Philip Glass
George Balanchine’s masterful work
transports audiences to the height of the
Russian Imperial Ballet with its glittering
costumes, masterful choreography, and
Tchaikovsky’s evocative score. Describing
the ballet Balanchine wrote, “to evoke
that great period in classical dancing when
Russian ballet flourished with the aid of
Tchaikovsky’s music.”
The program continues with a selection
of divertissements that will provide audiences
with a smorgasbord of works including
Johan Kobborg’s Les Lutins. Divertissement
is a classical ballet term meaning
‘enjoyable diversion,’ and are generally
short works or extracts from full ballets
that showcase dancer’s talents or display
the vast depth of Ballet’s repertoire.
Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room was
created in 1986 and work features a commissioned
score by Philip Glass, Tharp’s
choreography blends a diverse range of
movements, including boxing, tap dance,
yoga, ballet, and full-speed sprinting. The
dancers are challenged to execute the complex
steps, maintain precise timing, and
meet the aerobic demands, all the while
slowly peeling off layers of clothing to reveal
the vibrant red costume below.
Program Four:
January 26-29, 2024
Jennifer
Hackbarth and
Ricardo Rhodes
in Edwaard
Liang’s
The Art of War.
at the FSU Center for the Performing
Arts, accompanied by the Sarasota
Orchestra
Sonatina - Choreography by Ricardo Graziano;
Music by Antonín Dvořák. World
Premiere - Choreography by Ricardo
Graziano; Music to be announced
In a State of Weightlessness - Choreographed
by Ricardo Graziano; Music by
Philip Glass
Choreographed for the Company’s return
to the stage after the 20 – 21 Digital Season,
Sonatina is one of Ricardo Graziano’s
most classical works, choreographed to Antonín
Dvořák’s Violin Sonatina in G Major,
Op. 100. Following Sonatina will be Graziano’s
11th One-Act World Premiere for
The Sarasota Ballet. Closing Program 4 will
be the choreographer’s most critically acclaimed
work, In a State of Weightlessness.
Having received its world premiere
during The Sarasota Ballet’s week-long
residency at the renowned Jacob’s Pillow
Dance Festival, audiences and critics were
captivated by its power.
Program Five:
March 8-11, 2024 at the FSU Center
for the Performing Arts
Guest Company soon to be announced
Photo by
Frank Atura
Each year, The Sarasota Ballet presents a
visiting company as a part of its Season to
provide audiences with a different insight
and connection to the art of dance. Previous
companies have included the Martha
Graham Dance Company, Dance Theatre
of Harlem, Paul Taylor Dance Company,
Smuin Ballet and Ballet Hispánico.
Program Six:
April 5-6, 2024 at the Sarasota Opera
House and accompanied by the
Sarasota Orchestra
Emeralds - Choreography by
George Balanchine; Music by Gabriel
Fauré
Las Hermanas - Choreography by
Sir Kenneth MacMillan; Music by
Frank Martin
Who Cares? Choreography by
George Balanchine; Music by
George Gershwin; Music arrangement
by Hershy Kay
Opening with George Balanchine’s
Emeralds, the ballet
whispers French perfume with its
graceful clouds of tulle in Romantic-length
tutus. With a score set
by Gabriel Fauré and designs by
Barbara Karinska, Balanchine considered
Emeralds “an evocation of
France – the France of elegance,
comfort, dress and perfume.”
Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s tense
psychological drama Las Hermanas
takes a 180 degree turn
from the splendor of the previous
work. Profoundly musical, structurally
complex, yet exquisitely
refined, the ballet is based on Federico
García Lorca’s, The House of
Bernarda Alba.
Las Hermanas is a remarkable dramatic
ballet about sensuality under harsh repression
as well as the emotional and violent
consequences that follow. Closing Program
7, Who Cares? brings audiences through a
wonderful series of solos, duets, quartets,
and ensemble pieces all set to jazzy classics
of Gershwin.
