September 11 – October 27, 2007 Opening Reception September 13

Seeing god -  juried exhibition in the Main Gallery
Open to Art Center members and all Florida artists 
Artists from around the State and Art Center Members are invited to explore individual interpretations of spirituality and “give form to the divine.”  Often transcending the stereotypical perspective we anticipate the imagery artists bring to this theme will range from playful to portentous and will include a variety of media including photography, sculpture, paintings, drawings and video installations. 
Exhibition co-coordinators: Marcia Ente and Sarah Ford. 
Jurors: Nikita Kavoukles and Magdalena Currasco.

Receiving: 9/4                            Critique: 9/6
Opening Reception: 9/13            Art Pick-up: 10/30

Mark Anderson and Jayanti Seiler in the Center Gallery
Anderson’s bronze, slightly larger than life size sculptures of hands and faces - free from a body or physical reality - are simple formal arrangements of two corporeal forms and when seen individually and collectively  generate a new human narrative. Anderson holds the position of Chair of Fine Arts Department at Ringling College of Art and Design and instructor of sculpture and 3-D design. 

Jayanti Seiler’s large format Polaroid’s are inspired by film noir and contrast the grace, delicacy, and power present in the human form.  Seiler is a professional photographer and visual arts instructor. Her fine art photography has been published and exhibited throughout the country.  In 2000 Seiler was commissioned for a digital photography project at the Museum of Modern Art, NYC and she was the film still photographer on HBO’s the feature-length film “The Blue Diner.”

Ki Woon Huh Ceramics in the Front Gallery
Huh a world renowned Master Potter from South Korea, blends earth and art in his large and small scale hand thrown and sculpted pieces.  His work thrives from a natural style that incorporates elements of nature and the environment. Each piece is different and unique in style and form and incorporates sketching and painting to give life and definition to his work. www.kiwoonhuh.com



November 13 – December 29, 2007 Opening Reception November 14

Twelve Inch by Twelve Inch - juried members exhibition in the Main Gallery
In this holiday exhibition Arts Center Sarasota member artists will demonstrate the unlimited creative possibilities inherent in one square foot. Original drawings and or paintings will be on display through December.  Remember we are keeping it small!

Receiving: 10/30                            Critique: 11/8
Opening Reception: 11/14            Art Pick-up: 1/8

WINNERS FOR 12" x 12"
    1st place - sculpture, "The Choice" by Traci Kegerreis
    2nd place - oil on canvas, "Cherry Sunday" by Barbara Goodman
    3rd place - oil on board, "The Red Door" by Joseph Palmerio
    Merits: Kenny Armstrong for "Cinnamon Toast", Sandra Robinson for "Palms" and Amy Webber for "Eagle"

Contemporary Art and  Crafts – Holiday Gifts in both the Center Gallery and the Members Sales Gallery
This holiday season visit Art Center Sarasota’s holiday boutique to find the perfect original gift for someone special.  Original works of art and crafts will fill two galleries. Boutique items will include drawings, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, hand painted textiles, cards, prints and more. OPEN TO ALL!

Receiving: 10/22                            Critique: 11/8
Opening Reception: 11/14            Art Pick-up: 1/8

Figurative sculptures by Rukiya and African American Quilts in the Front Gallery
The Front Gallery will come alive with the soft figurative sculptures by “Rukiya”. Her soft sculpture female dolls represent the metaphysical, spiritual journey of African-American women from slavery to the present. Rukiya lived and worked in New Orleans until hurricane Katrina destroyed her home and studio. She is currently working in Africa and will return to the US this fall as a visiting Artist and guest of ACS. African American Quilts is a unique exhibition exploring the tradition of quilts and textiles. Curated by Gale Fulton Ross.



January 15 –  February 23, 2008 Opening Reception January 17

Objects of TOUCH: 2 and 3-dimensional Art - juried exhibition in the Main Gallery
Open to Art Center members and all Florida artists
A work of art has the potential to ‘touch’ the viewer from multiple points: physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. In this exhibition Art Center Members and artists from around the State are invited to submit 2 and 3-dimensional original works of art. … Should art come in contact with the body? Does touch enrich our appreciation and understanding of art or is it for eyes only? Will the work of art touch and or be touched? 

