August 8, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT
Lisa Berger § 941-365-2032 § lisa
“Merging Parallels”
Art Center Sarasota Announces 2014-2015 Season
“Merging Parallels” runs October 23, 2014, through September 30, 2015, and features work by more than 300 emerging and established artists from around the region and the world.
(Sarasota, FL) Art Center Sarasota’s 2014-2015 exhibition season, entitled “Merging Parallels,” runs October 23, 2014, through September 30, 2015. It comprises seven exhibition cycles, most encompassing up to four exhibits. According to Lisa Berger, the center’s director, “Our upcoming season is all about the variety of art mediums that are used by artists to express themselves. We’re celebrating the ‘merging’ of artistic styles used by individuals and groups both local and global and bridging cultural barriers.” She anticipates that these dynamic exhibitions will draw more than 40,000 visitors throughout the year.
This season, Art Center Sarasota will continue its global outreach with exhibits of works by artists from France and Venezuela.
Working with local talent in Perpignan, France, Sarasota’s sister city, “Confluence: France” will feature emerging and mid-career artists from the Catalan region of France. The “Confluence” series is an “eight-year international exhibition program inspired by the Sister Cities Association of Sarasota,” says Berger. “These exhibits feature works by artists from countries connected to Sarasota through the Sister Cities Association as a way of building bridges of cultural understanding between our countries.” Last year, the center produced an exhibit of works by cutting-edge Israeli artists.
“Ex Patria,” an exhibit of works by Venezuelan artists curated by the Sarasota-based artist and RinglingCollege instructor Elena de la Ville, is another exhibit showcasing works by Latina artists exploring the politics and history of their country.
“Collective Paper Aesthetics” will extend the global theme. This exhibition is a community-building project using materials designed by Netherlands-based, Israeli artist Noa Haim. “Noa created this program to inspire collaboration and personal expression through art,” says Berger. She adds that the community-created modules will be assembled to make a free-form, gallery-sized sculpture.
According to Berger, two other exhibitions stand to attract critical acclaim. “American Vernacular” is a solo exhibit of mixed-media work by the Canadian artist and Sarasota resident Richard Mueller. “The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has recently added 18 major works by Richard to its permanent collection,” she says. “We’re thrilled to introduce his work to regional audiences.” Berger notes that “Line and Space,” a solo exhibition by Miami-based installation artist David Zalben, will also be intriguing. “David’s wire sculpture installations are an illusory blend of wire, words and whimsy,” she says. “His work is acclaimed in the Miami area and we’re thrilled to bring it to the Sarasota audience.”
Berger adds that the upcoming season will offer opportunities for hundreds of emerging and established artists closer to home. “We are proud to provide exhibition space for hundreds of artists in our area and beyond. Each of our juried exhibitions offers opportunities for regional artists to show their work, connect with art patrons and network with other area artists.”
Berger says that the center hires approximately 30 regional artists to teach art classes and conduct workshops throughout the year. “We tailor our educational programs to offer something for all skill levels, from the novice to the experienced. For a more well-rounded program, Art Center Sarasota offers workshops led by visiting national and international instructors whose reputations draw students from all over the country and locally. We want to help artists realize their creative potential through a wide variety of art education programs.”
For more information about ArtCenterSarasota, call 941-365-2032 or visit www.artsarasota.org.
2014-2015 Season: A Quick Glance
Art Center Sarasota launches its season on October 23 (through November 28, 2014, with “Heated Exchange,” an exhibition of contemporary encaustic (wax) artwork. Curated by Reni Gower, a professor at VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity, the exhibit features works representing painting, sculpture and installations by 11 artists. The season opener also showcases a solo exhibit, “Figure and Abstraction,” featuring paintings by Larry Forgard, a Sarasota-based artist and former RinglingCollege instructor. A third exhibition is a “Black Box Project” installation by recent FSU MFA graduate student Samantha Burns. Art Center Sarasota funds Black Box Projects to create an opportunity for college or recent graduate students to create or curate an innovative artistic project that will help build their professional skills as working artists. “Applied Practice,” an open, all-media, all-subject, juried exhibition, will also be part of this cycle.