Program Seven:
April 26-27, 2024
at the Sarasota Opera House
The American - Choreography by Christopher
Wheeldon; Music by Antonín Dvořák
Ballet to be announced with choreography
by Jessica Lang
Sinfonietta - Choreography by Sir Frederick
Ashton; Music by Malcolm Williamson
Tony Award winning choreographer Christopher
Wheeldon created The American
to Dvořák’s string quartet, with both
score and choreography bringing to life
the tranquility and open sky of America’s
Great Plains. Continuing on the creative
relationship between acclaimed choreographer
Jessica Lang and The Sarasota Ballet,
Program 7 will see a new to the repertoire
work that will be announced later in
the summer. During the 22 – 23 Season the
Company performed the World Premiere of
Lang’s Shades of Spring to critical acclaim
during both their Joyce New York tour and
the Main Season in Sarasota.
Closing the season will be Sir Frederick
Ashton’s Sinfonietta, an exciting and
fiendishly difficult abstract ballet. A ballet
in three parts, its 2nd movement, the Elegy,
is known as the most important section
which Ashton described as, an extension of
sorts of the choreographic possibilities he
had explored in Monotones II.
Tickets: www.sarasotaballet.org.
26 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

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and Green Living Expo
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Migraines, Foggy Brain and
Lack of Concentration
Sight and Eye Problems
Asthma, Bronchitis, COPD, Shallow Breathing
Digestive and Constipation Issues
For more than two decades,
the Science and Environment
Council (SEC) – a notfor-profit
consortium of the 40
leading science-based environmental
nonprofit and government organization
in Sarasota and Manatee counties –
has convened discussions, informed policy,
and enhanced public awareness about science-based
conservation and sustainable
practices to protect and restore our natural
environment. In early December, the SEC
will run the largest environmental event
series ever produced on the Suncoast designed
to delight and inspire the community
to connect on environmental issues and
engage in more sustainable practices in
their homes and businesses.
The Green Living Expo will highlight
green solutions for energy conservation,
waste reduction, water protection, local
food, and nature conservation. It’s a twoday
trade-show loaded with ideas and
demonstrations about how to reduce our
impacts on the environment. It runs December
2-3, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Sarasota
Municipal Auditorium. Free with advance
registration; $5 per group at the door.
The EcoSummit will feature lively, solutions-oriented
lectures, panel discussions,
storytelling, and music. Dozens of national,
regional, and local experts will share
fascinating insights and future-forward innovations
for recharging our environment
and reducing our impacts – crucial to sustaining
our coastal community’s environment-based
quality of life.
Award-winning Americana songwriter
Karen Jonas and her band will weave dazzling
threads of their dreamy Alt-Country
music through the tapestry of stories over
two days. Networking coffee breaks, lunches,
lunchtime wellness and guided walks,
and professional continuing education
credits all included.
The EcoSummit kicks off December 4,
5-8 p.m. at The Bay Park Nest with a free
outdoor screening
of the film
“2040” with the
film’s creator,
award-winning
Australian documentary
filmmaker
and EcoSummit
keynote
speaker Damon
Gameau. The
event continues
December 5-6, A screening of Australian
9 a.m.-5 p.m., at
filmmaker Damon Gameau’s
film ‘2040’ will kick off the
Van Wezel Performing
Arts Hall
EcoSummit on December 4
(777 N. Tamiami Tr., Sarasota).
The evening of December 5, 7-9 p.m. features
Florida Stories with Carl Hiaasen,
an unforgettable evening with Florida’s most
savagely funny,
riotous, and cathartic
storyteller,
with emcee
(and award-winning
journalist)
Craig Pittman,
local storytellers,
and musical
guest Karen
Jonas. A Florida
native, Hiaasen
has been writing
about the Sunshine
State since
his father gave
him a typewriter
Renowned Florida author
Carl Hiaasen will be
featured during ‘Florida
Stories with Carl Hiaasen’
the evening of December 5
at age 6. Thirteen books and nine national
bestseller books later, his fiction is not far
from the bizarre truth he found in his Florida
reporting for the Miami Herald from 1985
until 2021.
