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out and about continued
take audiences to the edge of their
seat as Asolo Rep Associate Artistic
Director Céline Rosenthal directs.
Visit asolorep.org to learn more info.
Westminster is at Urbanite Theatre
March 22 - April 28. After winning
first place at the 2023 Modern
Works Festival, Urbanite is proud to
present the world premiere of WEST-
MINSTER by Brenda Withers. Things
get off on the wrong paw when Pia
is gifted a dog by an old friend Krys.
This screwball romp, part morality
play digs into our “acceptable” social
prejudices—and the consequences
of leaving those biases unchecked.
www.urbanitetheatre.com
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FSU/Asolo Conservatory for
Actor Training’s has Miss Julie running
through March 10. Witness
a clandestine encounter of desire,
lust and forbidden love. On a Midsummer
Night, the count’s daughter,
Julie, enters the kitchen, sparking
a dangerous connection with the
servant, Jean. As their illicit affair
unfolds, Christine, another servant
and Jean’s fiancé, quietly observes,
leading to a shocking climax.
Clyde’s runs through March 9.
By Lynn Nottage, it’s a tumultuous
tale unfolds in a dangerous kitchen.
Meet Clyde, a seductive and resilient
ex-convict who manages a trucker
sandwich shop in a remote location.
Her loyal staff, also ex-convicts, cling
to their jobs while harboring ambitious
dreams. United by Montrellous,
a Zen-like coworker, they strive
to craft “the perfect sandwich.” As
Clyde’s relentless nature clashes with
their aspirations, behold a transformative
journey where dreams collide,
and Clyde’s fate hangs in the balance.
Continuing its Shakespeare in The
Ringling Bayfront Gardens series,
the FSU/Asolo Conservatory presents
Romeo and Juliet (April 5 - 28) in
the banyan grove of The Ringling with
select performances indoors on the
Cook Theatre stage. This production
will allow the audience to experience
the tragic tale indoors or outdoors,
immersing them in the timeless story
of love and hate.
For information, visit asolorep.org/
conservatory.
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Musica Sacra
To be performed on March 8,
Chant Re-Imagined spans many
traditions, including Jewish, Hindu,
Muslim, Christian, Native American,
African, and Indonesian. According to
Phillips, chant is an ancient art form
that opens its performers and hearers
to deep contemplative places within.
Listeners will hear this ancient heart
music in its original form, in addition
to experiencing layers of sound that
include percussion, strings, wind
instruments, and pulsing rhythms.
Modern Marimba, is featured in the
event, with its mallet-wielding founders
Tihda Vongkoth and Steph Davis.
• May 17 at 7 pm – American Spirit.
Celebrating American creativity,
resilience, and vision with works by
Howard Hanson, Aaron Copland,
African American spirituals, and
settings of poetry by Walt Whitman,
Langston Hughes and others. Features
pianist Glenn Priest and orchestra
in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Location: First Presbyterian Church,
2050 Oak Street. Tickets: Musica
SacraSarasota.org.
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Soundbox Ventures
Their “Listen Hear” Salon Concerts
are on March 8 and March
20 at St. Boniface Episcopal Church.
This interactive “exhibition for music”
series examines a specific way we hear
expression and meaning. Curated
by Max Tan, each salon-style event
includes a classical music program,
insights from the artists, and conversations
with the audience.
Each program is free and registration
is required. Register at www.
soundboxventures.org/events. St.
Boniface Episcopal Church is located
at 5615 Midnight Pass Road on
Siesta Key.
▼
At The Galleries
“What’s Cookin’, Sarasota?” is
the newest exhibit courtesy of the
Sarasota County History Center
and is on display at the Sarasota
County Administration building. The
exhibit explores how food and cooking
shaped the community of Sarasota
County and features cookbooks,
recipe cards, and a variety of unique
and historical kitchen equipment.
