Sarasota's Got Art

"Man with Umbrella" by Eugene Ivanov
(recreated by Nate Baranowski)(2015)

When art doyenne Judy Levine asked if I'd be interested in co-teaching her lifelong learning class on public art, I jumped at the chance. What a great way to learn about the art we pass in our journeys every day (and I'm talking my education, not that of the students).  As a bonus, Stephenie Frasher -- who honed her skills as a docent at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. -- rounded out our team. Happily, the weather cooperated for our two session walking tour. It was a blast.  

Sarasota's public art collection began in the 1920s when John Ringling placed two bronze statues in the newly-created St. Armands Circle. (The bridge between Sarasota and the key to be known as St. Armands was built with a big assist from some of his circus elephants.) You can still find those statues there today. 

Fast forward to 1989 when the City decided to get serious about public art in our community with the creation of a Public Art Committee. When a decision is made to solicit proposals for a new public work of art, the Committee is tasked with reviewing those proposals and recommending to the City Commission which project to select. With this system in place, the City's art collection has grown to more than 85 works. But that's not all of the art to be found in Sarasota. Developers of commercial and multi-family projects of $1MM or more are required to dedicate half a percent of those costs to the purchase of onsite artwork or to the public art fund. (Maintenance responsibilities for the work are dictated by that choice.) And then there are businesses that include art on their premises for aesthetic or commercial reasons. 

"Mid-Summer Eve" by Robert Hughes
(recreated by Nate Baronowski)(2016)

Florida Studio Theatre is a business that took it upon itself to beautify the City. One day Richard Hopkins, Producing Artistic Director of FST, took a look at the walls of the buildings on FST's campus and realized they needed some art. But what?  He and his team looked through Shutterstock for images that spoke to them. Before long, they had selected three works by Czech artist Eugene Ivanov and one by English artist Robert Hughes. Ivanov is a living Czech artist and illustrator. Hughes was associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of English poets, painters and art critics who sought a return to the detail, intense colors and complex compositions of 15th c. art. The Brotherhood believed that Raphael's work, with its classical poses and elegant compositions, had a "corrupting influence" on artists. Hmmm. 

"The Guardian"
by Kurt Laurenz Metzler (2012)

FST engaged street painter, muralist and fine artist Nate Baronowski to reproduce the paintings. Baronowski's work is fantastic. And in case you're wondering if it was a bit frustrating for him to recreate existing images, he also painted his own murals on the doors of FST's scene shop and on a wall of FST's artist housing. Click here to learn more about Baronowski. Better yet, look for him at the Chalk Festival this fall; he's a regular.  

FST is also host to one of my favorite works in the City's collection -- "The Guardian" by Kurt Laurenz Metzler.  KLM is a Swiss sculptor whose angular works are so full of life you want to interact with them. How perfect, then, that KLM has created a public sculpture garden near his home in Tuscany. The Parco Kurt Laurenz Metzler is filled with more than 50 "characters" in a variety of mediums. Many of his works are painted bright colors that demand your attention. And here's a fun tidbit -- KLM's sculptures were in attendance at Andrea Bocelli's open air concert at the Teatro del Silenzio in 2007. (Gina Lollobrigida was there as well.) The sculptures were positioned both on the outskirts of the theatre and on nearby rooftops. Serious fun. For images of Metzler's work at the Parco KLM, click here. Road trip, anyone? 

"Luma Cloud" by Ray King (2002)

Perhaps the most beautiful work in the City's collection can be seen when you pop into City Hall to pay a parking ticket -- "Luma Cloud" by Ray King.  Trust me when I say this picture does not begin to do the work justice. 

"Luma Cloud" is comprised of 1800 glass squares suspended by 201 cables over a reflecting pool. Every time I've visited this work, it has a different feel based on the amount of sunshine and time of day. There are always reflections on the pool, but if the light is just right the work creates beautiful bubbles of light on the ceiling. As with much of the City's art, it was designed with the space in mind.  King says of the work, "'Luma Cloud' is inspired by the stunning Sarasota landscape and vistas -- specifically, my memories of the sunlight on the beach and the magical mist that rolls in from the Gulf."  

I'll leave you with a recent addition to the streets of Sarasota -- the Pride Walk.  The street mural, sponsored by Project Pride SRQ, is located at the somewhat awkward five way intersection at Cocoanut Avenue and 2nd Street. The colors included in the work celebrate not only the LGTBQ community but also marginalized people of color, those living with HIV/AIDS and those who have been lost.  Detroit based artist Joey Salamon was brought in to create the work. (Salamon previously created one of the largest Rainbow Street Murals in the world -- a 7,000 square foot work in Grand Rapids, Michigan.)

My favorite thing about the mural might be the quotes found on four of the corners (the fifth includes info about the sponsors). We have Barack Obama saying, "No one should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hand of the person they love." (He made this statement in support of hate crime legislation.) The James Baldwin quote reads, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples." Check out the mural to find the other two. 

This post highlights just a few of the works found in what Judy calls our 24/7 Museum in Sarasota. It's amazing what we can see if we get our noses out of our phones and pay attention to our surroundings. And here's some news -- Judy, Stephenie and I had so much fun giving the tours that we're going to market them to groups who'd like to learn more. Let me know if you're interested!