On Aug. 20, Art Center Sarasota opens its final shows of its 100th season. One, in particular, will showcase the artists, volunteers and visionaries who helped establish Sarasota as one of the leading arts communities in Florida.
"Shaping Sarasota: A Century of Art" traces the Art Center Sarasota's evolution from its earliest days in 1926 through a century of artistic innovation, community leadership, and creative exchange.
"We will be exploring the arc of Art Center Sarasota — artists that started the organization back in 1926 and then moving all the way through to the current and exhibiting some of our volunteers and some of our diehard members within that group of archival artists from '30s, '40s, '50s, the whole way through," elaborates Christina Baril, the Center's Curator and Director of Exhibitions.
The exhibition is the result of extensive archival research and generous loans of artwork.
"There are a lot of sons and daughters of some of these very famous artists that were part of our history," Baril observed. "So, we've reached out to them to get loans of artwork. Additionally, some other local organizations in our community have some of these artworks in their collections."
Among the artists represented in the exhibition are Wells Sawyer, Hilton and Dorothy Sherman Leech, Jimmy Ernst, Martha Hartman, Ben Stahl, Jack Cartlidge, Beth Arthur, Eleanor Merritt and Peppi Elona.
"Shaping Sarasota: A Century of Art" features artworks, photographs, and archival materials.
"People love the Art Center and we are looking forward to the next 100 years to come," Baril said.
The opening reception for "Shaping Sarasota: A Century of Art" is 5 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 20. It will remain on view through Sept. 26 along with three other exhibits.
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Art Center Sarasota concludes its centennial season with four new exhibitions opening Aug. 20. Featuring nationally recognized artists Molly Duff-Clarke and Antoine Williams alongside "Shaping Sarasota: A Century of Art" and the juried exhibition "Icons," the exhibition cycle celebrates contemporary artistic practice while honoring the organization's 100-year legacy of artistic innovation and community engagement.
"These exhibitions embody what Art Center Sarasota has stood for over the past century," said Katherine Ceaser, executive director of Art Center Sarasota. "They honor the artists who helped shape our history while celebrating contemporary voices that challenge, inspire, and expand our understanding of art. As we conclude our centennial season, we're reminded that our greatest legacy isn't just the remarkable past we've preserved, it's the creative community we're continuing to build for the future."
About Art Center Sarasota
Founded in 1926, Art Center Sarasota serves as the first and oldest visual arts organization in Sarasota. Art Center Sarasota is admission-free and open to the public; its mission is to bring together creatives and the broader public to increase understanding of the human condition, support wellbeing, and build community connection through the universal language of art.
Exhibitions are supported in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues and generous donors.
Art Center Sarasota is at 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Support for WGCU's arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
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