EcoSummit ticket options are $155/Standard,
$185/Premium (includes the Hiaasen
event), and $285/VIP to add on the Hiaasen
pre-show reception and premium seating.
Standalone tickets to see Hiaasen are $85/
general admission, $185/VIP Experience,
which includes pre-show reception and
premium seating.
“Over the past century in Florida, population
growth and development patterns
have increased pollution and decreased
the environment’s capacity to process it,”
said Dr. Jennifer Shafer, SEC’s co-executive
director. “Our natural environment is
the foundation of our economy and quality
of life; by working together to educate and
activate the community, we hope to bolster
efforts to conserve and restore our treasured
natural resources—and protect quality
of life for generations to come.”
Other associated events include the family-friendly
Ever-GREEN Days at The
Bay Sarasota, with a week-long schedule
of interactive and eco-friendly (and free!)
experiences – such as guided tours, handson
eco-education, family friendly activities
and much more – from November 30-December
6.
Presenting Sponsor for the event series
is Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation;
EcoSummit Lead Sponsor is Elizabeth
Moore; Florida Power & Light is the Lead
Sponsor of the Green Living Expo; Gulf
Coast Community Foundation is sponsoring
the Florida Stories session with Carl
Hiaasen; and the Venue Host is the City
of Sarasota. Numerous sponsorships are
available; to learn more and register, visit
eco-summit.org.
Leaky gut and Autoimmune problems
Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia and Depression
Concussions, Brain and Spinal Cord Health
Mobility and Energy Issues for Seniors
T. Grywinski specializes in difficult issues with great success
How Craniosacral Therapy Can Be Life Changing
“Doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists and chiros
gave me little relief. Terry relieved my pain, after all these years!
He has also helped four of my other friends. The man is an angel,
with a gift from God....thank you Terry!!”
“After 3 sessions, I had more range of motion and mobility in my
neck, shoulders and hips. I was getting to the point where walking
and moving was difficult. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my
shoulders, my voice is stronger and my energy is greatly increased.
I feel much calmer and more grounded!!”
“I no longer feel physically sick each morning. No gastroenterologist
or physician has ever properly diagnosed my mucus build up until
now. As well as bringing about healing in my gut, he released an
incredible amount of tension in my upper body.”
“The question is where has he been all my life? Terry is a true healer
and if you are serious about being well, you are in luck.
He is effective and lovely.”
advanced craniosacral therapy
Terrence B. Grywinski
B.A., B.Ed., LMT MA6049
25 Years of Experience
advcst.com
See full page explanation of Craniosacral Therapy and
how it can help you in another section of this issue
Downtown Sarasota • 941-321-8757
Google “Advanced Craniosacral Therapy Sarasota” for more info
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 27

BEST MEDICINE, Inc.
healthier you
Longevity Medicine
Hormone Therapy
Second Opinions
CAROL L. ROBERTS, M.D.
2106 Bispham Road • Sarasota, FL 34231
Phone: 941.404.8030 • Fax: 941.929.1200
Protecting Your
Family from Hormone
Disrupting Chemicals
Obesity, Diabetes, Heart disease,
Autoimmunity, Alzheimer’s,
Breast and Prostate Cancer,
Thyroid, Reproductive and
Neuroendocrine Diseases are all on the
rise in the United States. The European
Union estimates the financial burden in
Europe to be $209 billion dollars annually
for health care expenses related to
IQ loss, intellectual disability, autism,
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder,
infertility and mortality associated with
reduced testosterone levels. The culprit?
Strong evidence supports a link between
Endocrine Disrupting Chemical (EDC)
exposure and these problems [i] . The
World Health Organization along with
the Endocrine Society and the European
Union strongly support warnings to avoid
endocrine disrupting chemicals [ii],[iii] .
