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focus on the arts Shinique Smith: Parade Exhibit at the Ringling Features Contemporary Sculpture in Conversation with the European Art Collection This is the first exhibition of Shinique Smith’s work at The Ringling Museum and the first time she has presented her work in direct dialogue with a museum collection of historic European art. The placement of the work reveals the universality of human experience explored by artists throughout time. On View through Jan. 5, 2025 Visitors will find several examples of Smith’s large-scale fabric sculptures in conversation with European art Shinique Smith standing in front of her sculpture Mitumba Deity II (2018-2023) on display in the Astor Salon (Gallery 19) Visitors to The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art have the opportunity to experience the work of contemporary artist Shinique Smith (b. 1971) in conversation with the museum’s collection of European art. Shinique Smith: Parade is on view in the Museum of Art through January 5, 2025. Unfolding across six galleries, the exhibition creates a series of unique stories that together form an abstract narrative of the “parade” as a metaphor for life. “We are so thrilled that Shinique Smith has chosen to present her work to Sarasota audiences within our European galleries, where it will provoke conversation and inspire new ways of seeing and understanding both historic and contemporary art,” says the exhibition’s curator, Sarah Cartwright, Chief Curator and Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections at The Ringling. Another scene from the European galleries Cartwright, who also oversees the museum’s European collection, adds, “Shinique chose the works on view in response to The Ringling’s magnificent gallery spaces. The synergy between her work and our collections is palpable, and the museum is full of unexpected moments of beauty and emotion.” Well known for her monumental sculptures created from an array of materials, including luxurious textiles, personal clothing, dyed fabrics, ribbon, and wood, and for her abstract paintings of calligraphy and collage, Smith’s work in this exhibition speaks to various facets of the European artistic tradition, such as classical drapery and religious iconography, while foregrounding notions of Black femininity and the history of the circus. “My hope for this show is to create a bridge between differing depictions of people and the art histories that inform my hand while celebrating the beauty found in our belongings and honoring the resilience and magnanimity of Black women,” says Smith. Moving through the Museum of Art galleries, which display European art from the fifteenth century through the late nineteenth, visitors will find several examples of Smith’s large-scale fabric sculptures in A sculpture called “Stargazer” conversation with European art, for example with Italian Baroque paintings in Gallery 8 and with Gilded Age interiors from the Astor Mansion in New York City in Galleries 19 and 20. Smith’s works in the exhibition emphasize femininity, as seen through the eyes of a woman artist. In works such as Inflamed by Golden Hues of Love and Mitumba Deity II, Smith explores her reverence for the curves and resilience of Black women, conveyed through shapely forms bejeweled and draped in gold. Notions of divinity, light, death, renewal, and rebirth pervade sculptural works like Grace Stands Beside and Stargazer, the latter inspired by the imagined path of an enslaved woman following the stars and counting the days to her freedom. The exhibition moves from the mythic and monumental to the personal and familial with ease. Inspired by her admiration for the beauty that her grandmother and mother created in times of “making do” and building magic from everything they had on hand, the installation in Gallery 6 will display a collection of photographs of the women in Smith’s family dressed to the nines, along with some of her own personal treasures, to form a venerated visual poem. On view through January 5, 2025. More info at ringling.org About the Artist Born in Baltimore, MD, and currently residing in Los Angeles, Smith holds BFA and MFA degrees from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MA in Education from Tufts University. She has received awards and prizes from Joan Mitchell, the Tiffany Foundation, Anonymous Was a Woman, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters among others. Her work has gained attention through her participation in biennials and group exhibitions and has been exhibited and collected by institutions such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, California African American Museum, Denver Art Museum, Deutsche Guggenheim, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Art, MOMA PS1, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. 18 WEST COAST WOMAN MARCH 2024