Receiving: 1/8                            Critique: 1/10
Opening Reception: 1/17            Art Pick-up: 2/26

Winners for Objects of Touch:
    1st place - "Don't Touch"  by Peter Paul
    2nd place - "Somewhere to Whistle" by Bill Bailey
    3rd place - "Hugging!" by Pat Kaufman
    Merits: Gandolf's "Zoinoid", Jimmy Peters' "Mommy Dearest", and Jim Harman's “It Was the Worst of Times; It Was                  the Season of Darkness”

The jurors would also like to present a President’s Award, sponsored by Art Center Sarasota’s Board President Kathleen McDonald, to Jo Proietti for outstanding achievement in the body of work he submitted for this exhibition.

Julia Hyman: Senses  in the Center Gallery
Senses will feature the work of sculptor Julia Hyman and will engage multiple senses and involve people of all ages including those with visual impairment.  Hyman will partner with Lighthouse for the Blind and will invite visitors to “touch, listen, and look.”   Working primarily in stone and wood Hyman’s subject matter is eclectic and is expressed in a variety of forms, from single figures to groups, and in modes ranging from stylized realism to abstract. Her work has been described as both emotional and strong, as well as "a union of asymmetry and balance" and possessing "a flowing, musical quality. Her work is represented galleries and museums and private collections throughout the country. She attended and taught at the Parsons School of Design. She also studied stone carving with Jose De Creeft at the Art Student's League, clay sculpture with Marilyn Fox of New York City, and wood carving as well as welding with O. Vernon Shafer in Monroe, Wisconsin. Mrs. Hyman and her husband, Dick Hyman, the well-known musician, live in Venice, Florida and Hoboken, New Jersey, where they each have a studio.

The Sculptors Among Us - A Tribute To Our Areas’ Renowned Sculptors in the Front Gallery
This dynamic collaborative exhibition with Sarasota’s Season of Sculpture provides a venue for local artists featured in Season of Sculpture to personally present their work to members of the community that they live and create in. The Sculptors Among Us exhibition features work by Jack Dowd, Dennis Kowal, Jorge Blanco, Christine Desiree, Malcolm Robertson, and Bruce White. For more information on Season of Sculpture, contact Brenda Terris at 366-7767.

The Black Muse 2008 ASALH Visual Artists in the Glass Gallery
This exhibition will feature works by Eleanor Meritt and will highlight the work of other artists from the amateur to the professional.  ACS will partner with ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) a nationally and community based organization whose mission is to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.



March 4 –  April  26, 2008 Opening Reception March 13

Hidden Cultures: A Multi-media Juried Members Exhibition in the Main Gallery
From Abstraction to realism Hidden Cultures is an exhibition by Arts Center Sarasota’s masters and members dedicated to the patronage of art forms that convey the language of symbols found in our Universe.  With an aim to demystify the hidden meanings that appear in art in its various forms, religion and literature, Hidden Cultures explores the themes that dominate our thoughts and dreams.  Art has no Boundaries. Exhibition Coordinated by Gale Fulton Ross and juried Greg Rumph.

Receiving: 2/26                            Critique: 2/28 or 29
Opening Reception: 3/13             Art Pick-up: 4/26

Kim Litch Installation “I Know Nothing” in the Center Gallery
Kim Litch, a new Member of Art Center Sarasota explores past art movements using contemporary subject matter and materials.  The combined use of traditional and non-traditional sculptural mediums, a mix of ready-mades, with conceptual language, surrealist symbolism, and post-minimal strategies of installation define the work of this artist.  This exhibition includes a series of conceptual drawings by the artist relevant to sculptures. Kim is a recent graduate from FSU where she received her Masters Degree in Sculpture.