What are Endocrine
Disrupting Chemicals?
EDCs are everyday chemicals similar in
structure to natural hormones such as the
female sex hormone estrogen, the male
sex hormone testosterone, and thyroid
hormones. They interfere with development,
reproduction, neurological functioning,
metabolism, satiety, and your
immune system [iv] . They are found in everyday,
ordinary products: drinking water,
canned and packaged goods, high mercury
fish, plastic and nonstick kitchenware,
cleaning products… And the list goes on [v] .
And, according to the Endocrine Society,
there may be no safe level of exposure. So,
if you are a living being who breathes air,
eats food, and drinks water you will be exposed
to EDCs. While we don’t have total
control of our environmental exposure,
there are ways to minimize the exposure
to yourself and your family.
How to Avoid Exposure to
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
While the list of known EDCs is extensive,
a dozen of the worst widely used ones
identified by the Environmental Working
Group include: BPA, Dioxin, Atrazine,
Phthalates, Perchlorate, Fire retardants,
Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, PFCs, Organophosphate
pesticides, and Glycol ethers [vi] .
Avoid them in:
• Personal care products by switching to
certified organic or homemade personal
care products.
• Drinking water by filtering your water
using a high-grade filtration system.
• Poultry, meat, and dairy products by
buying and eating organic produce [vii] .
• High mercury fish by selecting seafood
known to be low in mercury [viii] .
• Kitchenware by using glass containers,
ceramic, and iron and steel cookware.
• Cleaning products by creating your own
cleaning products (vinegar and baking
soda work wonders!).
• Scented products (ie: trash bags, air
fresheners) unless they are natural.
• Household dust by buying “green”
furniture/carpets (doesn’t contain harmful
flame retardants, etc) and using a HEPA
filter for your vacuum and A/C [ix] .
How to Support
the Body in Removing Toxins
While avoiding these products as much as
you can is key to getting at the root of the
problem, it’s also important to understand
that it’s possible to support your body in
getting rid of many of these chemicals if
you’ve already been exposed.
There are a variety of tests that can help
determine how critical the issue is. And,
if chemicals are detected, we can work together
to create a plan to assist your body
in removing them.
—————————————————
SOURCE: Dr. Watts, MD, ND, MSNM and
Deb Spinner, ARNP, MSN, are experts in
Integrative Medicine. With over 25 years experience
in Hormone Balancing, a Post-doctoral
Certification in Metabolic Endocrinology,
and a Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative,
and Functional Medicine, Dr. Watts has put
together programs that have helped thousands
of patients renew their love and vigor
for life.
REFERENCES
[i] Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
and Metabolism April 1, 2015; 100(4):
1245-1255
[ii] WHO, State of the Science of Endocrine
Disrupting Chemicals 2012
[iii] Endocrine Society, Endocrine Disrupting
Chemicals, Where We Stand
[iv] Endocr Rev. 2015 Dec;36(6):E1-E150
[v] Hormone Health Network, EDCs
[vi] EWG.org Dirty Dozen Endocrine
Disruptors October 28, 2013
[vii] Annals of Internal Medicine,
2012;157(5):348
[viii] Mercury Policy Project’s guide to
mercury levels in different varieties of
fish and shellfish (PDF)
[ix] Environmental Science and Technology,
2015; 49(1): 113
[1] Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
and Metabolism April 1, 2015; 100(4):
1245-1255
Dr. Dan Watts
MD, ND, MSMN
The Renewal Point
FOUNDER/DIRECTOR
[1] WHO, State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals 2012
[1] Endocrine Society, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Where We Stand
[1] Endocr Rev. 2015 Dec;36(6):E1-E150
[1] Hormone Health Network, EDCs
[1] EWG.org Dirty Dozen Endocrine Disruptors October 28, 2013
[1] Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012;157(5):348
[1] Mercury Policy Project’s guide to mercury levels in different varieties
of fish and shellfish (PDF)
[1] Environmental Science and Technology, 2015; 49(1): 113
4905 Clark Road, Sarasota
Phone: 941-926-4905
www.TheRenewalPoint.com
PAID ADVERTORIAL
28 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

Great Voices…
Powerful Music…
Experience it!