The center’s second exhibit cycle of the season runs December 11, 2014, to January 16, 2015, and features the “Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society Aqueous Exhibit” of works in water-based media in Galleries 1 & 2; The Art Center Sarasota Instructors show in Gallery 3; and “Parallel Universes,” an open, all-media, all-subject, juried exhibition in Gallery 4.
The third cycle runs January 29 to March 6, 2015,and includes “American Vernacular,” a solo exhibit of mixed-media works by the Canadian artist Richard Mueller in Gallery 1. Gallery 2 features “Line and Space,” a solo exhibition by Miami-based installation artist David Zalben, who creates the illusion of a solid form in space by drawing with black wire. In Gallery 3, “ASALH: Black Muse 2015” is a curated exhibit showcasing member artists of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History. Their featured work represents a wide array of media, from painting and drawing to sculpture. “Fresh,” an open, all-media, all-subject, juried exhibition, is in Gallery 4.
The fourth cycle is March 19 to April 24, 2015.In Gallery 1, “Ex Patria,” curated by the Sarasota-based artist and teacher, Elena de le Ville, showcases works by Venezuelan artists. “Oceania,” in Gallery 2, is a solo exhibit of work by Miami-based artist Susan Banks. A ceramic artist, Banks mixes the imagery of the human figure with vignettes of coral and marine life to create surreal, abstract sculptures. “At the Heart of It,” the annual members-only, all-media, all-subject, juried exhibit, is in Galleries 3 and 4.
The North Sarasota County Schools Spring Art Show, featuring imaginative artwork by students in grades K-12, is April 27 to May 10, 2015.
The next exhibition cycle is May 21 to June 26, 2015,and features “Confluence: France” in Gallery 1. Working with local talent in Perpignan, France, Sarasota’s sister city, “Confluence: France” will feature emerging and mid-career artists from the Catalan region of France.This is the second installment of the “Confluence” series, an eight-year international exhibition program inspired by the Sisters Cities Association of Sarasota. In Gallery 2, “Collective Paper Aesthetics” is acommunity project using materials designed by Netherlands-based artist Noa Haim. This project inspires collaboration and personal expression through art. Using principles of design and engineering, Haim creates modules that are decorated and assembled by visitors resulting in a gallery-size-sized installation. “MASHterpieces,” in Gallery 3, is thesecond installment of this popular collaboration between Art Center Sarasota, Goodwill Manasota and TWIS.com. Participating artists rework art pieces donated by Goodwill—transforming the original imagery through ironic and unexpected additions. A portion of all sales proceeds will be donated back to Goodwill. “I’ll Be The Judge!” is an open, all-media, all-subject, peer-juried exhibition in Gallery 4.
The “3rd Annual Florida Flavor” exhibitionis July 9 to August 14, 2015. Thisall-media, all-subject, juried exhibition highlights the talented artists of the SunshineState.
The season’s final exhibit cycle is August 27 to September 30, 2015, and includes, in Gallery 1, “Character,” a curated, group exhibit exploring the manifold uses of text in art in a range of media, including drawing, embroidery, photography and mixed media. “El Chocó,” in Gallery 2, features the work of Steve Kagan and Mary Kelsey, documentary artists form Ohio. For this project, the artists use drawing and photography, studying and documenting the lives of artisan gold miners in El Chocó, Colombia, and the effects of foreign industrial mining companies on their way of life. A “Black Box Project,” in Gallery 3,showcases thework of Scott Bell, an MFA candidate at FSU in Tallahassee. His work explores humanity’s disassociation from nature, and juxtaposes scenes of city life with abstracted, organic imagery. Bell is primarily a painter, but incorporates photography and printmaking, and uses an installation-type format to display his work. The season closes with “Untitled,” anopen, all-media, all-subject, juried exhibition.
About ArtCenterSarasota
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 SarasotaCounty 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 provide Sarasota with opportunities for creative expression and art appreciation through art education, exhibitions and cultural programs.
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
