As downtown Sarasota and its well-heeled outskirts continue their rapid urbanization, more and more contemporary art galleries have opened to fulfil the demands of expanding tastes. For Angela Ligon, curator of the newly opened Ligon Fine Art at 20 Lemon Avenue, this expansion has been a long time coming. “Sarasota is an art community that has been timid about abstract and contemporary art,” she says, “but I think we’re in a good moment for it.” And the moment calls for a spacious gallery in the heart of downtown, with plenty of windows and a polished concrete floor that set an eclectic collection aglow in natural light.

Ligon has assembled a roster of diverse styles, ranging from the layered and dream-like to the abstract and absurd. She curated a gallery in Naples before moving to Sarasota, bringing with her some of her favorite artists. Salop, a 93-year-old former playboy that goes only by the one name, uses crude brush strokes and bold colors to convey an aura that is both childlike and refined. Anna Rac, a world class pianist-turned-painter, captures the paradoxical chaos and control of classical music with her rhythmic pieces. Some artists hale from as far away as Poland and as close as Naples, some have been practicing for over 40 years while others are up-and-coming with a level of skill that belies their experience. Through all the styles and mediums, Ligon says one thing remains constant—“they are all aiming to inspire.”

“I just want to bring in art that makes people feel good,” she continues, and she believes that she has a knack for doing just that. For Ligon, who has some of her own work displayed humbly in a back corner of the gallery, it’s about sharing the love and energy that art evokes. “I have artists that don’t care about fame or money,” she says, “they just want to share themselves with others.” In this spirit of sharing and connecting, Ligon hopes to open the gallery up to more local artists, build a relationship with Ringling College’s talented student body and offer the gallery as an event space. In the meantime, her gallery of contemporary fine art is sure to pique the interest of collectors looking for a framed moment of inspiration to beautify their living spaces.

Pictured: Angela Ligon, Curator and Artist of Ligon Fine Art

Downtown Bradenton's Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille kicked their brunch up a few extra notches with a brand new “Build your own Bloody Mary Bar.” Now, on Saturdays and Sundays, you can customize your own Bloody Mary or Bloody Maria. And the selection of garnishes is nowhere near the standard celery stick, occasional olive and lemon/lime. Mattison’s take the quintessential brunch cocktail and gives it a whole new meaning, with over 15 different garnishes and uncountable combinations. Garnishes will range from the expected like celery, lemons, limes and horseradish, but then the unexpected come to play, such as Gulf shrimp, Niman Ranch house made bacon, pepperonis, capicola cubes, bleu cheese and goat cheese stuffed olives, hard boiled eggs, bacon pepper jack skewers and pickled green beans—making your customized Bloody creation a brunch of champions.

Mattison’s bartenders will start you off with a delicious Bloody Mary mix base. From there, choose your preferred spirit and brand of liquor from a wide variety of vodkas or tequilas, then make it as spicy or as mild as you like, with enough heat or tang to make it perfect for you—pepper in some pepper, pour some hot sauce or other liquid extras on hand, such as Worcestershire sauce, to add extra layers or a kick to your creation. All that’s left to do now is build it up at the buffet-like spread of garnishes to give it just the right personal flavor profile and accoutrements that you crave with your Steak and Eggs or Roasted Vegetable Frittata.  

Photo courtesy of Mattison's Restaurants.

Mattison's Riverwalk Grille, 101 Riverfront Blvd., Bradenton, 941-896-9660

Tamiami Tap will host its second Market At the Tap out on its patio this Saturday, September 28 at 7pm. Hosted in collaboration with local jewelry creator DriftTheory, the new monthly coastal casual night market features an array of local artists and vendors, live music by Kat Crosby and free draft beer provided by Darwin Brewing Co when you buy something local. Other artisans to attend include Locked and Loaded Leather & Jewelry, Emilee Wells Resin Artist, Color Street Custom Nails, My Bonsai Artistry - Bonsai Sculpture Art & Decor, Steel View Art Pallet Artistry, Wandering Ash Tree Handcrafted Leather, Haute Pawz Pet Accessories - Custom Pet Accessories and Philosophy & Vines Boutique. 

