SRQ DAILY Dec 10, 2020
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"La union hace la fuerza, which means unity creates strength."
A zoning district enabling the expansion of Ringling College of Art and Design passed with unanimous support from Sarasota City Commissioners this week. In the near-term, that likely means the ability to construct a new dining facility and more efficient use of property for parking at the internationally-renowned art school.
The approval means an overlay district governing development at the college expanded by about a third, from 26 acres to roughly 34. That allows more construction on northern properties, some as high as 65 feet. While some neighbors who live near the college expressed concerns this will mean more construction — including work down in the middle of the night based on recent history — Commissioners ultimately said the plans fit in with the city’s future land-use plan and approved the change.
Commissioner Jennifer Ahearn-Koch did express some concern about a few homes still privately owned that could end up surrounded by land zoned for six-story buildings. “Can we have some assurance you are not building a 65-foot building directly across from a single-story, single-family home?” she asked.
Tracy Wagner, Ringling College’s vice president of finance and administration, said such an expansion would likely not happen for some time until more land acquisition takes place, perhaps until those residents leave the area and the property goes up for sale. “Practically, it would be difficult to built to that height without first owning the parcels,” Wagner said.
But the college ultimately agreed to drop an entire block of its plan out of the overlay district expansion to address the concerns of neighbors.
Larry Thompson, Ringling College president, said a number of requests approved by the commission would allow a street vacation and a positioning of a planned dining hall so that construction could occur without disrupting some grand trees on campus. Wagner said other technical changes with the district would correlate allowed parking to student enrollment, rather than building square footage.
A staff report for the city says the purpose of the overlay district is to allow for the college to grow in a planned manner sensitive to the integrity and long-term viability of surrounding neighborhoods. It was first put in place in 2007. 
Earlier this year, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT) was thrilled to be featured on an episode of WEDU PBS’ “Arts Plus” program; this segment received a 2020 Suncoast Regional Emmy nomination from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. This month, WBTT will be featured in an hour-long documentary on WEDU/WEDQ, titled “This Light of Mine, The Making of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.” The program will premiere on December 17 and be shown five times in December.It will also include exciting show footage. "From a high in January and with all of our expectations for bigger, brighter things to come, much of this year has been incredibly difficult. Like our arts colleagues throughout the community and country, we’ve had to keep pivoting as the pandemic threw roadblock after roadblock in our path," said Jacobs. "But, as this documentary will show, the WBTT can-do spirit will not be dampened. We are so grateful to the funders of this documentary and hope the community will be proud to consider WBTT a gem in Sarasota’s arts crown."
Pictured: WBTT founder Nate Jacobs (seated, right) with artists (from l-r) Henry Porter II, Michael Mendez, Ariel Blue, Tsadok Porter, music director James 'Jay' Dodge II, and Jai Shanae Photo by Sorcha Augustine.
The Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative, a new nonprofit organization that promotes using the unifying power of the arts to nurture inclusion and diversity across the regional arts and cultural landscape, has recently expanded its board to 15 directors. SBAC’s board of directors includes: Michele Redwine, president; Lisa Berger, vice president; Ron Kline, secretary; Irene Oakley Johnson, treasurer; and Ellen Berman, Cheryl Spicer Bryant, Sharon Preston-Folta, Pamela Greer, Brian Jones, Alyssia Lazin, Ron Mason, Mark Smith, James Stewart, Nancy Boxill Thompson and Paul Toliver. “Diversity is the first step in building a community,” adds Redwine. “The key guiding principle behind SBAC and this series is that diversity is inherent in all aspects of life in the 21st century."
Danielle Hughes, the Child Protection Center (CPC)’s Team Coordinator of the Child Protection Team (CPT), has been appointed as a member of the Child Forensic Interview Advisory Committee. Erick Quevedo, CPT’s Lead Case Coordinator, also serves on this committee and is chairing the Subcommittee for Designation and Certification.
All Faiths Food Bank recently received grants and support from the following organizations: $59,583 from Edward Henry Lyman Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County in support of the maintenance, repair and general costs of the Food Bank’s fleet of vehicles, $73,000 from Share Our Strength in support of the Backpack and School Pantry programs in DeSoto County and $105,000 from The Stone Foundation in support of the Mobile Farm Market, Backpack and veteran’s assistance programs.
