Downtown Bradenton is bursting with life and color. In one area, kids of Sarasota-Manatee make their own gyotaku prints and learn about traditional Japanese art. At another booth, festivalgoers are creating chalk masterpieces and, just a stone’s throw away, can have their faces and arms painted with beautiful designs. Nearby, folks make both their own comic books and cookie art. A bit farther on, kids and adults gain hands-on experience with printing on canvas and t-shirts while costumed stilt walkers roam the streets of downtown. Realize Bradenton’s ArtSlam returns on March 3 for another day of interactive fun and art in the streets.

The first ArtSlam debuted in 2010 to facilitate interaction between local arts and businesses. The hosting organization, Realize Bradenton formed in 2009 to promote economic growth and to develop downtown Bradenton into a cultural hub. According to Holly Lundgren, Realize Bradenton’s events and creative services manager, ArtSlam brings 12,000-15,000 people to downtown Bradenton and the combined impact of Realize Bradenton’s 75 events throughout the year is $4.4 million dollars. Although a mission of the organization itself involves generating revenue, ArtSlam is free to attend.

This year, ArtSlam 2018 has more art teams and performances than ever before, with 28 teams, 13 live performances and plenty of farmers market vendors participating to guarantee a day that families will not soon forget. The festival will feature interactive activities such as The Origami World of Bradenton, a Wall of Happiness full of positive messages and the daredevil juggling of the Dallas and Nick Show. Also, be sure not to miss local artist Matt McAllister transforming an entire car, donated by Firkins Nissan, into an aerosol work of art. Visitors can also enjoy family-friendly music, including performances by The Tank and Tilly Kids’ Show, and then “Feel the Beat” while drumming along with Scott Blum Music. As people work up an appetite with the activities, there will tons of local eating options on site, including Greeks Bearing Gifts, Lou’s Diner, Elena’s Italian Cuisine and Split-Fire Grill.

“Attendees are not just observing the arts,” Lundgren says. “They are getting their hands dirty and engaging in the process. They are discovering their own creativity.”

ArtSlam 2018 will take place at the Bradenton Farmer’s Market on Saturday, March 3 from 9am to 4pm and is free to attend. 

Children who take part in sensory engagement and creative thinking activities have a better chance of achieving greater academic success and becoming active and engaged members of the community. And with EdExploreSRQ’s web-based search platform, schooling transcends into experiential, hands-on learning activities throughout Sarasota. At its inception, the Community Foundation and the Patterson Foundation teamed up to ensure students’ access to EdExplore’s programs. Committing to $500,000 each, distributing $100,000 annually over the course of its first five years. They recently announced that they will both be committing another $500,000 each over its next five years. Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation notes, “EdExploreSRQ was created with the aspiration that our students, regardless of background, would have access to the unique educational opportunities Sarasota has to offer. Through this latest contribution, The Patterson Foundation will strengthen EdExploreSRQ’s ability to provide these opportunities for future generations of students.”

The new annual contributions by the Community Foundation and the Patterson Foundation will be used to support current explorations, while also developing new ones– particularly for students from low-income households. Roxie Jerde, President and CEO of the Community Foundation mentions, “Thanks to the world-class experiences we have in this region, our main objective is to ensure that arts and cultural learning lessons through EdExploreSRQ are open and accessible to all our school children.” The ongoing support enables endless intellectual and social development for students to unlock their continual growth. Educators at all grade levels are now able to not only expand and enrich their classrooms, but also increase student awareness to our community’s wonderful resources. Imagine your children coming face-to-face with a manatee on a boat serving as a floating classroom or learning how to sing like an opera star from the best of the best. EdExplore ultimately enhances and engages childrens' bandwidth to learn. Here's an overview of their programs–

