Audience members gather at the latest 10 x 10 event at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Photo by Dylan Campbell.

Oftentimes, it can be difficult for a city or community of any size to find something to hang its hat on. An event, a presentation or a gathering that says, “this is who we are”. Tuesday’s 10 x 10 series, held at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, was just that. Hundreds of audience members filed into the event center to hear from the various voices of Sarasota. The series, initially organized by Michael Halflants of Halflants + Pichette Architects, has been in production since 2009.

The premise is simple—10 leaders and creative minds of the community each have five minutes to present 10 slides of their work, be it a recent project or past inspiration. The slides change every 30 seconds, keeping the presentations brief, yet meaningful. This event’s lineup leaned heavily towards those working in architecture and art circles, yet still managed to be diverse.

The speakers were architectural associate Taylor Brunsvold, executive director of Art Center Sarasota Katherine Ceaser, cyclist Emmanuel Charron, owner of Sarasota Real Estate Auction Andrew Ford, CEO of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County Brian Hersh, CEO of Architecture Sarasota Marty Hylton, project designer Edwin Martinez, co-president of the Phillippi Crest Club Ted Ritter, president and CEO of Selby Gardens Jennifer Rominiecki and mount maker Casey Schelhorn.

Charron, who is French, moved to Sarasota from Switzerland over a decade ago. A former client of Halflants, Charron quickly became swept up in the area’s cycling scene. “When people think of cycling in Sarasota, they think of the Legacy Trail, which is great,” says Charron. “But there is so much more than the Legacy Trail. This area is astounding for cycling.”

Hersh spoke on Sarasota’s legacy within the arts and of the Arts and Cultural Alliance’s plans to build affordable housing for artists and employees of arts organizations in a development named Artscape. “We know that we need a place for our artists to be cared for,” says Hersh. “We know that we need to care for the artists that have made this the community that we care about so deeply.”

Audience members gather at the latest 10 x 10 event at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Photo by Dylan Campbell.

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