Saturday | Nov 11, 2023 | 1 pm
Church of the Redeemer
222 S. Palm Ave. Sarasota 34236
VETERANS DAY
IN SONG
Presenting the songs that brought us hope and
inspiration during military conflicts from the
Revolutionary War through Desert Storm. Music
bolsters the morale of the soldier and highlighting
this performance will be tributes to our fighting forces
through the centuries.
Enjoy the music of Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan,
Lee Greenwood and more. Joining Choral Artists is
Sergeant Major (ret) Bob McDonald, baritone and
veteran of The US Army Chorus in Washington, DC.
Artistic Director Dr. Joseph Holt
2023-2024 Season
941-387-4900 | ChoralArtistsSarasota.org
EMBRACE
THE NATURAL
YOU
(with a little help.)
Implant Removal — Breast Lift — Fat Grafting
Breast Augmentation
Tummy Tucks — Liposuction — Body Sculpting
Arm & Thigh Lifts — Breast Reduction
Sovereign Plastic Surgery
Alissa M. Shulman, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
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941- 366-LIPO (5476)
www.sovereignps.com
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 29

Intimate musical experiences.
Season 28 | Stars Ascending
Violin classics combine with an extraordinary rock and roll oratorio
for one extraordinary concert
with Key Chorale and Booker High School VPA Choir
JoshProvides Epilepsy Assistance Foundation
and the Markov Family
Nov. 18 • 4:00 pm • Church of the Palms
941-306-1202
ArtistSeriesConcerts.org
This project is supported in part by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County; Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida (Section 286.25 Florida Statutes);
The Exchange; Gulf Coast Community Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues; and the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
Helping Children
Diagnosed With Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder
that can strike ANYONE, ANYTIME,
ANYWHERE. In fact, 1 in 26 people
will have a seizure during their lifetime.
Seizures impact both the individual and
the family. The stigma and social isolation; the inability to operate a vehicle to get
to school, work or medical appointments; the uncertainty of when the next seizure
might occur; and the fear of SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy) are
the frightening realities for many families in our community. JoshProvides pulls
back the curtain on epilepsy, the fourth most common neurological disorder,
through community awareness, education, offering a local monthly Epilepsy
Support Group, and providing seizure detection & alert devices, transportation
assistance and assistance with medical services to children, families and
individuals. Our families are NOT defined by their disorder…they are warriors
who will overcome these obstacles thanks to your support!
Mission: To improve the quality of life for those living with epilepsy
or other seizure disorders.
(800) 706-2740
JoshProvides.org
Engaging Adult Day program
for your Loved One
& Caregiver respite time
for You
Take a few hours for self-care
or to run errands weekly without
concern for your loved one home alone.
1820 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota
Monday-Friday, 8:30am - 3:30pm
2350 Scenic Drive, Venice
Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 3:00pm
Call for a tour! (941) 556-3268
See our website for details and virtual tour
www.friendshipcenters.org
30 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

Dalí Alive 360°
is a new dimension in storytelling
It illuminates the artist’s career and life with beautiful animation and music
Admittedly, Salvador
Dalí’s work can be a
challenge to process -
always interesting - but
challenging. The links
to Surrealism are numerous in his work
and reflect that time when dream analysis
and exploring the subconscious were
new concepts.
However, his many images of elephants
on stilt-like legs with towers on
them, clock/watch faces draped over
skin resembling a face — and that woman
having her breast painfully squeezed —
plus all those ants, lobsters and religious
iconography are bizarre to say the least,
but then I think he’d like that people
would say that. He loved attention and
was a great (some would say excessive)
self-promoter which is one of several interesting
takeaways from this Dalí Alive
360° at the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg.