In-school Explorations incorporate the culture of Sarasota and can take place in the gym, on the playground, or right in the classroom with professional visits to the class by the best teaching artists in their fields. Teaching artist residencies bring entrepreneurial writers, painters, dancers, math fanatics and others into the classroom to help shape students with the knowledge of their specific expertise. In-school Performances include plays, shows and nontraditional learning techniques created by professional performers. Students can experience the wonders of live theatre for the first time with help from local theatres, dance schools and artists by putting on their very own performances themselves. Off-campus Performances  involve traveling to attend live readings, concerts, theatre and dance performances held at renowned venues including the Van Wezel and Asolo Theatre. Off-campus Field Trips take the children to various parks, museums, labs and world-renowned research facilities to discover a wide variety of subjects such as art, history, wildlife, ecology and marine biology. Lastly, Online Virtual Conferences allow classes to explore the world, or even time travel, all while staying in the comfort of the classroom. These virtual endeavors include book readings, marine life explorations, a diving into the history of downtown with eco-friendly video games. Whether simply sparking a new area of interest or shaping a future career path, the result can be a life changing experience for our young, vibrant learners. Safe to say, this schooling style is something we can all get behind. 

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is proud to partner with SRQ Media Group to highlight stories about community impact powered by philanthropy in our region, thanks to the support of donors and our local nonprofit partners. The Community Foundation is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org. 

Images provided by EdExploreSRQ

EdExplore SRQ

At 9am this morning, February 28th, almost 100 community members and leaders will gather at the R.L. Taylor Community Complex to discuss barriers to banking for low-income residents and the so-called “banking desert” in North Sarasota. According to Prosperity Now, 21% of North Sarasota residents were either unbanked or had a bank account but still used alternatives like payday loans or check cashing services. United Way Suncoast has organized the area’s first Financial Inclusion Summit as part of the Bank On Suncoast initiative. Key initiative partners and speakers at the Summit include representation from Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund), the City of Sarasota, Manatee Community Federal Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Wells Fargo bank. The keynote speaker will be Anthony Barrows, Managing Director at ideas42, a behavioral science research group leveraging the power of behavioral science to design scalable solutions for society’s most difficult problems. City Deputy Manager Marlon Brown and City Commissioner Willie Shaw are also slated to give remarks. 

United Way Suncoast

Erin del Castillo has been named the new principal of Riverview High School (RHS) effective July 1, pending Board approval. Del Castillo currently serves as principal of Venice Elementary School (VES) where she has worked as an administrator since 2016. She returns to RHS where she was an assistant principal from 2010 – 2015 and oversaw the teen parent program and Head Start initiatives, and supervised the English and reading departments. Del Castillo’s appointment comes after the departure of Paul Burns, who left RHS in December of 2017 to take a position with the Florida Department of Education. Kathy Wilks has been serving as acting principal of RHS during the transition and will remain in this post through the current school year. In addition to serving at VES and RHS, del Castillo held the position of assistant principal at Pine View. The school district will begin a search for a new principal at Venice Elementary this spring, and del Castillo will continue to lead Venice Elementary during the transition period. 

Riverview High School

The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School (SCBS) has named Clolita M. Vitale as a new board member. Vitale has a long history with dance. After graduating with her Bachelor’s degree in Theater and Dance from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, she went on to dance and work full-time. She spent twenty years continuing to study dance in Maryland and New York, teaching dance at a studio in Baltimore and performing in the Baltimore/Washington. She completed her law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law. Vitale hopes to bring another perspective to the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School. In addition to serving on other boards, she volunteers with Girls Inc. and Alta Vista Elementary School as a mentor to students. 

Sarasota Cuban Ballet School

Realtor Ruth Husel has joined RE/MAX Alliance Group in the Bradenton office. She specializes in residential properties in Manatee County from the beaches and river region to northeast Manatee County and Lakewood Ranch. Husel has seven years of local real estate experience, last serving with Keller Williams Realty Select in Lakewood Ranch. Prior to her career in real estate, she was a registered nurse. Her commitment to professional development is reflected in her numerous designations, including Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) and Seller Representative Specialist (SRS). The Bradenton office is located at 3007 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton. 

RE/MAX Alliance Group