Philip Pohlmeyer, Chief Financial Officer of JFCS of the Suncoast, has announced his retirement after a forty-five-year career, including eighteen years dedicated to serving nonprofit human services agencies. “Phil’s financial guidance has been invaluable to JFCS,” says Arthur Lerman, JFCS Interim President/CEO. “We have benefited significantly from his decision nearly twenty years ago to give up a very successful business career in order to devote himself to helping human service charities. Phil notified us of his decision to retire this past spring. While we are sad to see him go, we understand Phil’s decision and wish him the very best.”
The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast (Perlman Suncoast) announces the recent gift of $500,000 from the Daniel E. Offutt, III Charitable Trust. “Dan was always interested in young people pursuing their interests and would have been delighted to know that these funds will support those endeavors," said Dick Orenstein, Trustee of the Charitable Trust. The funds will be used to establish an Endowment Fund to ensure that Perlman Suncoast’s mission of educating and inspiring generations of musicians and audiences is sustainable now and well into the future.
The Van Wezel Foundation kicks off its year-end giving season with a $50,000 challenge from philanthropists, Vern and Liliana Chalfant, who share a passion for arts education and integration to enhance learning. To encourage donations this holiday season and beyond, the CHALFANT CHALLENGE will match dollar for dollar new and increased contributions. “Growing up in Colombia, I was immersed in the rich history and culture of my country and received a well-rounded education through the arts,” commented Liliana Chalfant. “Music, theater, sculpture, and painting – the arts are important to ensure the vitality of a community. We believe the CHALFANT CHALLENGE can bring people together for a greater good and is an extraordinary way to live by my family’s motto: “La unión hace la fuerza,” which means “unity creates strength.”
Ana Varone of leading luxury Gulf Coast brokerage Michael Saunders & Company was recently awarded the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation, Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) designation, Real Estate Negotiations Expert (RENE) designation, and Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES) designation. Ana Varone is based out of the Michael Saunders & Company Siesta Key office at 5100 Ocean Blvd.
For more information, Ana can be reached by phone at 941-504-8083 or by email at anavarone@michaelsaunders.com.
The Sarasota-Manatee HR Association, the local chapter affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management, is pleased to announce it has been recognized by the HR Florida State Council as the 2020 Community Impact Award recipient for its outstanding achievements with outreach and impact in the local community it serves and calls home.
The Unified Group, an association of the leading independent HVAC commercial contractors in the industry, is proud to announce Florida-based B&I Contractors, Inc. as the association’s 2020 Making the Difference Award recipient. Each year, the award is given to a member company that embodies The Unified Group’s core goals of assisting the membership in growing their businesses and improving their bottom-line profits, raising the level of excellence in the HVAC industry, providing members with the opportunity for continued improvement in all aspects of their businesses and sharing best practices.
In one of his final acts as Florida Senate President, Senator Bill Galvano appointed Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore to the statewide Local Government Efficiency Task Force.
The City Commission on Monday evening appointed Marlon Brown as interim city manager and moved to transition him into that role permanently. “I’m honored to receive the support of the commissioners and excited to continue working with them and our fantastic team of employees as we serve this city,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to a smooth transition as we all work together to help Sarasota remain a world-class community. I’m also grateful for the exemplary leadership and friendship of City Manager Barwin over the past eight years and wish him all the best in the future.”
When the service industry shut down, Gordon Lippe wasted no time in pivoting to feed the front lines of the pandemic.
Click here to read the full article in SRQ's December 2020 edition.
Featuring original paintings and drawings by renowned illustrator and long-time Ringling College Faculty member, Regan Dunnick (Class of 1976). The Patricia Thompson Gallery features rotating exhibitions by Ringling College Alumni from all majors on the first floor of the historic Keating Center. BIO: Regan Dunnick is an internationally known illustrator. He has won numerous awards and his works are in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. He has been selected to such major exhibitions as the United Nations Environmental Show, The New Pop Show which toured Europe and chronicled innovators, American Illustration, and The Hiroshima Memorial Design Show (Hiroshima, Japan). This exhibition is open by appointment only. Please email galleries@ringling.edu to request an appointment. The exhibit began at the Keating Center on October 19, 2020 and will end on February 12, 2021, during museum hours.