“What’s Cookin’, Sarasota?” will be
on display through March 2024 on
the first floor of the Administration
building at 1660 Ringling Blvd. Hungry
for more? Visit the online exhibit
here: https://loom.ly/fRtcQLs
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Babs Reingold Solo Exhibition
“Under My Skin” is at SPAACES Gallery,
2087 Princeton St., Sarasota and
runs through March 16. The exhibition
includes a series of new stain
paintings/assemblages, sculptures
from the “Luna Window” series, and a
group of small drawings.
More info at www.spaaces.art or
call 941-374-3492.
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Art CenterManatee has the
American Watercolor Society
156th International Traveling
Exhibit running through March 8.
The Florida Suncoast Watercolor
Society Annual Aqueous Show also
runs through March 8.
AWS features master watercolor
artists from around the world and the
ArtCenter will be one of only three
venues in the United States to host the
traveling exhibit.
They’re at 209 9th St W, Bradenton.
Info: ArtCenterManatee.org
▼
Art Center Sarasota
Cycle 4: March 14 - April 20. Opening
Reception: March 14, 6-8 p.m.
▼
• Natasha Dikareva: Natasha
Dikareva reflects on the current
state of her homeland, Ukraine in
her upcoming exhibition featuring
a variety of narrative, figurative
ceramic sculptures.
• Angela Pilgrim: Drawing on a
skillful fusion of printmaking,
painting, and mixed media her
work celebrates the complex inner
worlds of Black women and invites
viewers to contemplate the spiritual
dimensions of our existence,
exploring themes of identity, faith,
and resilience.
• Michael Kinsey: Michael Kinsey’s
“Listening to Black Voices,” showcases
black and white portraits,
highlighting the richness and diversity
of Sarasota’s Black community.
• Juried Show: “Great Artists Steal”
encourages artists to create works
inspired by their favorite artists and
artworks from contemporary art
and art history. This inspiration may
come from the technique, content,
or style of the artist(s) or artwork(s)
in reference, and uniquely recontextualizing
these elements.
Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami
Trail, Sarasota. Info: www.
artsarasota.org
Selby Gardens has Clyde Butcher:
Nature Through the Lens at the
Historic Spanish Point campus on
view to August 31, 2024. Featuring
extraordinary, large-format wildlife
prints by this well-known landscape
photographer and conservationist,
Clyde Butcher: Nature Through
the Lens gives viewers the chance to
engage with Clyde Butcher’s artwork
against the backdrop of our Historic
Spanish Point campus. selby.org
▼
A capsule collection of Florida
Highwaymen paintings is on display
in the Cultural Heritage Exhibit in
the City Hall atrium, 1565 First Street.
Known as Florida’s legendary
Black landscape artists, the Florida
Highwaymen emerged in the 1950s
in the agricultural communities of
Fort Pierce and Gifford, Florida. The
group of young painters, which grew
to include 25 men and one woman,
became known as The Highwaymen.
They were prolific painters who sold
their artwork from the trunks of their
cars during the post-World War II
boom because they were unable to
exhibit through traditional means due
to racial barriers. While making ends
meet, they also made a significant
contribution to the genre of Florida
landscape painting.
▼
Architecture Sarasota’s speaker series has a talk on
March 26: Modernism 102, Session 60:
New(er) Materials (2000s-Today) 5:30-6:30pm,
McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S. Orange Ave.
Tickets: www.architecturesarasota.org
Free and open to the public during
City Hall hours, Monday–Friday 8
a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sarasota Orchestra’s Harmony
Gallery features local artists showcasing
their work in solo exhibitions
throughout the Orchestra’s season.
These juried exhibitions feature artists
with mediums ranging from painting
to pastels to mixed media. Twenty-five
percent of all proceeds from the sale of
the artwork benefit Sarasota Orchestra.
The exhibits invite patrons to
explore the collaboration between the
visual and performing arts.
• On display: Marco Bell and Monica
Spain. Exhibition Titled: Pas
de Deux. Bell was born and raised
in Sarasota and received his BFA in
1976 from Ringling College of Art
and Design. Post-graduation Marco
became an art director in product
manufacturing until a freelance
mural job made him realize how
much he missed painting. Monica
grew up in South Florida and
received her BFA from Atlanta College
of Art in 1978, after which she
worked in advertising. Yearning
to expand her painting skills, an
opportunity to paint murals in Sarasota
presented itself in 1997. Runs
through March 14
• Next: Emma Seaworthy. Exhibition
Titled: Water. Seaworthy, creates
artwork influenced by the Florida
wilds. Her mixed media work features
environmentalist themes and
offers a deep appreciation for our
local ecosystems. Her work has been
featured at both environmental and
art venues, enticing viewers to ask
questions and think critically about
our perceptions of nature.
