In a collaboration that could only be born of a circus town, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art has teamed up with the musical virtuosos of the string quartet Ethel and director Grant McDonald to create an all-new multi-media performance blending music, film, photography and storytelling, all in honor of the circus. Entitled Circus: Wandering City, the all-evening affair debuts January 26, with a single encore the following night.

More than two years in the making, Circus: Wandering City began with a fortuitous meeting between the members of Ethel and Ringling Curator of Performance Dwight Currie, when the musicians were in town for a separate performance in the Historic Asolo Theatre. Telling them about the different museums on campus, Currie captured their attention with the circus museum and drew them further in with the archives. The quartet, which had previously gained acclaim through their Documerica concerts, in which they composed and performed original music set to a flickering backdrop of photographs collected from the EPA’s Project Documerica of the 1970s, decided to take the museum’s circus archives to task for their next project.

“Usually our records and photographs are used in a very traditional way,” says Ringling Assistant Director of Legacy and Circus Deborah Walk, who more often fields requests from people looking for relatives or museum staff staging an exhibit. “And all of the sudden we have this marvelous opportunity,” she says. Working through the Ringling Museum’s vast collection of circus images (more than 6,000 are now digitized, but the grand total remains unknown—“We’ve never gotten to the end of it to be able to count it,” says Walk.), she and Currie guided Ethel through the archives and the history of the circus, before setting the musicians loose to work their own magic. “And they could hear the song in circus,” says Walk.

The resulting production positions itself to be the ultimate tribute to the circus arts, not only incorporating stunning human performance (albeit musical as opposed to acrobatic) and showcasing images and film from the Big Top’s glory days, but also mimicking the structure of a circus performance itself. While the quartet performs its original composition, images from the archives are projected behind them, with those images generally following the sequence of a circus show, from arrival to aerialists. Over the top, interspersed with the pictures and music, spoken memories from those who lived the circus provide the final accent.

For Walk, the chance for audience’s to see the archives in a new light is an exciting one. “I hope that they will see the circus’ importance in connection to American history and how the country grew,” she says. “Having gotten a glimpse, I just know it’s going to be beyond amazing.”

Circus: Wandering City premieres January 26 at Ringling Museum, with another performance on January 27. Tickets are $30 and $10 for students. 

Photo courtesy of Ringling Museum.

Sarasota’s underground arts scene breaches the surface in a big way this weekend with Re/Member, an independent art exhibition set to show for one night only, this Saturday. Organized by six Sarasota artists and showcasing an additional artist from St. Petersburg, the exhibition features photography, sculpture, multi-media installation, fabric design and video. Hosted by the MooJoi Art Factory, the show runs from 7pm to 11pm with no entry fee, but donations are encouraged, with proceeds going to Mutual Aid Disaster Relief and its efforts towards hurricane relief in Puerto Rico.

Based in the warehouse space off Tallevast Road, the exhibition aims for more of an “industrial vibe,” says Sarah Viviana Valdez, co-organizer for the show and one of the presenting artists, and eschews what may be seen as the “conventional” Sarasota gallery look and feel. Indeed an unconventional space (and not traditionally used as a gallery), the Art Factory has only one wall suitable for showing two-dimensional work, but that represents little problem for Re/Member, which eschews the traditional in content as well, and can certainly use the grand open space.

Featuring the recent work of Aubrey Neher, Briana Nieves, Sophia Schultz, Onirologia, Ava Zelkowitz and Valdez, as well as Jenny Jo Kosharek (the St. Pete addition), each brings their own perspective to a central theme of the body (what it is and what it represents) and exploring notions of identity and environment through it. Nieves will be showing photography, Zelkowitz sculpture and Schultz a bit of both. Onirologia brings a multi-sensory installation uniting video projection, ambient sound and a mattress that beckons the audience ever closer. “It’s set to create an environment for the viewer to become a participant,” says Valdez, “to lay on the mattress and experience those projections along with the sound.” Valdez herself will present a video performance featuring her own choreography, direction and fabric art, and playing off topics of scar tissue and the healing process.