The immersion is in a dome that is
actually outside the museum where you
enter to experience the show. Unlike the
various Van Gogh experiences, this is in
one room, has no fragrances, and is built
on strong narrative, great use of his images
(including ants “streaming” across
the floor) and gorgeous musical choices.
As you’ll learn in the not-too-wordy narration,
Dalí was shaped by his upbringing
and was one to always challenge conformity
and authority. It’s enjoyable and you
will learn a lot, like his work in Hollywood
with director Alfred Hitchcock and his
work designing ballet sets. To me, some
images show Dalí as an influencer for Star
Wars and even Monty Python.
About Dalí Alive 360°
“The dynamic animations of Dalí’s works
featured in “Dalí Alive” illuminate the
challenges and triumphs of his artistic
career and provide visitors the sensation
of stepping into the life of Dalí himself.
“The experience immerses the visitor
in Dalí’s surreal landscapes, iconic melting
clocks and mind-bending illusions
with touchpoints from the artist’s childhood
in Spain, through his introduction
to the surrealist circles in Paris, his refuge
in America and finally his return to
Spain. Each of these eras of the artist’s
life prompted a response from Dalí, leading
to his constant reinvention,” from the
Dalí press release.
Constructed in the Museum’s
Avant-garden, the Dome’s steel framework
stands 39 feet tall and 60 feet in diameter.
It is designed to withstand pressures
from hurricane winds and storm
surges. Inside the Dome, the projection-mapped
digital images will dynamically
display from the floor to the top of
the structure.
For tickets, visit
TheDali.org/DaliAlive360.
The Dalí is located at One Dalí Boulevard,
St. Petersburg. For more information,
visit TheDali.org or download the
free Dalí Museum App.
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 31

dining in
Shhhhh… just don’t tell them it’s vegan…
Comfort food recipes can be reinvented for the holiday meal
F Mushroom Wellington T
The holiday dinner table is a place for laughs, good cheer, and
home cooking. Most traditional holiday recipes can be reinvented
without animal products.
F Candied Ginger Sweet Potato Muffins
Candied Ginger Sweet Potato Muffins T
Bursting with flavor, these muffins are perfect for family brunches or for post-meal
noshing. Barley and rice flours, along with flax meal, add a special texture and feel
to the muffins, while the sweet potato and pumpkin purees and candied ginger
contribute a spicy sweetness.
These sweet potato muffins are a creative way to use up sweet potatoes leftover from
your holiday gatherings. Candied ginger tops each muffin for a crunchy, spicy addition
to these sweetly spiced treats.
1 cup barley flour*
1 cup brown rice flour*
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
mix**
1 tablespoon flax meal*
1 tablespoon arrowroot
or
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 banana
1/2 cup sweet potato puree***
or
1/2 cup pumpkin puree***
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoon molasses
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup candied ginger, chopped
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with a light layer of grease or
nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk the barley flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin
pie spice together in a medium bowl.
Whisk flax meal and arrowroot or cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add 3 tablespoons
of water and mix well.
Add mashed banana, sweet potato or pumpkin puree, maple syrup and brown sugar to
the small bowl with the flax meal mixture. Whisk until thoroughly combined, taking care
not to leave any chunks.
Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until well combined. Spoon
the batter into the muffin tins until they are 3/4 of the way full. Press the candied ginger
onto the tops of each muffin. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out dry.
2 lb. large head cauliflower
– broken into florets
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or
minced
2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 Tbsp. curry blend
1 piece of ginger, 2inch
long, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
or harissa paste
3 cups low sodium veggie broth
1 can (14oz) coconut milk
Serves 6
Melt coconut oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until
softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add in garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, curry, and harissa/
curry paste, then cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add in the cauliflower and broth, and bring to a simmer.
