Art Center Sarasota’s
New Exhibitions: October 13-December 2
Swing State
Opens October 13
An open, all-media, politically themed, juried exhibit.
The opening reception, on October 13, 5-7 p.m., will feature local candidates on the current ballot.
Even Stranger Things
Opens October 20
An exhibition of works by Ringling College Fine Arts faculty members
Viewpoints: All Sewn Up
Opens October 20
A site-specific installation featuring 49 silk “winged creatures.”
Pan-O-Rama Community Project
Opens October 20
A community project inspired by an installation at the 2015 Art Basel Miami.
Opening reception for three exhibits is October 20, 5-7 p.m.
(Sarasota, FL) Art Center Sarasota’s 2014-2015 exhibition season, entitled “Common Ground,” opens with four exhibits, which run October 13 to December 2. “Even Stranger Things,” in Gallery One, features works by Ringling College of Art and Design Fine Arts faculty members; “Viewpoints: All Sewn Up,” in Gallery Two, features multi-media works and a gallery-sized installation commemorating victims of the Orlando club assault by Patricia Anderson Turner; the “Pan-O-Rama Community Project,” in Gallery Three, is a community project inspired by an installation at the 2015 Art Basel Miami; and “Swing State,” in Gallery Four, is an open, all-media, politically themed juried exhibition juried by Vicky Randall, a Ringling College of Art and Design Fine Arts faculty member and nationally recognized abstract sculptor, and Paul Caragiulo, a Sarasota County commissioner. The opening reception for “Swing State” is October 13, 5-7 p.m., and will be attended by regional politicians on the current ballot. The opening reception for the other three exhibits is October 20, 5-7 p.m. Art Center Sarasota is located at 707 N. Tamiami Trail, in Sarasota. For more information, call 941-365-2032 or visit www. artsarasota.org.
“Swing State” is an all-media, politically themed juried exhibition. The jurors are Vicky Randall, a Ringling College of Art and Design faculty member and nationally recognized abstract sculptor, and Paul Caragiulo, a Sarasota County commissioner. The opening reception, on October 13, 5-7 p.m., will feature local candidates on the current ballot.
“Even Stranger Things” features new works by Ringling College of Art and Design Fine Arts faculty members Mark Anderson, Claudia Cumbie-Jones, Hugh Davies, Dustin Juengel, Patrick Lindhardt, Vicky Randall, Nathan Skiles, and Michael Wyshock. The exhibit includes painting, sculpture, digital imagery, animation, and printmaking.
“Viewpoints: All Sewn Up features multi-media works and an installation by Patricia Anderson Turner, who lives and works in Charlotte County. Her wall-mounted pieces (stitched constructions of hand-dyed papers, cotton and silk) confront such issues as gun control, the distortions of social media, the impact of rising coastlines on Florida, and the tortured legacy of the Iraq war. Anderson’s “Assault on Orlando” installation defiantly addresses the recent, horrific Orlando nightclub shooting with 49 winged origami creatures taking exuberant flight above an immense Gay Pride flag. As a tragic counterpoint, her installation also incorporates a Sig Sauer MCX rifle, made from black lace and sequins.
Turner says that her art addresses issues of social, cultural, and political gravity. She utilizes familiar and iconic imagery, often of conflict and pain, and places these images within backgrounds that are exuberant and colorful to create “tension between the seriousness of the subject matter and the cheery playfulness of the presentation. My goal is to disrupt complacency, encourage dialogue, and even provoke the viewer to examine issues that affect us all. The act of creating helps to release my frustration over these difficult ailments of our age.” The artist’s works have been included in galleries and museums around the nation. Three of Turner’s works were featured in the 2016 University of Nebraska Press reference book “Quilts and Human Rights.” Her work has been purchased for the permanent collections of the Museum of Michigan State University, The Human Rights Art Exhibit, and Florida Southwestern State College as well as in private collections throughout the country. For more information, visit www.patriciaturnerart.com.