Hoping to activate the philanthropic side of the audience as well (and not just in support of emerging artists), donations are requested in lieu of an entrance fee. All donations will go towards Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, a grassroots organization currently working to install water purifiers and solar arrays in underserved and hard to reach areas of Puerto Rico. Several artists, including but not limited to the artists showing in the exhibition, will also be selling work at the show, with a portion of proceeds going to disaster relief as well.

Falling on the first anniversary of the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the event has also taken on a second identity as something of a beacon for left solidarity, though Valdez says the happenstance and subsequent political evolution was unintended. Still, the exhibition remains "charged" by the political climate, she says, particularly the state of relief efforts for Puerto Rico and recognition of the climate change that many see as a reason or at least exacerbating factor for the catastrophic storm that led to the current state of affairs. "It all stems from not addressing environmental issues," says Valdez, "which has a domino effect."

Re/Member opens this Saturday, January 20, at 7pm at the MooJoi Art Factory on Tallevast Road. 

Pictured: "Alexis," by Sophia Schultz and Sarah Viviana Valdez. Photo courtesy of Schultz and Valdez.

Sarasota Orthopedic Surgeon Edward Stolarski ranks among the nation’s top three highest-volume physicians for hip and knee replacements, and performs more overall hip and knee surgeries than any other physician in Florida, according to an independent analysis of Medicare claims released this month by Dexur. Practicing primarily at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Stolarski performed 509 hip and knee replacements for Medicare patients in fiscal year 2016—roughly 1 percent of all hip and knee replacements in Medicare patients across the nation, Dexur researchers said. The New York-based hospital research and analytics company evaluated Medicare inpatient claims data from nearly 10,000 physicians across the nation. Dexur researchers analyze discharge volumes, along with other quality metrics, including length-of-stay and readmission rates, to help patients make informed decisions on where to go and who to see for medical care. Dexur also studied volumes for all hip and knee surgeries among Florida Medicare patients, noting that Stolarski led the state with 575 surgeries. Stolarski currently serves as chief of Sarasota Memorial’s orthopedics department. 

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System

The Concession Residences, a Southwest Florida Gulf Coast luxury community, has announced strong 2017 sales with 21 home sites sold at more than $8 million in revenue. The Concession’s lot sales increased 14% from 2016, rising from $7 million in revenue. The community is 90% sold out with only 40 remaining home sites available. Sales in 2018 have kicked off with a strong start as the community has reported three lot sales to date for January. The Concession features four luxury enclaves spanned over 1,200 acres of pristine landscape. Home sites primed for custom development extend at least an acre in size. Of the 40 remaining parcels, 14 are available in Birkdale, six in Nicklaus Manor, seven in Lindrick and 13 in Parkstone Estates, each featuring preserve or lakefront views. The Concession continues a strong partnership with Southwest Florida’s award-winning custom home-builders, including Anchor Builders, Johnson Homes, John Cannon Homes, Lee Wetherington Homes, Perrone Construction and Stock Signature Homes. The newest addition to its portfolio is Kemick Builders, expected to break ground on its new showcase model home in the coming months. 

The Concession Residences

JFCS of the Suncoast CEO Emeritus Rose Chapman recently announced her retirement effective January 15, 2018.  Chapman, who led the non-profit organization for 25 years, leaves a legacy of growing JFCS from its humble beginnings with a staff of three and $200,000 annual budget to today’s staff of 115 over 27 locations in six counties with an annual budget of more than $8.7 million. Today, JFCS is a multi-faceted nonprofit leader in community service, offering 26 programs in seven focal areas—youth, seniors, cancer support, Jewish healing, counseling, veterans and families.  JFCS now serves 29,600 people each year. A graduate of Queens College in Queens, N.Y., where she holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master of social work from Fordham University in Bronx, NY, Chapman is married to Bob Chapman, with who she has two sons. 

JFCS of the Suncoast

Sarasota’s own circus superstar, Chuck “Chucko” Sidlow, has been inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame on St. Armands Circle. A graduate of the acclaimed Ringling Bros. Clown College, Sidlow has performed around the world on the Ringling Bros. circuit. Today, with his wife Noriko, Sidlow leads the Circus Arts Conservatory’s Humor Therapy program, which uses the joy of circus to bring smiles, music and laughter to residents of 15 area nursing homes and care facilities in the community. 

Circus Arts Conservatory