Pictured: "Artemis In Her Element" by Taylor Robenalt. Photo courtesy of Gaze Modern.

When local artist Tim Jaeger earlier this year announced he was stepping down as director of SARTQ, the artist collective he founded more than a decade ago, some may have wondered if the community would be seeing less of the rooster-loving Ringling College instructor. Turns out, he was just making room on his plate for the next project—director of the new Gaze Modern gallery, opening with the new Arcos development at the corner of Central Avenue and Fruitville Road. “I really appreciate the opportunity and challenge that this offers,” says Jaeger.

The collaboration with Tampa developer Framework Group, the developer behind Arcos, began more than a year ago, says Jaeger, meeting to discuss the potential of the space, and the burgeoning Rosemary around it. “They really understood the art scene in Sarasota and wanted to contribute to that,” says Jaeger. There was no plan for a gallery in the development when they parted ways, but the developers returned a year later with a proposition: they would reserve space for a dedicated gallery and it would run completely rent-free, and they wanted Jaeger at the helm. He agreed, but only for a year. After that, they could all reassess.

Claiming a little more than 800 square feet within the Arcos development, Jaeger wants Gaze to champion local. And in this coming year as director, he looks to host a vast array of work from emerging and mid-career local and regional artists—much of which stands a good chance of becoming part of Frameworks’ permanent collection, and placed in its communities across the nation. Arcos tenants will receive a discount, encouraging those moving in to decorate local, and the commission rate will be only 30%. “Which is lower than any other gallery in Sarasota,” says Jaeger. Student work, he says, will receive no commission, with all proceeds going to the artist.

Jaeger aims for one show a month in his tenure, he says, always looking for new artists and styles he hasn’t seen before. “One thing I’m not doing,” he says, “is showing my own work.” This summer, he’s already planning a kids exhibition, and winter looks set for a letterpress project.

“And you couldn’t ask for a better location,” says Jaeger, pointing out equal proximity to Downtown Sarasota hotspots and new Rosemary restaurants. “Still, in the midst of all this development going on, we don’t want to lose our local and regional voice and visibility,” he says, and highlighting local artists can go a long way towards that.

Gaze Modern opens November 3 with Color and Content: Polly Johnson + Taylor Robenalt, seeing the two ceramic artists in their first show together.

Pictured: "Artemis In Her Element" by Taylor Robenalt. Photo courtesy of Gaze Modern.