The “Pan-O-Rama Community Project” is a community project inspired by an installation at the 2015 Art Basel Miami. Art Center Sarasota director, Lisa Berger, explains that the public can enter up to two pieces utilizing aluminum foil pans as the basis of a work of art. The pans can be decorated using any medium but must not exceed two inches beyond the rim of the pans. The Art Center exhibitions curator will create an arrangement on the walls of the gallery combining all submissions in to one large installation.
Art Center Sarasota’s 2016-2017 exhibition season, entitled “Common Ground,” showcases the works of professional and emerging artists living and working in Florida. According to Lisa Berger, the center’s director, “The season will bring recognition to the talented, professional artists of today who are making Sarasota famous as a cultural destination. We want to revitalize the cultural community by bringing back the excitement the local visual artists created when they were drawn to Sarasota in the early and mid-20th centuries. The buzz will prove that Sarasota is a destination for people seriously interested in contemporary visual arts.”
According to Berger, the scheduled exhibitions inspired a powerful season sub-theme. “Without purposely planning it, we realized that we had selected quite a few female artists for solo shows this season. There are many unique female artists who don’t always get the recognition they deserve. This year we will celebrate their talents.”
The season, which runs October 13, 2016, through September 29, 2017, comprises seven exhibition cycles, most encompassing up to four exhibits. Berger explains that Galleries One and Two are reserved for exhibits by premier solo artists, art groups and themed curated shows. Gallery Three hosts special projects and community group shows. Shows in these galleries are selected based on cultural and artistic merit and broadest audience appeal. Gallery 4 exhibits work in a juried competition with awards juried by selected independent professionals in the visual arts.
2016-2017 Season: A Quick Glance
Art Center Sarasota’s 90th Anniversary Celebration is Sunday, October 16, 2016, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., at Michael’s On East in Sarasota. The cost is $90 per person.
Cycle 2 (December 8, 2016-January 13, 2017) features the annual ACS instructors show; a textile installation by Adriana Carvalho; “Cracker Politics” by Michael Adno; and “Reflections,” an open, juried exhibit.
Cycle 3 (January 26-March 3, 2017) features a solo exhibit of work by Dasha Reich; a solo exhibit of work by Robert Burridge; ASALH Black Muse 2017; and “Classic Fantastic,” an open, juried exhibit.
Cycle 4 (March 16-April 21, 2017) features “Orbs,” a solo exhibit by Carol Prusa; a solo exhibit of work by Peppi Elona; the “SPECTRUM II” installation; and “From Within,” an open, juried exhibit.
Cycle 5 (May 18-June 23, 2017) features an exhibit of works by Amy Ernst and Amy Ragus; a 3D invitational ceramic and sculpture exhibit; “MASHterpieces IV”; and “Unlimited Potential,” a juried, members only show.
Cycle 6 (July 6-August 11, 2017) features “Florida’s Finest,” an all-media, all-subject juried exhibition highlighting the talented artists of the Sunshine State, in all galleries.
Cycle 7 (August 24-September 29, 2017) features a solo exhibit entitled “World Without Men” by Lowell Gilbertson; an exhibit of works by the Sumi-e Society of Sarasota; and “Line, Form and Color,” an open, peer-juried exhibit.
The 9th annual iconcept unconventional couture fashion event will be on February 19, 6 p.m., at The Mall at UTC, Saks Fifth Avenue. Tickets are $75-$175.
For more information about Art Center Sarasota, call 941-365-2032 or visit www.artsarasota.org.
About Art Center Sarasota
Art Center Sarasota was the first arts and cultural institution in Sarasota. It was founded in 1926 as the “Sarasota Art Association” by Marcia Rader, the art supervisor for the Sarasota County schools district. In the early years, the group met monthly and sponsored exhibits in rented facilities. The Association was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1943 and has been in its current location in the Sarasota Bayfront Cultural District since 1949. Art Center Sarasota is now a membership-based organization that offers curated and juried exhibitions, adult and youth education programs, outreach initiatives for underserved youth, and culturally related public programming. Art Center Sarasota’s mission is to inspire individual creative expression, nurture artistic talent and provide the community with accessible and diverse visual art opportunities.
Art Center Sarasota
707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: 941-365-2032 § Fax: 941-366-0585
www.artsarasota.org
Gallery Hours:
Free admission
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Closed Sunday