Tattoo and Graffiti in the Front Gallery
Artists will examine this controversial cultural phenomenon considered by some as self-mutilation. A tattoo is a personal statement, but is it graffiti or art? You be the judge. Here is one fresh perspective on this ancient and mysterious tradition of self mutilation. ) Tattoos have been a part of the American cultural scene for a very long time. Their dark and lingering appeal transcends the stereotypical images of "tough guys and gals" and all of their underworld friends. In this disposable society, tattoos symbolize permanence and they retain a power and mystique all their own. Curated by Gale Fulton Ross. “There are two types of people in this world: those who have tattoos and those who are afraid of those who have tattoos.”  - Unknown

Art Center Sarasota Members Sales Gallery
Come immerse yourself in the wealth of creativity alive in Sarasota!  Visit Art Center Sarasota Members Gallery and you will find an extraordinary and varied collection of original works of art for sale. Artworks include paintings, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, giclee and prints.



April 29 – May 10, 2008

North Sarasota County Students Art Exhibition
ALL GALLERIES
For over 50 years Art Center has celebrated the outstanding creative achievements of Sarasota County youth. 
Art Center is again proud to host this exciting annual exhibition of artwork by students from 23 schools in Sarasota’s North County in association with the Sarasota Unified School District.  More than 2,000 student works are on display and the show. This exhibition is so popular that we have scheduled two opening receptions for friends, family and community.
Exhibition Coordinated by Jill Hoffman Kowal, ACS Director of Education in collaboration with SCSB Educator, Retsy Lauer.


May 20 – July 26, 2008 Opening Reception May 22

Humanity in Black and White – 5th Annual Florida Photography Juried Exhibition in the Main Gallery
Open to Art Center members and all Florida artists
Art Center Members and Artists from around the state are invited to submit photographs to Humanity in Black and White.  This finely curated and juried assembly of works by photographers invites artists to capture social concerns from one’s back yard to the farthest reaches of the planet – in black and white.

Receiving: 5/13                            Critique: 5/15
Opening Reception: 5/22             Art Pick-up: 7/28

Elisabeth Stevens "Etchings" in the Center Gallery
Winged spirits, imaginary animals and nude figures that might have stepped from a Greek vase or marble relief appear frequently in the large copper plate etchings by Elisabeth Stevens. The centerpiece of her show is her series of three, 32"-diameter figurative rondos imaginatively depicting "Chaos", "Metamorphosis" and "Apotheosis." "My rondos have been influenced by mythology, dreams and the psychological writings of Carl Jung," Stevens admits, "but I can't entirely explain them." A Sarasota resident since 2002, Stevens is a graphic artist, fiction writer and former art critic of four major newspapers.  Her work has been featured in exhibitions at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC,  A/E gallery, NY, and Katherine Butler Gallery Sarasota. Stevens is the author of five books of short stories and three volumes of poetry. She is a former art critic of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Trenton Times, and The Baltimore Sun. She is currently an art correspondent and critic for the Sarasota Herald tribune.

Martin Luther King Boulevard: Photographs by Steven Katzman in the Front Gallery
Dr. Martin Luther King the pivotal icon of the civil rights movement defined our nation’s consciousness during the tumultuous 60’s. Martin Luther King Boulevard is a series of mural size photographs taken across the United States at intersections that bear witness to his name. With haunting detail, the viewer is able become a part of this captured reality, drawing upon his own conclusions; are we truly “free at last?”  This series of photographs include Sarasota’s Newtown Community – an historic, predominantly African American neighborhood. Steven Katzman’s desire to understand what lies behind the may startle the viewer with its razor sharp clarity. Always, though, there is a challenge to look deeper, to think about both subject and artist.

Art Center Sarasota Members Sales Gallery
Come immerse yourself in the wealth of creativity alive in Sarasota!  Visit Art Center Sarasota Members Gallery and you will find an extraordinary and varied collection of original works of art for sale. Artworks include paintings, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, giclee and prints.


September 2 - October 25 Opening Reception September 4

Almost Too Precious to Sell: Juried ACS Members Exhibition
This exhibition invites Art Center Sarasota Member artists to explore value and meaning and the intrinsic power of art for art’s sake and to submit works the artists themselves value most highly. Can art be made
and then exist apart from the market for reasons that remain important only to the artist? The artworks may range from small to large, very personal drawings and paintings, to large sculptures and installations. Are works of art made only more commercially desirable because of their inaccessibility- paradoxically making them the ultimate consumer goods?