SRQ DAILY Feb 20, 2026
Friday Weekend Edition
"Humans have inherent short term thinking."
As part of its Urban Studies Speaker Series, Hoyt Architects welcomed professional arborist John Snow on February 18 for his presentation, The Urban Forest Lifecycle: Designing Cities with Trees That Last 50 Years or More. Snow is the president of the Florida Urban Forestry Council, owner-operator of Tree Check Up LLC, a Board-Certified Master Arborist and has been working in arboriculture and urban forestry for over 30 years. Below is an excerpt from the full Q&A interview that will be featured in the July/August issue of SRQ Magazine.
SRQ: You spoke about a pervasive cycle of planting and removal of trees in urban areas long before the trees reach their full canopy potential. Why does that happen?
Snow: I think the issue revolves around most people having a hard time visualizing longer timeframes. People can budget for a year, but when you start thinking about five years from now, things get a little more hazy quite quickly. You say 10 years from now and now it’s a very gray area. When you’re planning trees, you’re thinking about 50 or 80 years into the future. I hear quite often, “well, I might not even be here by then, so what does it matter?” Humans have inherent short-term thinking. The problem is, that doesn’t match the lifespan of trees that we’re planting in urban landscapes. I don’t think that there’s ever going to be perfection, but there are ways that we can begin shaping things to work better and that starts with the planning phase of implementing trees in urban environments. 
Master Arborist John Snow. Photo by Dylan Campbell.
March unfolds with a vibrant mix of art, community and creative exploration at Creative Liberties, beginning with the Wine Down Wednesday Art Tour, Wednesday, March 4, 4 p.m., at Chaz 51, 549 US 41 Bypass N, Venice. Artists will lead guests on a personalized tour of artwork displayed throughout the restaurant. Visitors who stay for dinner enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or 20% off a bottle from Chaz 51’s extensive collection, while those attending the tour only may enjoy the guided experience and wine service for $15. RSVP at Chaz51Steakhouse.com.
The Perlman Music Program Suncoast (PMP Suncoast) presents the Ariel String Quartet, Sunday, February 22, 7:30 p.m., at Holley Hall in Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. The program features Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 33, No. 2, “The Joke”; and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135, and his String Quartet No.12, Op.127. Tickets are $50 general admission; $70 VIP (includes seats in the front rows and a post-concert reception with the musicians). Tickets are available at PMPSuncoast.org.
Sarasota Opera continues its proud tradition of presenting operas by Giuseppe Verdi with Il trovatore, opening Saturday, March 7 with seven performances through March 29, 2026. The company presented Il trovatore two times, first in 1993 and again in 2014, as part of its 28-year Verdi Cycle, the company’s monumental undertaking to perform all written works by the beloved opera composer.
Sarasota Opera, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, 941-366-8450, SarasotaOpera.org
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is thrilled to produce A Night with Janis Joplin, the third and final production in its 2026 Stage III series. With music and lyrics by Janis Joplin and book by Randy Johnson, this Tony-nominated musical celebrates one of rock-and-roll’s most unmistakable voices. Previews begin Mar. 11, officially opening Mar. 13, with performances running through Mar. 29, 2026, in FST’s Keating Theatre.
The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall welcomes back Three Dog Night on Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m. The legendary band, now in its sixth decade, returns to Sarasota following a popular previous appearance in 2022, bringing with them a catalog of iconic hits that continue to resonate across generations. Tickets are currently on sale. Reservations can be made on VanWezel.org or through the Veteran Air Box Office.
OLLI at Ringling College is excited to announce that Carl Hiaasen, a New York Times bestselling author, will be the keynote speaker at the launch of OLLI Talks, a new speaker series and fundraising event featuring well-known authors, educators, and experts from various fields and disciplines. The series kicks off with An Afternoon with Carl Hiaasen—Can You Make This Stuff Up? on March 27 at 4:00 p.m. in McGuire Hall on the Ringling College Museum Campus at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Tickets are $100 for OLLI members and $125 general admission and can be purchased by calling 941-893-2864.
The Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota is excited to bring ELTON! an Elton John Tribute performance to the Suncoast, starring nationally recognized tribute artist Greg Bickley as Elton John. This electrifying concert fuses legendary chart-toppers, dazzling stage flair, and the sweeping sound of The Pops Orchestra into an unforgettable musical experience. Tickets are available online at https://www.thepopsorchestra.org/ or by calling the box office at 941-926-POPS (7677).
Stelliferous is your monthly guide to the night skies and the latest news from the world of astronomy. You can enjoy our upgraded Planetarium system and feel like an astronaut as you experience our 50-foot dome!