Keating Center, 2621 Bradenton Rd, Sarasota, FL
This exhibit features twenty Gallery Artists, some using traditional subject matter expressed with a contemporary flair, others creating abstraction with underlying traditional realism. Explore this exhibit during gallery hours from Tuesday through Saturday between 11am and 5pm or by appointment.
Relax, stretch and enjoy a free fulfilling yoga session every Saturday from November 21 until December 26, 2020 from 9:30am to 10:30am on the Sarasota’s scenic bayfront while instructor Erin Hurter guides you along the way. Participants should plan to bring their own yoga mat and water bottle.
Van Wezel Lawn
Jill Krasner, Art Uptown’s December solo artist, takes viewers on a magical, mystery tour of imaginary gardens all artistically grown during the 2020 pandemic. Wander through a new collection of exuberant paintings filled with a jumble of jaunty, colorful flowers and landscapes without borders from November 28 until December 25, 2020. Jill’s latest work continues to demonstrate her color mastery and complex, inventive surfaces. Stroll through Jill Krasner’s new collection at Art Uptown, located at 1367 Main Street, Sarasota open Monday through Friday, 11 am to 5 pm, Saturday, 11 am to 3pm and Sunday 12 noon to 5pm. You can meet the artist during Saturday gallery hours. Private appointments can be arranged by calling 941-955-5409. The gallery continues its commitment to visitor and staff safety by the use of masks, sanitizer, frequent cleaning and social distancing.
Art Uptown Gallery, 1367 Main Street
Please join Michael Murphy Gallery, Tampa’s premier fine art gallery, for the opening reception of Rythmique: a solo exhibition of the works of world-renowned contemporary abstract artist Sara Conca. Sara's museum-provenanced work graces international & celebrity private art collections, luxurious European chateaus, & venerable municipal collections throughout the globe. Her natural mixed media paintings, flecked with gold and dynamically textured, invite the viewer into their colorful movements. Sara will be making a very special live appearance on December 5, 2020 & available for private appointments to discuss her work and private commissions on December 4, 2020. Gallery curators are onsite and private curatorial tours are available. All artwork will be on exhibition and available for acquisition beginning December 5, 2020 through January 5, 2021. An in-gallery reception is planned for Saturday, December 5 from 5pm- 9pm. This event is complimentary and open to the public with RSVPs recommended at 813-902-1414 or gallery@mmgart.com.
Michael Murphy Gallery, 2701 South MacDill Avenue, Tampa
The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall’s Education & Community Engagement Department is thrilled to announce a free streaming of TheaterWorksUSA’s Charlotte’s Web from December 7 through 20. Based on the popular children’s book, this performance was set to be the final Schooltime Performance of the 2019-2020 school year and was canceled this past spring due to COVID-19. This free program for all schools will be available for streaming from December 7 through 20. Complimentary live Zoom workshops with teaching artists are also available at no charge. Topics include mood/setting, character traits and more. The program is recommended for grades K-5, and teachers can register now on a first come, first served basis.
The lights are bright and the halls are now decked at the UTC District with dozens of holiday trees as part of the first-ever UTC Festival of Trees. Now through December 20, visitors can walk through a winter wonderland of whimsical and elaborately decorated trees by nearly 40 local charities. The Festival of Trees is open nightly from 6:30pm to 9:00pm in the West District of UTC, at 125 North Cattleman Road. Admission is free. Visitors can purchase $1 tickets to vote for their favorite tree, or bid in the silent auction for a chance to take one home. All of the ticket and silent auction sales benefit the participating charities, and additional prizes will be awarded to the top three charity-trimmed trees with the most votes. In the same location as the Festival of Trees will be the Gingerbread Festival presented by the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. On display December 11-20, this year’s 12th annual event features more than 150 gingerbread houses created by local schools, youth groups, businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Join Hamlet's Eatery for a Jazz Brunch on Sunday, December 13 in the gorgeous outdoor courtyard of The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime. Relax under the covered patio at 821 Apricot Avenue, Sarasota from 10am until 2pm. Menu options will include both traditional and vegan dishes from build your own omelettes with fresh organic eggs to tofu scrambles. Free mimosa with entree. Starting at 10:30am until 1:30pm, enjoy live jazz music featuring Nancy Pastore and Danny Hoefer. Stay afterwards for A Christmas Carol presented by The Players Centre for Performing Arts. Showtime at 2pm and tickets are only $20 available through The Players.
