January 17, 2015
HERMITAGE PLANS CHICAGO ARTS EXPERIENCE
The Hermitage Artist Retreat is pleased to announce its second big city arts tour featuring work by its esteemed fellows as it is presented in galleries and on stages in a major American city. The trip will be to Chicago and the dates are May 26-29, 2015. Among the planned activities is a world premiere in music. Hermitage fellow Anna Clyne’s The Seamstress is a violin concerto for orchestra being performed by the Chicago Symphony and renowned violinist and Greenfield Prize jurist (2012) Jenny Koh. There will be 36 available places for the tour group. Admiral Travel is coordinating the logistics for all the activities.
According to Bruce E. Rodgers, executive director of the Hermitage, “The New York trip in 2013 was an amazing success. The constant comment from those who attended and those who only heard about it was ‘when is the next trip?,’ and ‘I’m coming the next time.’ Well that time is now. The planning began when we learned of Anna’s premiere in May. With that in mind, we dug a little deeper to see what other artists had work going on in the Windy City and before we knew it, a great itinerary came together. It’s very exciting.”
The itinerary includes a variety of activities and arts disciplines. A special welcome reception will be the kickoff event on Tuesday evening and include guest appearances by some of the artists whose work will be experienced during the week. The first full day on Wednesday starts with a private tour of a photography exhibit by fellow Sonja Thomsen at DePaul University. This will be followed by lunch at Terzo Piano at the Art Institute of Chicago and a tour of the contemporary wing by Curator and Department Head James Rondeau. Rondeau’s association with the Hermitage began as a jurist for the Greenfield Prize (2013), which selected Trenton Doyle Hancock as the recipient. That evening the group will enjoy a preview performance of Regina Taylor’s Stop. Reset at the Goodman Theatre. Taylor will meet with the group afterwards at a private reception. Thursday the group will enjoy Chicago’s architectural boat tour, a don’t miss attraction for those visiting this city. Afterwards lunch will be at the famed Arts Club of Chicago, a private institution and arranged by friends of the Hermitage. A tour of their gallery collection and a special speaker are also planned. Thursday evening is the event that started it all, a night at the Chicago Symphony with Jenny Koh’s performance of The Seamstress by Anne Clyne. A special private reception, attended by Koh and Clyne, will end the evening.
Cost for the Chicago Arts Experience is $3350 for two people sharing double occupancy or $2100 for anyone wanting a single accommodation. In addition to the trip activities the price includes a $500 tax-deductible, non-refundable donation to the Hermitage Artist Retreat as well as a three-night stay at the historic Palmer House Hotel. This landmark Hilton was a wedding gift to Bertha Honore Palmer from her husband Potter Palmer. She is the same Mrs. Palmer whose significant Sarasota history includes real estate development, cattle ranching, and a winter Osprey estate known to many as Spanish Point. Not included is airfare or airport transfers.
“We are very excited about this itinerary which features our artists in music, theater and visual art,” continued Rodgers. “We provide the space and time for them to create their work, but until it reaches an audience no one’s work is really done. We know that the Hermitage contributes to the creation of new work and we hear and see samplings of it in our studios every day. But experiencing it finished and performed in big cities at major arts institutions is where our work really pays off. We are very pleased to offer this opportunity and look forward to sharing great art and artists with all who are able to join us in Chicago.”
For more information on the Hermitage artist Retreat’s Chicago Arts Experience, contact Hermitage Development Director Linda Mansperger by calling 941-475-2098, emailing [email protected] or by going on the website www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
