ARTFUL LOBSTER FEATURES AWARD-WINNING FOOD, FUN AND PERFORMANCE
The Hermitage Artist Retreat is pleased to announce the details for its annual Artful Lobster on Saturday, November 11th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. The gulf-side fundraising event features a sumptuous feast by Michael’s on East, live and silent auction items available only at the Hermitage and a performance by a Hermitage fellow, among which are the country’s most sought-after artists. This year’s program will be presented by flutist Claire Chase, whose appearance was a huge hit at the 2012 Artful Lobster. Since then, she has enjoyed many successes, including the recently awarded Avery Fisher Prize, which places her in the esteemed company of Yo-Yo Ma, Andre Watts, Joshua Bell and others. Tickets to the event on the Hermitage campus, 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood, begin at $175 for individuals. Reservations may be made online at www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org or by calling Development Director Craig Badinger at 941-475-2098, ext. 2.
“Our annual event is almost here and we are expecting a spectacular day,” remarked Bruce E. Rodgers, executive director. “No need to mention the food, which is always incredible. Or Claire Chase, the first flutist to win the $100,000 Avery Fisher Prize, who will surely wow us! We’ve also got some terrific trips on the live auction list, as well as some great silent auction items up for grabs. Whether your budget is $50 or $5000, you’ll find something to tempt you to bid. Also, this year’s paddle raise, no donation too small, will be dedicated to our new landscape plan, which we will be unveiling at the event. Sarasota’s Michael A. Gilkey Inc. has done an amazing job in joining our two campuses with all native Florida vegetation. We can’t wait to show it off and raise some money to get started.”
Claire Chase is a soloist, collaborative artist, curator and advocate for new and experimental music. She has given the world premieres of hundreds of new works for the flute in performances throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, and has championed new music by building organizations, forming alliances, pioneering commissioning initiatives and supporting educational programs that reach new audiences. In addition to the Avery Fisher Prize, she was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2012, and in 2009, she was the Grand Prize Winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition. In 2015, Chase was honored with the American Composers Forum Champion of New Music Award. In 2010, she made her critically-acclaimed Carnegie Hall recital debut. Chase presently is a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Music at Harvard University.
Every year, the fun at the Artful Lobster includes an assortment of exciting auction items to raise money for this important arts organization. There will be four live items that include a week on Italy’s Lake Como, an Icelandic cruise to see the Northern Lights, a weekend at the Hermitage Artist Retreat and a diamond necklace. Among the silent auction items are original art, jewelry, a wine package, a boat tour and more. And of course, there will be the public’s first opportunity to see the much-anticipated Michael A. Gilkey master landscape plan which promises to bring the historic and administrative campuses together.
“We love the Artful Lobster, because, not only does it kick off our fund-raising efforts, it is also the first opportunity to welcome back our friends and patrons,” Rodgers continued. “We are looking forward to welcoming long-time and first-time friends to the Hermitage on November 11.”
The Hermitage is a not-for-profit artist retreat located at 6660 Manasota Key Road in Englewood, FL. It invites accomplished painters, sculptors, writers, playwrights, poets, composers and other artists from all over the world for residencies on its beachfront historic campus. Many of these artists are Pulitzer Prize, Tony, Emmy, Grammy and MacArthur “Genius” Award winners. Artists are asked to interact with the community during their stay and as a result, Hermitage artists touch thousands of Gulf Coast community residents with unique and inspiring programs each year. Hermitage community programs are partially sponsored by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues and the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida (Section 286.25, Florida Statutes). In addition, the Hermitage awards and administers the prestigious Greenfield Prize, an annual $30,000 commission for a new work of art, rotating among visual art, music and drama. The Hermitage also partners with the Aspen Music Festival and School to award the annual Hermitage Prize to a composition student during the Festival. For more information about The Hermitage Artist Retreat, call 941-475-2098, ext. 5, or visit the website at www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.