A Unique, Outdoor, Open-Air, Walk-through Circus Experience for The Entire Family on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13 from 10am to 6pm at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds. The Showfolks Of Sarasota has announced that in lieu of their annual indoor Showfolks Circus – a Sarasota tradition for over 50 years, they will be presenting an outdoor, open-air walk-through Circus Festival. Dozens of local and international circus artists will come together to present their acts to the Sarasota community for 2 full days of fun and excitement. Attendees are welcomed to walk through the festival grounds and enjoy a full range of circus continuous performances scheduled throughout the day, exhibits, food vendors, arts & crafts, flea market booths and family friendly activities. Additionally, the kids can meet Santa Claus.
A Come Together Holiday is a virtual one-hour celebration of music for the holidays on December 14 at 6pm. Featuring the Chamber Singers, Section Leaders Ensemble and soloists Jamal Sarikoki, Amy Connours, Lorraine Murphy, Michelle Caulkins and Mark Wagstrom. Special performances also by violinist Daniel Jordan and clarinetist Laura Petty. Viewers can also be part of the performance with eight singalongs such as Joy to the World, Winter Wonderland, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Jingle Bells and more. So grab your cup of eggnog, or hot chocolate, and enjoy the joy and peace of the season with Key Chorale. This one-hour concert is perfect to watch and sing along with family and friends from the comfort of your home.
During our December at 4pm on December 12, 2020 IQuest program, "Celebrations," we'll be exploring the way people in other cultures commemorate this time of year, changes in seasons, and the coming of a new year. IQuest is our monthly program for smart, curious middle school students in grades 6 through 8. While each program is different, there are always challenging projects and games that inspire out-of-the-box thinking.
It’s that time of year again! Join us virtually for our annual look at scenes of the Nativity in the museum at 1pm on December 16, 2020. $5 / Free for Members.
Online, Online
This fun family friendly festive event features miles of Christmas decorations and music that creates an atmosphere that will get your Christmas season started off right from Friday, December 18 at 6am until Saturday, December 19 at 11:59pm. This professionally chip timed night glow run will be a memorable experience like no other. Athletes run or walk the lakeside Christmas themed course with thousands of lights and lighted characters at night. Athletes add to the atmosphere with their complimentary glow products that are included with registration. ...and YES, there is 100% chance of pretty snowfall at the finish.
NBP Regatta Island, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle
The Hermitage Artist Retreat’s popular beachfront series continues with "Future Tradition," featuring a talk and demonstration with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and performer Du Yun on Friday, December 18 at 5pm.
Our third Digital Program of the Season, this performance features an arrangement of works and extracts including: Peter Darrell's Othello Christopher Wheeldon's The American Sir Matthew Bourne's The Infernal Galop, Merman Solo Sir Peter Wright's The Mirror Walkers Sir Peter Wright's Summertide Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Concerto Dominic Walsh's Clair de Lune Ricardo Graziano's Amorosa, pas de deux An additional one-act ballet and extra content to be announced. A video link to view Digital Program 3 will be emailed to ticket holders the morning of December 18th along with links to Bonus Content, our Performance Program Book, our 30th Anniversary Season Program Book, and a tutorial video on connecting your internet device to your television. If you purchase a ticket after the morning of the 18th, you will receive these links via email several minutes after time of purchase. Tickets for Digital Program 3 will be on sale until Tuesday, 22 December, at 2:00pm EST. Upon becoming available to watch, Digital Program 3 can be watched as many times as you would like, until Tuesday, 22 December, at 11:59 PM EST, at which point the Program will no longer be viewable. Make sure you enjoy it before then.
Online, Online
Clara is given an enchanted Nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. As midnight strikes, she creeps downstairs to find a magical adventure awaiting her and her Nutcracker.The magician Drosselmeyer transforms the drawing room for a battle between mice and toy soldiers. During the battle, Clara saves the Nutcracker's life - so breaking a magical spell that turned him from a boy to a toy - and the Mouse King is defeated. In celebration, Drosselmeyer sweeps Clara and the Nutcracker off to the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and take part in a wonderful display of dances. The next morning, Clara's adventures seem to have been more than just a dream. This production will take place at 1:30pm on December 20, 2020.
Sarasota Opera House
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