The town unleashes a veritable feast for the eyes today with the opening of five new visual art exhibitions in galleries showcasing everything from the historical and sculptural to the modern watercolor movement. From the storied institution to the open-house showroom, art abounds on this February Florida Friday.

The Ringling Museum continues its run of high-profile international exhibits with the opening of Ink, Silk and Gold: Islamic Art from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Featuring roughly 100 pieces from the 8th through 21st centuries arranged chronologically and according to region, Ink, Silk and Gold explores the evolution of art in societies where Islam served as a major cultural force, including the great Islamic empires of the Safavids, Ottomans and Mughals down to the smaller regions of influence in Spain and southern Italy. The exhibition closes with contemporary art from living artists, such as Monir Farmanfarmaian of Iran.

On Palm Avenue in Downtown Sarasota, both Dabbert Gallery and Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art unveil their latest shows, highlighting five regional artists between them. Dabbert hosts a pair of one artist shows from James Griffin and Robert Baxter, entitled Moments of Light and Color and A Retrospective respectively. “I'm increasingly aware of the ‘Moments’ part,” said Griffin, whose work captures a world in constant flux under a shifting sun. “Trees disappear, houses are torn down and rebuilt, large condo buildings rise, shading the previously sunny streets. Things that looked a certain way when they were featured in my painting, no longer look that way.”

At Allyn Gallup, painters Jean Blackburn and Susan Klein and sculptor Joe Segal get top billing at this debut show for the newly revamped gallery space. Nature-themed and named – Ah, Wilderness – Blackburn brings her distinctive aquatic portraits while Klein showcases her singular color palette, capturing a fantastic wilderness unknown off the canvas. Joe Segal brings a visceral feel to the affair with a series of minimalist wall sculptures from salvaged lumber.

Both Allyn Gallup and Dabbert will host opening receptions with the artists beginning at 6pm.

Just down the street from Palm, Art Uptown Gallery keeps the art train rolling with a one-woman show from award-winning watercolorist Judy Saltzman, this year named amongst the annual ‘Ones to Watch’ by Watercolor Artist. Opening with an artist’s reception from 6-9pm, Just Add Water showcases the artist’s distinctive technique, in all its color and striking construction. Saltzman will also host a watercolor demonstration on Sunday, from 2-4pm. RSVP required.

And for two days only and from 4-7pm, local artist Grace Howl will be hosting a viewing of her latest work with an exhibit at Grace Howl Art Gallery entitled Dialogue in Abstract. Featuring 25 large-scale abstract works, Howl’s painting reflects a trust in the instinctive and stream-of-conscious. It’s all about being bold with no planning, she says, “because then you don’t overanalyze, just create.” 

Pictured: "Undiscovered" by Grace Howl. Courtesy of the artist.

In honor of Black History Month, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will be continuing its Voices program this year with two community events exploring African American artists. The first, this coming Monday, celebrates the painters who became known as the Florida Highwaymen, and the Feb. 14 event offers an in-depth look at Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.

Active from the 1950s to the ‘80s, the Florida Highwaymen were a group of 26 African American artists who painted the then-undeveloped Florida landscape, but were forced to sell their work door-to-door when prejudiced galleries refused to show their work. They were forced to be artists and entrepreneurs, noted longtime collector Larry Helmuth, and the group was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004. Attendees will have a chance to meet the artists, as well as Helmuth, and even view a painting demonstration by Highwayman Al Black. The artists and Helmuth will then join local artist and night’s moderator Eleanor Merritt for a panel discussion.

An exploration of both art and society through a local topic with national relevance, there are “strong parallels” between what the Highwaymen experienced then and what African American artists experienced as recently as WBTT’s founding, said WBTT founder and artistic director Nate Jacobs. Said Merritt, “It is important for the community to have an understanding of an art movement which was a very significant part of artistic expression in the state of Florida. Also, it is essential to have a discussion and recognition of the work of artists who have been marginalized in the art world.”

The Feb. 14 Voices event celebrating Wilson includes a discussion with Dr. Chris Rawson, theater critic for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and co-author of August Wilson: Pittsburgh Places in His Life and Plays, and Chuck Smith, director of WBTT’s production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which he previously worked on with Wilson in Chicago. Both will share personal experiences and impressions from the artist who passed in 2005.

