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When it comes to the Sarasota arts world, it makes sense to quote Charles Dickens: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' The best, because [...]

It sounds like a classic Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland movie: A group of amateurs unites in 'Hey, kids, let's put on a show!' fashion to open a theater production against the [...]

First came the thunderclap announcement last June by Gov. Ron DeSantis that he was vetoing $32 million in arts and culture funding that was approved by the Florida Legislature--an unprecedented [...]

ASOLO REP Peter Rothstein Producing Artistic Director Ross Egan Managing Director What brought you to Sarasota? Rothstein: 'I directed Sweeney Todd and Ragtime at the Asolo, and I felt right [...]

The 2023-2024 arts season is here, and while theaters, galleries and other arts organizations are still working their way back from the Covid-19 pandemic depression of three years ago, the [...]

How often does serendipity play a role in a museum exhibition coming together? Probably more frequently than you might think. Chance certainly played a big role in the creation of [...]

Two years ago, we wrote about a handful of planned arts facilities projects that were out to transform our cultural scene. As you might imagine, a lot can change over [...]

AT THE LOVELY, SECLUDED BEACHSIDE SPOT ON MANASOTA KEY that is the Hermitage Artist Retreat, seabirds wheel, waves splash and white sand makes for peaceful strolls. It's a haven for [...]

Take a deep breath as we launch into the 2022-2023 arts season--one that we all hope will not be afflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic disturbances of the past two years. [...]

WHEN RINGLING MUSEUM CURATOR of modern and contemporary art Ola Wlusek came on board at the institution in 2018, one of her first tasks was to search through the collection [...]

IF YOU OR ANYONE you know has ever attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, you understand the significance of a white chip or token--it means you're taking the first step on [...]

The article focuses on prominent figures in Sarasota's arts scene, highlighting their contributions and roles. Topics include Giancarlo Guerrero's appointment as Sarasota Orchestra's music director, Tania Castroverde Moskalenko's leadership of the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, and the founding of Azara Ballet by Kate Flowers and Martin Roosaare.

Uniting people in these divisive times is challenging. And it's even harder during a pandemic. But our 2022 Unity winners (our 12th annual honorees) have been motivated by the idea [...]

IT'S FAREWELL SEASON for the longtime I leaders of Sarasota's Asolo Rep, as both producing artistic director Michael Donald Edwards and managing director Linda DiGabriele will step down from their [...]

WE HAVE A WEALTH OF ARTS AND CULTUPE IN SARASOTA. BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT TO GET OUT OF TOWN AND EXPLORE. WE OPENED GOOGLE MAPS. GASSED UP THE CAR [...]

To say that arts organizations, and their audiences, are eager to get back into 'normal' mode after the long, long hiatus the pandemic has caused would be quite an understatement. [...]

KINSEY ROBB recently started her job as executive director of the venerable Art Center Sarasota-our city's oldest arts organization. While it's been around nearly a century, the center must look [...]

WHEN YOU THINK of a Russian violinist, do you picture someone in a tuxedo, rendering compositions by Mozart or Paganini? Or do you instead imagine someone in tight leather pants, [...]

It's been 18 months since the pandemic began, and we've all had to reckon with change. We've compiled a list of the big and small ways our world has been [...]

In these days of social distancing, you can still find plenty of ways to play in our beautiful region. And, fortunately, we have the sunny, balmy weather that makes it [...]

Striving to get in your 10,000 steps a day? It's a lofty goal. To reach it, you'll need to walk five miles. We've found extra inspiration in hitting that target [...]

Sarasota Ballet opens its season with a program that includes a world premiere by choreographer Gemma Bond. But what will it be? ADMITTEDLY, WE CAN'T TELL YOU much right now [...]

ON THESE BELEAGUERED TIMES for the arts, it may be encouraging to know that a nationally renowned arts administrator and consultant has made Sarasota his new home-an indication, perhaps, of [...]

Slaving close to home? Settle down with one (or more) of these works with Sarasota settings. THANK GOD FOR BOOKS. That's a sentiment we'd share anytime, but especially now, after [...]

OUR 2020 UNITY AWARD WINNERS INSPIRE, CONNECT AND TRANSFORM. Disconnection in this hyperconnected world is the irony of the era. We plug in and then peel off into like-minded groups [...]