feature You Can Prevent a Double Drowning Parents should learn to swim before their children In a world where 500,000 people lose their lives to drowning each year (World Health Organization 2022), a local swim school, Miracle Swimming School for Adults, shares what everyone needs to know to prevent double drownings. With 47 years of experience as a professional instructor, author of “Conquer Your Fear of Water, A Revolutionary Way to Learn to Swim Without Ever Feeling Afraid,” and founder Melon Dash emphasizes that the key to preventing drowning is knowing how to rest in deep water peacefully. The key to preventing double drowning— in which a struggling swimmer is assisted by a rescuer and both lose their lives— is twofold: being comfortable in deep water yourself and giving a floating device to the distressed swimmer, as opposed to relying on strength or strokes. In the ‘90s, the definition of learning to swim changed from being safe in water over one’s head to being able to do freestyle or a formal stroke from here to there. It meant that many didn’t learn to float. Today, it is likely that fewer people are safe in deep water. Many stop taking lessons too soon. Half of adults are unsafe in deep water. It’s likely that a high percentage of drownings are caused not by a lack of stroke knowledge but by a lack of understanding the water: it holds us up. Attending swimming lessons does not equate to safety unless students learn to rest peacefully in water over their heads for extended periods. “The focus should be on demonstrating a deep knowing of how your body and the water work together: water pushes you up, water gets into your nose unless you know how to prevent it, you need to know how to hold your breath, where you are relative to the surface, how to keep your presence of mind, when you need more air and when you don’t, how to listen to your body and to do what it tells you,” Dash says. The definition of “I can swim” must include, “I am comfortable and safe in water over my head.” Without comfort in water over one’s head, the possibility of drowning is greater. Knowing when to assist someone who is in distress in water can be the difference between life and death. Most people naturally desire to help, even if they’re not prepared. This too often leads to double drownings. This instinct, especially among parents, is understandable. But they can be better prepared. To rescue a distressed swimmer, stay on land if possible and extend something to the person who’s struggling to pull them in. If you feel safe in deep water and decide to accept the risk of entering the water, give the person anything that floats. A life jacket, a pool noodle, a kickboard, a lifeguard’s buoy, or an empty 1-gallon water jug with a lid are useful. A struggling swimmer will submerge a rescuer quickly if they get too close, not out of malice, but out of the instinct to survive. A new conversation is necessary. Having this conversation with important and mature people in your life can reduce the likelihood of double drownings. It’s intimate. It starts like this: Do you hope that I will risk my life for yours? I want you/ don’t want you to risk your life for mine. I am willing/not willing to risk my life for yours. Each person must speak their truth with permission and without guilt. The new understanding that emerges can prevent some of the reasons for sorrow and mourning. Giving up one’s life should be a choice, not an unforeseen consequence. Each person must also take responsibility for their own safety. Lifeguards, swim instructors, or first responders aren’t liable for someone’s safety. While they are meant to provide support, safety is a personal responsibility. For children, caregivers are tasked with keeping them safe. To ensure familial safety, parents should learn to swim before their children. For more information: Miracle Swimming School for Adults teaches adults to be comfortable in deep water. It’s the most important part of knowing how to swim. Learn by feeling safe. For a complete listing of courses, visit miracleswimming.com/essentials-1-course/ or call 941-921-6420 Whether planning a wedding or a corporate event, The Ora is the place to be. With versatile spaces to choose from, including one of the largest ballrooms in the region, you will find the perfect space to meet your needs and exceed your expectations. PLENTIFUL PARKING STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY DINING & DRINKS VENUE AESTHETICS Elevate your event with The Ora’s exclusive caterer, 578 McIntosh Road | Sarasota FL 34232 theorasrq.com For inquiries, please contact Deanna McGrath at dmcgrath@theorasrq.com or 941.343.2107 THE VENICE SYMPHONY THE 50TH VENICE ANNIVERSARY SYMPHONY NOVEMBER 50TH ANNIVERSARY 2023 - APRIL 2024 NOVEMBER AT THE VENICE PERFORMING 2023 - APRIL ARTS CENTER 2024 AT THE VENICE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TICKETS ON SALE NOW TICKETS ON SALE NOW MUSIC DIRECTOR TROY QUINN MUSIC DIRECTOR TROY QUINN For more information, visit thevenicesymphony.org For more information, call 941-207-8822 visit thevenicesymphony.org or call 941-207-8822 MARCH 2024 WEST COAST WOMAN 19
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