*Found at health food stores or the health
section of some grocery stores.
**Premade pumpkin pie mix is sold in stores
***Use up leftover cooked sweet potatoes
or pumpkins. If starting from scratch,
try this sweet potato puree or pumpkin
puree method.
F Curried Cauliflower Soup
Curried Cauliflower Soup T
This soup is made creamy thanks to coconut milk and cauliflower and it takes just
30 minutes to make.
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
1 red chili, sliced to garnish
Cover with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes, or until
cauliflower is tender.
Stir in coconut milk, then remove from heat. Using a hand blender, process until it
reaches a thick creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle chili, fresh chopped cilantro and garnish with lime slices.
Best served hot.
Ambitious, but worth the effort.
FOR THE PASTRY:
One and a third
cups pastry flour
1/2 tsp fine sea
salt
5.6 ounces vegan
butter
1/3 cup plus 1
tbsp cold water
PASTRY
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place flour in a
medium bowl and
add salt and mix
well to combine.
Break the butter
into chunks and
add to the flour
and rub it into the
flour. Don’t rub the
butter in too much.
You want to see
chunks of butter
as this is will make
your pastry flaky.
Add the water little
by little and mix
until you have a dough. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Form the dough into a rectangle and roll it out until it is 3 times its original length.
Fold the top third of the dough onto the middle of the dough and the bottom third
on top of that.
Give the dough a quarter turn and roll it out again until it is 3 times its original length.
Again fold the top third to the middle and the bottom third on top of that. Wrap in plastic
wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat another 2 times and pastry is ready to use.
INGREDIENTS:
4 large portobello mushrooms stalks
trimmed and cleaned
3 large onions peeled and chopped
3 tbs olive oil
10.5 ounces baby spinach
4 sprigs of thyme leaves picked
1 vegan puff pastry
INSTRUCTIONS
1 tbs dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
VEGAN EGG WASH:
1 tbs chickpea water
1 tbs almond or cashew milk
1 tsp neutral flavored oil
1/2 tsp maple syrup or brown rice syrup
Place a large frying pan over a low to medium-low heat. Add the 1 /2 tbs of olive oil
followed by onion and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper and cook,
stirring occasionally 15-20 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.
Remove onions from the pan and return the pan to the heat. Add baby spinach and
cook until wilted. Remove baby spinach from the pan and leave to cool.
Increase heat to medium/high and return pan to the heat. Add remaining olive oil and
place mushrooms, top side down. Cook until lightly golden (about 5 minutes) before
turning over and cooking for 5 minutes more or until golden.
Remove from heat, and drain on paper towel top side up as they will release a lot of
liquid as they cool. Transfer onions, spinach and mushrooms to the refrigerator and
cool completely.
Preheat oven to 390. Place a sheet of baking paper on the baking tray and then place
puff pastry sheet on top. Spread half the caramelized onions over the middle third of
the pastry, making sure to leave an extra ¾ inch, border at the edge of the pastry. Top
with half of the baby spinach. Spread Dijon mustard over the mushrooms and season
well with salt and pepper. Place mushrooms on top of the spinach. Top mushrooms
with thyme and the remaining baby spinach and onions.
Carefully roll pastry over the top of mushroom mixture until you have a log. Press down
to seal the edges. Roll over the log so that the seam is facing the bottom.
To make the vegan egg wash whisk all of ingredients together in a bowl. Lightly coat
with the vegan egg wash. Place the pastry in the freezer for 10 minutes before repeating
with another layer of vegan egg wash and freezing the pastry for a further 10 minutes.
Place pastry back on the baking sheet and tray and place in the oven for 30 to 35
minutes, or until golden and flakey.
32 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

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NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 33

Open again in
DOWNTOWN
SARASOTA!
Nancy’s remains downtown Sarasota’s ONLY and ORIGINAL BBQ joint, and stands alone in our tradition of slow smoking ALL our pork and beef brisket overnight,
EVERY night and serving it strictly FRESH FROM THE SMOKER.