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St W, Bradenton
This exhibition highlights contemporary Native design, craftwork, and art that employ the formal and aesthetic elements of abstraction as meaningful motifs and coded tools of Indigenous expression to communicate tribal cultures and histories, ancestral knowledge, and the lived experiences of the artists and their communities. Explored in a variety of media, including basket weaving, beadwork, collage, clay, textiles, photography, metalwork, and printmaking rooted in ancestral technologies, their work shares similar stylistic and social concerns, such as vibrant color, hard-edged geometries, curvilinear patterns, and bold mark-making, all infused with personal stories and those of their kin.
Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243
This exhibition highlights contemporary Native design, craftwork, and art that employ the formal and aesthetic elements of abstraction as meaningful motifs and coded tools of Indigenous expression to communicate tribal cultures and histories, ancestral knowledge, and the lived experiences of the artists and their communities.
Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243
Join us for a weekly guided tour of the night sky in our state-of-the-art planetarium. As Earth moves around the sun, different objects come into view. We'll not only discuss what you can see this season, we'll fly you there!
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St W, Bradenton
Award-winning Hermitage Fellows offer a unique glimpse into their creative process, sharing original works in process with our Gulf Coast audiences. These free hour-long programs take the shape of musical performances, playreadings, concerts, visual art demonstrations, panel discussions, master classes, exhibitions, open studios,and more. The presentations are often works in process, giving Hermitage audiences a look into the creative process before these works go on to leading theaters, concert halls, and museums around the world.
Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6660 Manasota Key Rd, Englewood, FL 34223
Showcasing 100 rare posters along with sculptures, cocktail shakers, and furniture pieces, this exciting exhibition celebrates the centennial anniversary of Art Deco and the artistic significance it brought to the early 20th-century.
Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236
Selina Román blends photography, abstraction, and self-portraiture to explore themes of beauty and the politics of size. Roman’s photographs transform the gallery into a space of quiet resistance, subverting traditional ideas of feminine beauty.
Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236
Art immersion class for children ages 6-18. Small classes with fine arts materials. Visit linarinconart.com for more information and to register.
Creative Liberties Artist Studios, Gallery & Creative Academy, 927 N Lime Ave., Sarasota, FL 34237
The summer 2026 exhibition at Selby Gardens will celebrate the creative collaboration between two legendary figures and longtime friends, photographer Lynn Goldsmith and singer-songwriter Patti Smith, who is Selby Gardens’ artist in residence. The exhibition will feature Goldsmith’s photographs of Smith, past and present, in the Museum of Botany & the Arts. The images will offer an intimate portrait of an iconic artist over the course of her remarkable career.
Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St, Sarasota, FL 34236
Juana Romani (1867–1924) was one of the most fascinating and successful painters in late-nineteenth-century Paris. Born in Italy, Juana—whose given name was Giovanna Carlesimo—moved to Paris with her mother and stepfather at the age of ten. She took up painting, studying under the well-known painters Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905) and Ferdinand Roybet (1840–1920). Romani quickly earned both critical praise and significant fame for her deftly painted, richly colorful depictions of strong, sensual women adorned in lavish textiles.
Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243
2nd Fridays Creative Happy Hour brings the party to the gallery and transforms ArtCenter Sarasota into a vibrant hub of creativity, conversation, and connection. These lively monthly gatherings feature rotating themes, interactive art activities, live music, dance, film, and collaborations with local artists and arts organizations. It's a fresh take on the classic art salon, welcoming all ages to mix, mingle, make, and experience art in motion.
ArtCenter Sarasota, 707 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota
Mondays, 1pm. Join Jerome Chesley as you explore more than 60 pieces of public art located in downtown and St. Armands.
Enjoy live jazz weekly on Fridays with many of the area's best musicians and some visiting or touring artists. We present various genres of jazz; straight ahead jazz, music from the American Songbook, swing, dixieland, blues, bossa and cabaret jazz.
Unitarian Universalists of SRQ, 3975 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota
This new speaker series, Art, Actually, explores how art intersects with identity, community, and change through conversations with artists, curators, and cultural leaders.
ArtCenter Sarasota, 707 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota
The monthly Saturday Night Sketch Club offers chill, creative vibes with costumed models or themed still lifes, and refreshments. Come solo or bring a friend. No experience needed.
ArtCenter Sarasota, 707 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota
SRQ DAILY is a daily e-newsletter produced by SRQ MEDIA. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. The views expressed by individuals are their own, and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. SRQ DAILY includes content excerpted from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Robinson Valverde at 941-365-7702 x703 or via email |
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