Sarasota welcomes the latest addition to the gallery scene with tonight’s opening of Galerie Dankneiss, the latest creation from artist and sculptor Nathan Wilson, nestled deep within the Towles Court Artist Colony. A graduate of New College, where he studied mathematics, physics and sculpture, bringing them all together for his artistic endeavours, Wilson places a premium on interdisciplinary understanding and that’s what he hopes to bring to Towles Court with an opening show including sculpture, printmaking, photography and painting.

“It’s bringing things together the way that I know how,” said Wilson, looking every bit the artist – heavily bearded with multi-colored hair perched in a messy topknot and a shirt he gave up buttoning halfway through. “I have an eye for other people who have that interdisciplinary perspective and use that to generate one-of-a-kind art.”

Wilson’s own art, a series of highly geometric sculptures such as a truncated octahedron dubbed “Strength in Numbers,” is a result of his own interdisciplinary interests, as well as a year spent working manual labor in Thailand, making bricks and working construction. “It really put me in touch with the factors of production in a way that I’d never had in the West,” said Wilson. “Reducing my process to a basic one refocused my energies.” Returning to New College, Wilson discontinued his economic studies in exchange for physics and math. Today his speech is peppered with references to Platonic forms, Archimedean solids and the work of Buckminster Fuller, a syngetics pioneer Wilson calls “one of the greatest.”

“It’s an incredible field to have as an artistic influence because the science is continually progressing,” said Wilson, who monitors the latest developments through academic journals and continued research. “What I’m trying to take to people as an artist are these scientific ideas and information that are controlled and understood by a very select few.”

Joining Wilson's work for the opening show will be paintings from local artists Paige Rawitz and Isabelle DuVall, also New College grads, as well as prints from the New York-based graphic artist Aodhan Cummings, with whom Wilson retains a working relationship from his time in New York. Michael Miller, photographer, also joins the bunch. The mix may seem eclectic on paper, but it’s precisely in the curation that Wilson plans to work his magic. “It’s going to be a cohesive experience,” he promises. “They become part of a collection.” And this appears to be the point of Galerie Dankneiss - to create not just an exhibit, but to craft a singular work of art from many, to draw on the strengths of their differences.

“People who are pushing multiple disciplines at the same time are always going to yield a more dynamic gallery space,” said Wilson. He throws his arms wide, imitating the various disciplines spreading to the wind, before bringing them back together. “It’s time to start tying those individual disciplines together and making new directions.”

Galerie Dankneiss, located at 253 S. Links Avenue, Sarasota, opens tonight with a show from 5pm-9pm for the Towles Court Art Walk. 

Pictured: "Strength in Numbers" by Nathan Wilson. Photo by: Art Center Sarasota

Art Center Sarasota heads into the new season with some fresh blood as local artist Dustin Juengel takes the reins as exhibition curator. A Ringling grad, Juengel also brings an international perspective to the project, hailing from Leverkusen, Germany and earning his master's in Fine Arts from Chelsea College of Art and Design in London before returning to Sarasota in 2011. A member of Art Center Sarasota’s exhibition committee since 2012, where he assisted reviewing artist and exhibition proposals, this new appointment places Juengel closer to the head of the decision-making process, where he says maybe he can “freshen it up a little bit.”

“I’m like the doorman,” said Juengel of his new responsibilities. “I’m the first one to see the exhibition proposals and I’m also actively searching for artists.” Slightly revamped, the exhibition curator position formerly served in both an administrative and creative capacity, but Juengel says the new formulation places less administrative duties on his desk and frees him to explore the artistic community and dedicate himself to crafting the exhibits without non-creative concerns.

Though he’s quick to remind that Art Center Sarasota is still a team effort and he’ll be working closely with the exhibition committee and executive director Lisa Berger, Juengel doesn’t shy from revealing his ambitions for the center. “I hope I can search out some younger artists fresh out of grad school who are really dedicated to their art,” said Juengel, largely uninterested in displaying “crafty projects” from part-time artists. “There’s no Plan B for them. They’re artists through and through. I don’t see those kinds of artists too much in Sarasota.”

But that doesn’t mean that part-time artists and crafty sorts won’t have a place at Art Center Sarasota, on that Juengel is adamant, saying “Juried exhibitions are for the entire community.”

“It seemed like the perfect match,” said Juengel of his decision to take the position. “I bring my own aesthetic and I’m attracted to different artists, so I’m going to influence [Art Center Sarasota] in that way.”  

Pictured: Dustin Juengel. Photo by: Shane Donglasan.

With the sun of the season in full swing, skin can be as dry as the summer heat. Revitalize your skin with the sea salt soaps and body scrubs of Naples Soap Company. The sea salt soap is known to benefit customers with psoriasis, eczema and acne, and can cleanse pores without drying out skin. The salt scrub is perfect to exfoliate skin, smoothing rough patches and adding moisture where your skin may be lacking. Both products are available unscented for sensitivity, or in an array of summer aromas. 

Naples Soap Company, 466 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, 941-388-9700

Fine dining connoisseurs in the Sarasota area know Melange as culinary paradise where you can find innovative food and drink offerings. Chef Lan Bradeen shared with us this dish for those adventurous enough to try and recreate the magic in their own kitchens.

Ginger Crab Soup

Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger; 2 Tablespoons minced shallots; 1/4 cup Sherry; 2 cups crab stock; 1/4 teaspoon white pepper; Salt to taste; 3 Tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tablespoons cool water; 1/4 cup heavy Cream; 1/4 cup crab meat; Chopped parsley for garnish.

In a sauce pot, sauté ginger and shallots with oil, high heat, 30 seconds. Add sherry, reduce until half the sherry remains. Add crab stock, nutmeg, and white pepper, bring to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch, bring to a boil again. Add heavy cream and crab meat, and salt to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley. 

Melange, 1568 Main St, Sarasota.

Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center announced Nicole Rissler, director of Sports for Visit Sarasota County and the Sarasota County Sports Commission, will be taking a new position as chief operating officer. SANCA is the non-profit that runs Nathan Benderson Park. In this new role, Rissler will assist in the general operations of the park, as well as new business development and marketing and communications. 

SANCA

Christine Johnson, president of Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, has been nominated to the Land Trust Leadership Council of the national Land Trust Alliance. The Leadership Council is comprised of the CEOs of the largest land conservation groups across the nation, and is designed to provide strategic advice to the Land Trust Alliance leadership. Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast saves land in perpetuity, preserving those special natural lands.  

Conservation Foundation

Michael Saunders and Company announced the relocation of its Main Street sales office—currently located at the corner of Main Street and Osprey Avenue—to the Ellis Building, located on Main Street at the corner of Orange Avenue.  The company has leased 15,283 square feet of ground floor space to accommodate nearly 25 years of agent growth at its current downtown location and to prepare for continued growth within its new Main Street location. The new office, which will also house agents with the firm’s commercial division, is expected to be ready for occupancy in approximately seven months.   

Michael Saunders

Realtor Tim Daniels has joined the downtown Sarasota office of RE/MAX Platinum Realty. He was previously with Coldwell Banker. He has 25 years of real estate experience, including 15 years locally. He specializes in single-family re-sales, including the luxury home market, having earned the Certified Residential Specialist  and Accredited Luxury Home Specialist designations.  

Platinum Reality