Voices events are free and open to the public but fill to capacity quickly. RSVP recommended. 

A Downtown Sarasota hotel at last has opened. Aloft Sarasota, part of a $60-million development opening its doors, hosts its first guests tonight, and locals just looking for nightlife can enjoy first-floor amenities at the Re:mix lounge and WXYZ bar without checking in. But select media got a guided tour of the 139-room facility Thursday, with the chance to walk through the minimalist modern interior and up to stunning views of Downtown Sarasota visible from an 8th-floor pool deck.

While those stepping into the lobby will immediately absorb the slick and urban design, a walk into the “backyard” outdoor area delivers the greatest impact regarding sense of space. An open court at the bottom of a 10-story well, three sides of the entertainment area have windows into Aloft Sarasota hotel rooms or into some of the 138 apartments at the connected One Palm residential structure on the development’s western exposure. Janet Hansen, director of sales and marketing for Aloft Sarasota, said the intent is for guests to spend as much time in this shared space as they would in their own hotel rooms. “The objective is to have people social in the lobby,” she said. Decor in rooms themselves remains deliberately understated, with slate grey walls, singular bowl sinks and inornate desks designed more for work than play. Sustainability and practicality rule room amenities as well. Shampoo sits in a reusable dispenser inside the shower, and guests who belong to the Starwood Preferred Guest Program earn point incentives if they elect to re-use towels instead of restocking every night.

Aloft Sarasota General Manager Jason Samson expects use of the bar and lounge to be split 50-50 between hotel guests and locals coming downtown. But the Splash Bar on the 8th floor will be open to residents and guests only. That’s where a rooftop pool beside the beverage counter gives a bird’s eye view of Palm Avenue. And most nights, expect live entertainment. This hotel marks the first entry for Starwood Hotels and Resorts to the marketplace, and Samson wants everyone to understand what this young and hip brand means to its loyal customers. “The focus is on music, on a vibrant beverage and social scene,” he said. “It’s unlike a lot of other brands in that it’s really a place people gather.”

Rooms at Aloft Sarasota are available to book now in the mid-$200s price range.

Photos by Wyatt Kostygan. (top) The pool deck, located above a parking garage serving Aloft Sarasota, overlooks Downtown Sarasota. (above) Rooms at Aloft Sarasota feature modern minimalist decor. 

The WXYZ bar on the first floor of Aloft Sarasota will pour its brand standard cocktails in Sarasota for the first time today. Officials at the Starwood Hotels and Resorts property recommend this fresh and fruity favorite to those unfamiliar with the drink list at other Aloft locations. 

Year of the Dragon

Ingredients: Ciroc peach, club soda, lemons, strawberries. 

Put ingredients into shaker and shake well.

Serve in cocktail glass and garnish with a strawberry. 

WXYZ bar, Aloft Sarasota, 1401 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, 941-870-0900.

Over 200 guests and interested buyers attended the Jan. 30 Grand Opening celebration for the Cottages of Curry Creek, a waterfront enclave situated on a private peninsula in Nokomis. Developed by Tivoli Homes of Sarasota, the Cottages of Curry Creek is a private, gated community of 12 homes, each offering private dock options and direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.  

Tivoli Homes

Contractor Andy Stultz announced the launch of Atlas Building Company of Florida, a Sarasota-based commercial construction company. Stutz promises well-constructed, energy-efficient facilities with lower operating costs. Stultz was the project manager on the $19-million Burns Court Villas townhomes in downtown Sarasota in 2006 before joining Halfacre Construction, where he rose through the ranks of project manager, project executive and vice president of business development. 

Atlas Building Company of Florida

Heidi Rawson Design announced an expansion into Sarasota. Heidi Rawson, founder and principal owner, said the opening of a Sarasota office is a return to where her career began. Rawson received her bachelor’s in fine arts from the Ringling College of Art and Design, and was designated a Trustee Scholar. Her work for Pavilk Design, nominated Interior Design’s top 100 Giants, and as design director for Breakstone Homes established her as a creative force in the interior design field. Local residents can see her as the cohost for Home & Castle TV. 

Heidi Rawson Design