Join us to enjoy our original menu -- and some new items -- in our spacious dining room or in our inviting full bar with HAPPY HOUR every day 11AM-7PM
(where we live stream every Sunday NFL game on 15 big screens). We offer a private dining room you may reserve for lunchtime or dinner gatherings.
And of course we continue as the area’s leading local BBQ caterer for events small or large; for catering call Nancy direct 941-955-3400.
We look forward to welcoming you ... and welcoming you back!
nancy’s
BAR-B-QTM
#1 Local Genuine BBQ since 2004 SM
Voted BEST BBQ
12th Consecutive Year
Find restaurant and catering menus and ORDER ONLINE at NancysBarBQ.COM
1525 4th Street in the Rosemary District
Sarasota 34236
941-999-2390 • OPEN 7 DAYS 11AM
FULL BAR • HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY 11AM-7PM
NFL Sunday Ticket®
34 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023

INTO REALITY FOR OVER A DECADE
Women Owned
& Operated
WHO WE ARE
Planet Stone continuously strives to be the area's premier
Natural Stone countertop provider. Our Stone Squad is made up
of exceptional individuals who take the extra steps needed to
deliver top-quality results on schedule. The work we do is truly
custom every time and every project is personal to us – because
we know how important it is for you to make your vision a reality.
Rated 4.9 on Google
PlanetStone.com • 941-795-2800
For more than a decade, our Planet Stone team
has been serving the Bradenton & Sarasota area.
As a women-owned & operated company, we
are proud to be your trusted choice for all your
stone needs. From kitchens to bathrooms and
even outdoor spaces, we know how to make
your vision become reality. In 2023, our team
had the honor of being named the Platinum
winner of SRQ Magazine’s Best of SRQ for
the second year in a row, a competition voted
on by our community and an accolade we
don’t take lightly. Our stone squad is here to
help you with your next home renovation project.
Contact us today and Plan It at Planet.
VISIT US AT OUR DESIGN CENTER AT 601 6TH AVENUE WEST • BRADENTON, FLORIDA
NOVEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 35

For a Continuous Journey
of Optimal Health
Consider Bio-Identical Hormone Balancing
Reasons to Participate in Bio-identical Hormone Balancing
• Restoring mental and physical balance
• Enhancing athletic performance
• Gaining control over emotions
• Reducing anxiety and depression
• Improving relationships
• Losing and managing weight
• Normalizing sleep/wake cycles
• Increasing energy and focus
• Boosting intimacy and sexuality
• Improving bone strength and
joint health
• Restoring muscle mass
Photo credit: Puckons
Call today 941.926.4905 to schedule an appointment
With over 30 years of experience and numerous board certifications and credentials,
Dan Watts, MD, ND, MSNM and Deb Spinner, APRN, MS are experts
in the Science and Art of Bio-identical Hormone Balancing
Dan Watts, MD, ND, MSMN
Board Certification:
American Board of Integrative Medicine
American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Post-doctoral Certification in Metabolic
Endocrinology
Post-doctoral Master's in Nutritional and
Metabolic Medicine
Fellowship: American Academy of Anti-Aging
Medicine: Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and
Functional Medicine
Fellowship: American College of Surgeons
Age Management | Men's Health | Gynecology | Bio-identical Hormone Balancing
Strength and Conditioning | Weight Loss | IV Therapy | Brain Health
Toxin Elimination | Digestive Health | Heart Health
4905 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34233
941.926.4905 www.TheRenewalPoint.com
Deb Spinner, APRN, MS, NP-C
Board Certified Advanced
Registered Nurse Practitioner
Specialties Include:
Gynecology
Bio-identical Hormone Balancing
Metabolic Weight Loss
IV Therapy
Family Medicine
36 WEST COAST WOMAN NOVEMBER 2023