This is a pet friendly, all ages, rain or shine event. 711 South Osprey Ave., Sarasota, 941-500-3182. More event details here. 

Allegiant Private Advisors, a fully independent, fee-based financial advisory firm, has promoted Cameron Dees to the position of research analyst. Dees originally joined Allegiant in early 2018 as a research assistant. He is responsible for performing research on existing client holdings as well as investments that are candidates for inclusion in client portfolios. He is currently a level III candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst® program. Prior to joining the firm, Dees held several professional positions in a client-facing banking environment and in an analytical support capacity. Dees graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Marshall University where he also earned his Master of Business Administration. Dees remains a part of the firm’s investment research team—alongside Allegiant President and Chief Investment Officer Benjamin W. Jones, CFP®, AIF®, Portfolio Manager Luke Nicholas, CFP®, CFA and Chief Operating Officer Paul B. Cantor, CFA, CFP®, AIF®. Together, they manage assets conservatively as the Allegiant team consistently researches and rigorously examines best-of-breed, low-cost solutions.  

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The concession stand at Lido Beach will be temporarily closed beginning Monday, September 30, while the City makes necessary repairs and upgrades to the pavilion. In its place, food trucks will be available most days of the week to provide service for beachgoers. Crews will be installing a new vent hood in the kitchen and a new aluminum roof. The renovations are expected to be completed in December, at which time the concession will reopen. The contract with the current vendor expires September 30, and the City is in the process of evaluating bids for continuation of the food and beverage service. Directional signage advising beach visitors about the changes will be in place throughout the pavilion area. Once work on the kitchen and roof is complete, future planned upgrades to the pavilion include the installation of a shaded concrete patio and an update to the restrooms.

For questions or more information, contact the Parks and Recreation District at 941-263-6386 or ParksProjects@SarasotaFL.gov or visit www.LetsPlaySarasota.com. 

The City of Sarasota invites the public to attend an informational open house meeting about the US 41-Fruitville Road roundabout construction project on Tuesday, October 1 from 5 pm-7:30pm at the Grand Foyer of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236). The primary goal of the project is to improve connectivity, access, and safety for pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic flow as well as operations between downtown Sarasota and the Bayfront area. The project limits extend from First Street to Boulevard of the Arts on US 41and on Fruitville Road from US 41 to Cocoanut Avenue. The open house will also provide information about the rules of roundabouts and how to safely navigate two-lane roundabouts. Construction is expected to begin in October 2019 and is anticipated to be complete in late Fall 2020. The two-lane roundabout is being constructed by Wright Construction Group, Inc. for the Quay Sarasota, on behalf of the City of Sarasota in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation.

For more information, please visit US41FruitvilleRoundabout.com, call 941-275-9360 or email info@us41fruitvilleroundabout.com.

The Hermitage Artist Retreat recently utilized a $3,000 John Ringling Towers Historic Preservation Grant issued by the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County to renovate the Whitney Garage, a historic structure on the Hermitage campus, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building is now used as 3-D studio space by visiting artists in residence at the Hermitage. Local construction company, Ball Construction, added new garage doors under the direction of Pat Ball. Once the doors were constructed and installed, the building was painted by Staack’s Lawn and Handyman. 

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SRQ MEDIA's Power Up event, fueled by the SRQ Women In Business Initiative offered Leadership Circle members and special guests with an opportunity to mix, mingle, brainstorm and connect at Sophie's at Saks Fifth Avenue. Photos from the Wednesday, September 25 Power Up event are now available on CLICK SRQ. A special thank you to Mark Resnick, General Manager at our fabulous host sponsor Sophie's at Saks Fifth Avenue! 

Photos are available here