The Sarasota area arts scene will include multiple openings, a season-concluding concert and more this week.
After opening two new exhibitions last month, Sarasota Art Museum will unveil another one this week, while Art Center Sarasota will debut four exhibitions (and hold an opening reception for them) all on the same day. Meanwhile, ensembleNewSRQ will close out its 10th anniversary season with a concert at Sarasota Opera House, co-presented with Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota.
We also have an event associated with Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and America 250 at Gulf Gate Library, and a “Midsummer Night’s Dream”-themed gala for Sarasota Music Conservatory. Here are this week’s highlights. Event details are subject to change.
1. ‘Beautiful Ideas: The Prints of Sol LeWitt’ at Sarasota Art Museum
While minimalist and conceptual artist Sol LeWitt may be best known for his wall drawings and structures, he also generated more than 350 print projects during his 40-year career, including thousands of lithographs, silkscreens, etchings, aquatints, woodcuts and linocuts. Those prints are the subject of this exhibition, organized in four thematic sections: ”Lines, Arcs, Circles, and Grids,” “Bands and Colors,” “From Geometric Figures to Complex Forms,” and “Wavy, Curvy, Loopy Doopy, and in All Directions.” May 17-Oct. 25; Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941- 309-4300; sarasotaartmuseum.org
2. ‘Music for New Bodies’ at Sarasota Opera House
To close out its 10th anniversary season, ensembleNewSRQ (along with Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota) will present Matthew Aucoin’s “Music for New Bodies,” created in collaboration with director Peter Sellars. The “bold operatic meditation on our shifting place in the natural world” will combine poetic texts from Jorie Graham with visceral soundscapes. 7:30 p.m. May 22; Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; $50 general admission, $175 VIP; ensrq.org
3. Four new Art Center Sarasota exhibitions open
Four new Art Center Sarasota exhibitions open, with a reception for all exhibitions on the same day. Anja Palombo’s “Composed” explores the balance of control and chance through clay, paint and abstraction; “Designing the Cultural Coast” highlights Sarasota architects working across fine art and design; “Living by the Water” showcases Cat Tesla’s atmospheric, nature-inspired works reflecting personal transformation and healing; and juried exhibition “Medium Mutiny” features experimental works across diverse and unexpected media. May 21-August 31 (5-7 p.m. May 21 opening reception); Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-365-2032; artsarasota.org
4. ‘Music, Memory, and Seminole Life in Florida’ at Gulf Gate Library
This event associated with Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, America 250, and Florida Humanities’ “Florida Reflections: Conversations on Florida’s Contributions to the American Tale” series will feature Seminole singer-songwriter Rita Youngman from Lake Placid. Through song and storytelling, Youngman’s work draws on stories passed down through generations while also engaging with contemporary Native American life in Florida. 6-7:30 p.m. May 18; Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave., Sarasota; free; 727-873-2002; floridahumanities.org
5. Sarasota Music Conservatory Rising Stars Gala
The annual fundraiser event benefiting Sarasota Music Conservatory will this year take inspiration from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Mendelssohn’s score. The evening will feature performances by Sarasota Music Conservatory students and faculty and a post-concert reception catered by Michael’s on East, with former Choral Artists of Sarasota artistic director Joseph Holt hosting the proceedings. 5 p.m. May 17; Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $150 single ticket, other options available; 941-726-3020; sarasotamusicconservatory.org
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top Sarasota arts events this week: openings, season-closing concert
Reporting by Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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