A Palm Avenue staple for nearly 20 years, Dabbert Gallery Fine Painting & Sculpture made its name championing local artists like Barbara Krupp, Jeff Cornwell, and James Griffin, and brought art from Ukraine, Australia, Norway and more to Sarasota’s shores. And since first opening those gallery doors in 2004, husband and wife owners David and Patricia Dabbert have been a regular sight on every First Friday Artwalk. But after 18 years, citing encroaching development and rising rent, the gallery will be closing its doors permanently at the end of the month.

In the remaining weeks, the gallery will keep its regular hours and nearly all of the artwork is available for purchase at a substantial discount.

When the Dabberts first moved to Sarasota in 1993, they were escaping the cold and had no idea it was an arts town. But the hunt for a good restaurant took them to Palm Avenue one evening right around 7pm. It was a Friday. “And we saw the magic,” says David Dabbert. “Hundreds and hundreds of people out on the sidewalks, music playing, and, every few steps, another gallery.” 10 years later, when a space opened on Palm, the Dabberts leapt at their chance to open their own gallery and join the party.

It was harder work than they thought it would be, but more rewarding than they imagined. Their only barometer was quality, quickly collecting 25-30 artists to represent and developing a long-term relationship with each. And whereas other galleries might eject an artist after a few months of no sales, the Dabberts were in for the long haul. “We were here for artists because we were artists,” says Dabbert. “So when we committed to someone, we were committed.” Before they knew it, a two-year lease turned into 13 years. Then a jump in 2017, just a few doors down to its current larger space on Palm, formerly home of the Hodgell Gallery,

That space is now full to bursting with around 300 works of art. And with the gallery closing, it’s all looking for a new home. Massive oil paintings by Barbara Krupp are 50% off; pastel portraits by Jeff Cornell are 40%, as are many watercolors by Robert Baxter. Find acrylics on canvas by Argentinian professor of art Gustavo Paris, practicing some neon galactism inspired by images from the Hubble Telescope, next to oils by Norwegian professor of art Peter Esdaile, whose lean into the fantastic brushes the mythological. Even the pedestals are on sale.

But it was never about the money, says Dabbert, an admittedly poor salesman who has, perhaps more than once, talked his way out of a sale because he wanted the client to be sure before they bought. “It was about being involved in the arts and being surrounded by good art,” says Dabbert. And so it’s a difficult farewell for a duo who loved what they did so much that they haven’t taken a vacation or closed the gallery for more than a day in over eight years. “We were really fortunate to have the privilege to represent some very talented and accomplished artists, and many of them we consider our friends,” says Dabbert. “You take it for granted, but it really is special. This is a special community.” 

Photo taken by Philip Lederer.

“We did Urbanite’s first ever call for commissions at the beginning of the shutdown in March of 2020. At that time no one could open their doors–it was a very uncertain time in which we weren’t sure of when we would be able to open our doors and produce like normal,” says Summer Wallace, Producing Artistic Director at Urbanite Theatre. “We felt called to be able to do some work and support artists so we launched the Charles Rowan Beye New Play Commission and playwrights submitted a writing sample along with their idea for potential plays they were interested in writing.”

One of the recipients of the commission was Franky D. Gonzalez’s That Must Be The Entrance to Heaven, which is making its world premiere on June 9 at Urbanite Theatre. The play, which is directed by Kathleen Capdesuñer, is steeped in magical realism–it follows the cosmic journey of four Latino boxers chasing a world title to achieve their personal versions of heaven. “I’m really excited for audience members to see this play,” says Wallace. “You have four men walking the line between life and death in this collision of combat and the cosmos, every single character is fighting for something whether it be survival, legacy, citizenship or glory.”

Creating a setting for such an ambitious story, however, is no easy task. Not only does the play involve multiple boxing matches, but cosmic interventions such as black holes. “We’re going to be relying on our lighting and sound designers pretty heavily to help create the set. The play does have a metaphor of a black hole which we will use lighting, sound and projection to help create,” says Wallace. “The set is very conceptual–there’s not a traditional boxing ring because so many different fights take place in different places throughout the play. The concept of the show, however, is that the set surrounds the audience so that they’re kind of sitting in the middle of the story.”

That Must Be The Entrance to Heaven, June 9 to July 9, Urbanite Theatre, 1487 2nd St., Sarasota. 

Pictured: the cast of That Must Be The Entrance to Heaven: from left to right (Peter Pasco, Edgar Miguel Sanchez, Rodney Nelson, Juan Ramirez. Photo by by Sorcha Augustine.

The Women’s Resource Center continues its Wonder Women Collective series with "“Be Fearless: Conquering Self Doubt & Imposter Syndrome” Thursday, July 13, 5-7 p.m., at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, Building 8, 26 West Center, 5840 26th Street West, Bradenton. The keynote speaker is Kim Richmond, director of the 26 West Entrepreneurship Center at State College of Florida. The $25 admission includes the program, complimentary drinks, and food. All proceeds from the Collective support the programs and services of the Women's Resource Center. 