Exhibit runs March 19 – May 9. Public
reception: March 20, 5-6:30 pm.
▼
Arts Advocates has these March
programs and events:
• Exhibition of 50 Florida Highwaymen
paintings in the Arts Advocates
Gallery on March 2, 3, 22, 23 and
24 from 2-6 p.m. each day.
The Florida Highwaymen were
prolific painters who, starting in the
1950s, sold their landscape paintings
on Florida highways from the trunks
of their cars as galleries and museums
refused to exhibit black artists
at that time. Today, Highwaymen
artworks are collected and exhibited
globally. Five Highwaymen paintings
are part of Arts Advocates’ permanent
collection.
This exhibition is being held in collaboration
with Roger Lightle, noted
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Highwaymen art collector, along with
Curtis Arnett, an original Florida
Highwayman, and Roy McLendon,
Jr., son of an original Highwayman.
All pieces on display will be offered
for sale.
In addition, McLendon will demonstrate
his painting techniques live in
the gallery, and Lightle will be on hand
to elaborate on his collection. The
exhibition is free and open to the public.
The Arts Advocates Gallery is located
in The Crossings at Siesta Key mall,
3501 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
The “Behind the Curtain: Exploring
the Van Wezel from the Art to the
Stage” tour on March 11 from 1:30 to 3
p.m. is presented in partnership with
the Van Wezel. The art in the Van Wezel
was created by noted Florida artists
and is on loan from Arts Advocates.
A docent leads a tour of the paintings
and sculptures including those
by Robert Chase, William Hartman,
Eugene White, Ben Stahl, Thornton
Utz, Frank Colson, Dean Mitchell, and
others. Participants then step onto the
stage where a Van Wezel guide offers
a peek behind the curtain and shares
stories and anecdotes about the world
of show business.
Tickets are $15 per person and can
be purchased at the Van Wezel box
office or by calling (941) 263-6799.
Artist and lifetime arts educator
Judy Levine presents a beaded necklace
workshop on March 30, noon-2
p.m. in the Arts Advocates Gallery.
Participants will design and create
a unique necklace while learning
about color, symmetry, balance, visual
weight, and pattern. All skill levels
welcome. $45 workshop fee includes
all materials.
To register for programs and events,
visit ArtsAdvocates.org.
Meetings
The Palm-Aire Women’s Club
(PAWC) Changes And Developments
At The Marie Selby Botanical
Gardens will be the topic of the
March 22nd Palm-Aire Women’s Club
Luncheon.
President and CEO Jennifer
Rominiecki will speak and explain
her master plan for developing the
gardens and the latest changes and
developments made to this Sarasota
landmark.
The luncheon will be held at the
Palm Aire Country Club and will
start at 11:30 AM. Cost of the luncheon
is $33 for members and $35 for
non-members. Reservations must
be received by March 15th. Reserve
your seat now by mailing a check
to March PAWC Lunch, PO Box
21051, Bradenton Fl 34204 or drop it
off at the PAWC mailbox by the PACC
reception desk. For credit cards,
contact SUSAN ROMINE at susanromine@gmail.com.
For more information about
becoming a member contact membership
chair, Katherine Pike at katherinemaryt@yahoo.com.
Be sure
to check the PAWC website, www.
palm-airewomensclub.org. or Facebook
at the Palm Aire Women’s Club
page for the latest news and updates.
Contact Ann King at Pawc2023@
gmail.com to be included on the
PAWC email list.
Mail check to: PAWC Lunch, P O
Box 21051, Bradenton Fl 34204. For
credit cards, contact Susan at susanromine@gmail.com.
10 WEST COAST WOMAN MARCH 2024