First event set for Feb. 12
Sarasota County may be known for its iconic art destinations, including the Ringling Museum of Art, but a group of local artists “is paving its own path in the arts scene with the creation of the Sarasota Studio Artists Association,” Visit Sarasota County has announced.
“Comprising a dynamic community,” more than 50 local artists “who embody the Sarasota arts spirit” will open their working studios to art-loving residents and visitors, Visit Sarasota County, the county’s tourism office, explains in a news release. Representing a variety of media and styles, the release continues, the Sarasota Studio Artists Association members will host an Open Studio Tours program on the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., “providing visitors the opportunity to personally meet artists, learn about their creative inspirations and support them by purchasing their art directly.”
The inaugural event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 12.
The Sarasota Studio Artists Association was established “to represent the size and scale of the local art community and make it more accessible to visitors and locals,” the release points out. “Its website details individual artists” and their work, along with an events calendar and a blog, the release notes. The website also includes an interactive map to help locate specific artists, studios and districts, the release says.
“From well-known personalities to up-and-comers, the Sarasota Studio Artists Association features dozens of local artists, with something for everyone,” the release adds, including the following:
- MARA Art Studio + Gallery, a modern and contemporary fine art gallery featuring event space, workshops, acrylic pouring, mixed media, and functional art.
- SPAACES, a unique visual arts cultural organization and gallery specializing in progressive forms of social, political and cultural art featured in rotating monthly exhibitions often accompanied by panel discussions
- Creative Liberties, launched by two best friends — both artists and teachers — with the mission of “artists helping artists” at all levels, providing resources to assist with efforts such as organizing work, and entering shows.
- ZeroEmptySpaces, a rapidly growing artist studio/vacancy management company that creates affordable artist studios in vacant spaces around the country.
“For the locals and visitors to Sarasota, open studios are a fascinating experiential opportunity to interact with mixed-media artists, realist painters, portrait painters, photographers, sculptors, abstract artists and more,” the release points out.
For more information, visit https://www.srqartists.com.