The Players Centre for Performing Arts is pleased to announce a generous grant donation of $4,500 from the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch. This grant will be used to purchase two new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) units for our education studio and production shop, ensuring the safety and well-being of our staff, students, volunteers, and patrons. The Players Centre is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all who participate in our programs and attend our performances. With the addition of these new AED units, we can take another important step in protecting the health and safety of our community. The Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch is dedicated to making a positive impact in the community through their philanthropic efforts. This grant is just one example of their commitment to supporting organizations that make a difference. The Players Centre for Performing Arts is grateful for the support of the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch and looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality performing arts education and entertainment to the community. For more information about The Players Centre for Performing Arts, please visit www.theplayers.org. 

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is pleased to announce the workshop lineup for the 13th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival (July 20-22, 2023). Now in its 13th year, the Sarasota Improv Festival is the premier festival of its kind in the Southeast United States, bringing together top talent in improv comedy from across the nation and around the world. In addition to 29 performances featuring over 80 artists, Festival attendees will have 16 opportunities to learn from the experts through intimate workshop offerings led by Festival artists. Workshops will cover a wide range of topics, from how to build memorable characters and applications for physical comedy to an introduction to musical improvisation and the building blocks of freestyle rap. All workshops take place Saturday, July 22, and run two hours. Workshops are now on sale for $35 each, or $90 for a three-workshop package at sarasotaimprovfestival.com or by calling 941.366.9000.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens will present its 43rd Annual Juried Photographic Exhibition from August 29 through September 30. This year’s exhibition will again be conducted virtually, with digital photos entered through an online portal and all accepted submissions displayed in an online gallery for the duration of the show. The open call for submissions will run from August 7 through 14. Photographs that are entered for consideration for the show must have been taken at or of either Selby Gardens campus—Downtown Sarasota or Historic Spanish Point—within the past year. The five entry categories for 2023 will be: Living Art - Express your creativity and artfully interpret nature through the play of light, color, and composition; Make a Splash - Showcase the scenic beauty of the aquatic environments at Selby Gardens’ two bayfront campuses; Plant Portraits - Capture the character of the plants that are the real stars of the show at Selby Gardens; The Birds and the Bees - Highlight the wonderful wildlife at the Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses; Black and White - Convey the beauty of nature at Selby Gardens through the elegance of black-and-white photography. Complete rules and requirements will be available later this summer on the photo submission portal, which will be accessible via selby.org. Entry fees will remain unchanged from 2022: Selby Gardens members – $30 for first entry, $10 for each additional (up to three entries total); non-Members – $45 for first entry, $15 for each additional (up to three entries total). Selby Gardens’ 2023 Juried Photographic Exhibition is presented in partnership with Observer Media Group. Last year’s photo exhibition garnered nearly 300 entries. “Best in Show” was awarded to Patricia Nebel for her black-and-white image titled The Bishop. 

Pictured: The Bishop by Patricia Nebel won Best in Show last year. Photo courtesy of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

For the past 18 years, Choral Artists of Sarasota has celebrated America’s freedom and independence with a July 4th concert of rousing, patriotic songs. According to Joseph Holt, the artistic director and conductor of Choral Artists of Sarasota, this may be area audiences’ final opportunity to experience the group’s beloved Independence Day concert. Why close the curtain on this crowd-pleasing annual concert? According to Holt, it’s definitely not a question of public appeal. He notes that these Independence Day concerts became so popular, Choral Artists had to move them to the Sarasota Opera House in 2019. 

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to present Black Pearl Sings!, an uplifting, historical drama about an unlikely bond, the preservation of musical heritage, and the human need for hope and healing. When two women from very different backgrounds are brought together by the power of music, each discovers that the other woman holds the key to everything they’ve been searching for. Called “Remarkable” and “Compelling” by The Chicago Tribune, Black Pearl Sings! by Frank Higgins begins playing June 28 in FST’s Gompertz Theatre. Set in 1935 Depression-era Texas, Black Pearl Sings! tells the story of Susannah Mullally and Alberta “Pearl” Johnson. Susannah is an ambitious Library of Congress musicologist, determined to record undocumented slave songs, preserving them for generations to come. Pearl is an African American woman with a soulful voice, a steely spirit, and a sentence in a female prison. Pearl’s memory is a treasure-trove of unrecorded slave era songs – the answer to Susannah’s long search for undiscovered African American music. Susannah’s idea to share Pearl’s music with the world could mean the prisoner’s freedom – the answer to Pearl’s dream of being able to search for her missing daughter. But can Pearl hand over her ancestors’ songs without giving up something of herself? 

Pictured: FST’s 2009 production of Black Pearl Sings! Photo by Amy Steinmet.z.

The Show Goes On | New producing artistic director Peter Rothstein shares his vision for the Asolo Repertory Theatre, May/June 2023. 

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