NEW SARASOTA ORCHESTRA music director designate Bramwell Tovey had several reasons to be kindly disposed to our city even before his arrival here for his first concert as a guest [...]

IT'S A 'LIGHTS UP!' SEASON for the Players Centre for Performing Arts starting in October-lights up as in, the community theater will be back to presenting shows indoors, with real [...]

OCCASIONALLY, THE ARTISTS SELECTED FOR Marie Selby Botanical Gardens' Goldstein Exhibitions, which focus on nature, can feel surprising--like Andy Warhol or Salvador Dali, for example. But the 2023 choice for [...]

EVEN IF YOU'VE SOMEHOW NEVER SEEN THE 1976 FILM Network, chances are you can recite the best-known bit of dialogue from it: network news anchor Howard Beale ranting, 'I'm as [...]

For decades, visual artists have lived, worked and dreamed in Sarasota. The legacy they've left us is irreplaceable. With the opening of the new Sarasota Art Museum and a retrospective [...]

Florida is big horse country. In fact, the Sunshine State is the third most populated horse state behind Texas and California, with more than 500,000 horses and a $6.5 billion [...]

ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD, ONCE-ABANDONED BUILDINGS--FACTORIES, COTTON MILLS, WAREHOUSES, EVEN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES--HAVE BEEN RESTORED AND REPURPOSED AS ART MUSEUMS. Now Sarasota joins the cities turning to adaptive [...]

World premieres, family favorites, international superstars-it's an arts and entertainment season to celebrate. Mark your calendars now. Totonzo Cannon PROFILE Blues guitarist Toronzo Cannon, taking the stage at the Bradenton [...]

A DAY IN THE LIFE We sent photographer Chris Lake to spend a day with four nonprofits to show us what they do, how they care and why we should, [...]

Powerful females have been shaping Sarasota for more than a century, and they continue to step up and make our world better. We celebrate six women whose talents and accomplishments [...]

SARASOTA HAS A FINE PUBLIC ART COLLECTION, with 86 sculptures, murals, fountains and other works visible as you drive or stroll around town. But, until recently, a complete historical documentation [...]

IT'S NO EXAGGERATION TO SAY the Sarasota Jazz Festival has run the gamut from A to Z--that is, with a roster of musicians over its history ranging from Nat Adderly [...]

IF YOU HAD TOLD ANYONE INVOLVED WITH WESTCOAST BLACK THEATRE TROUPE in 1999 that the company would be celebrating its 20th anniversary in a newly renovated and expanded theater, one [...]

IF YOU MEET AND TALK WITH ARTISTS AND BROTHERS Steven and William Ladd, you'll see why it makes sense that their new exhibit at the Sarasota Art Museum is titled [...]

ART, LIKE LOVE, WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY. And visual artists in Sarasota are always finding new ways to display and sell their work, sometimes in locations you might not [...]

CHANCES ARE YOU'VE READ HERE AND THERE ABOUT BIG CHANGES COMING UP for a number of Sarasota-Manatee's most significant arts institutions and tourist attractions, with building and renovation projects totaling [...]

In Sarasota, a bird lover's paradise, it's always time to celebrate these feathered flying creatures. But 2018 is special. National Geographic and the National Audubon Society have declared it the [...]

Want to know what to buy when money is no object? Here's a list*of over-the-top bling for the home,' for the body, for the spirit, or just for the heck [...]

From redesigning our bayfront to saving the world's coral to creating the first women's sports museum, our future is female. Here are nine trailblazing women with big dreams and fresh [...]

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE the international world of theater brought right here to town--so close and convenient all you need to pack besides your ticket is a sense of adventure? [...]

LOOKING AT THE WORKS OF MICHAEL SOLOMON in the current exhibition Native Shore at Alfstad& Contemporary gallery, you can see the inspiration provided by the colors, waves and horizons of [...]

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe audiences (especially, we suspect, the female contingent) have been thrilling to the performances of charismatic young Michael Mendez for several years now, in shows ranging from [...]

NOT ONE, BUT TWO SHOWS new to Sarasota audiences are coming soon to Asolo Rep, both of them with local connections. The first, Eureka Day, is a comedy by New [...]

The Sarasota Film Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and it's fun to look back at some of the stars, directors and other creative types who have visited over [...]

THE WORLD PREMIERE of the musical Ruby at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (now opening Jan. 12) was long postponed due to the pandemic, and at first that was a disappointment [...]