Be inspired. Explore curated art and juried shows exhibited in four galleries.

Anja Palombo: Composed

Anja Palombo’s work is an invitation to visual poetry and response.  She asks the viewer to leave the cultural and personal baggage behind and be present in the realm governed by physics, nature, form and space.   

In her process she sets up an exchange with the media, structuring the work around action and control, versus reaction and chance. The magical moments happen in damp thin walled bodies of clay moving under pressure and force, cuts revealing new shapes, forms and angles, paints and dyes soaking and flowing into the canvas. This process creates associations allowing metaphorical pictures to arise and evolve. The dance between taking and giving up control, between observation and reaction is a never ending source of wonder and inspiration. With this process, Anja creates a visual language that expresses a sense of belonging in the natural and physical world. 

Anja Palombo was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany. She studied art history at the Universities of Hamburg and Berlin and graduated with a BFA in Painting and Art History from WSU in Detroit, MI. She received an MA in Applied Linguistics from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ and taught art in Asia for twenty years. She currently teaches ceramics in Sarasota, FL. Anja has participated in many art exhibitions, including curated group and solo shows on three continents, venues including The American Center and The India International Center in New Delhi, India. Her art is represented in private collections around the world.

Architects Who Art: Designing the Cultural Coast

This exhibition highlights the creative breadth of individuals who blur the lines between architecture and visual art. Both disciplines demand a deep understanding of space, form, structure, and imagination, skills that manifest in strikingly different yet complementary ways. Whether through sculpture, drawing, painting, or design, these architect-artists translate their spatial thinking into expressive, multidisciplinary works.

Featuring local artists who are also trained architects, Designing the Cultural Coast draws from Sarasota’s unique cultural and visual landscape. Renowned for its architectural legacy, particularly the Sarasota School of Architecture, and its vibrant arts community, the city has long been shaped by the dynamic interplay of design and creative expression. Co-curated by Morris (Marty) Hylton III, this exhibition will feature work by a number of architect-artists including but not limited to Victor Lundy, Carl Abbott, Jerry Sparkman, Javier Suárez, and Javi Suárez.

Trained as an architect, Morris (Marty) Hylton III is a preservationist with over 25 years of experience protecting cultural heritage. He specializes in 20th-century architecture, disaster recovery, and climate resilience. Marty has led initiatives at the World Monuments Fund, the University of Florida, and the National Park Service. He currently serves as President of Architecture Sarasota, advancing preservation, design education, and community engagement through innovative programs and leadership.

Cat Tesla: Living by the Water

An Artist Talk with Cat will take place on Thursday, May 28. Register Here

Living by the Water is more than a reflection of place, it’s a meditation on  healing, presence, and the quiet power of beauty. In this solo exhibition, Cat  Tesla shares new works from her acclaimed Exhale and Feeling Good series.  The result is a collection that moves between pure abstraction and nature-based expression inspired by the experience of living along Florida’s coast, capturing  the rhythm of tides, the shimmer of light, and the emotional release that comes  from immersion in the natural world. 

Tesla moved to Florida in 2022, just weeks after receiving a breast cancer  diagnosis. As she navigated both physical healing and a major life transition, the Florida landscape offered more than scenery—it became a sanctuary. The calm  waters, open skies, and lush environment served as a balm and a mirror,  reminding her to slow down, breathe deeply, and focus on what truly matters.

Born in St. Louis, MO in 1963, Cat Tesla grew up with a love for both art and science, obtaining degrees in Biology and Graphic Design, and an MS in Human Genetics. She worked as a genetic counselor at Emory University for 20 years before trading the clinic for the studio.

Cat’s work has been exhibited internationally including at the Knoxville Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art in Atlanta, and the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art north of Atlanta. Her paintings are held in corporate and private collections and nearly 1,000 hospitals and medical centers in the U.S. including in the Emory Winship Cancer Institute, Royal Caribbean, Capital One, and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.

Juried Show: Medium Mutiny

This exhibition seeks work that defies expectation and reinvents tradition. We’re looking for pieces that experiment boldly, with process, form, and concept. Whether through unexpected techniques, hybrid materials, or subversive approaches to craft, the work in Medium Mutiny resists easy categorization.

Meet the Juror Ed Swan:

Ed Swan Jr. has over 35 years experience in institutional investment management and marketing. He received a BA from Tufts University and a MBA from the Wharton School. He attended a director development program at the Kellogg School at Northwestern University and was a captain in the US Air Force. 

Ed has served on both corporate and nonprofit boards including at Virtus Investment Partners (Audit and Finance Committees), Tufts University (Audit Chair), Dillard University (Investment Chair), and the Hyams Foundation. He served on the Museum of Modern Art’s Friends Committee, as Vice Chair of the Massachusetts State Finance Advisory Board, and as a member of the NYC Industrial Development Agency Board. He serves on the Boards of The Ringling Museum (ex-officio after 10 years as a full Board Member) and the Hermitage Arts Center. 

Ed has been a furniture maker for over 35 years alongside his investment management career. His expertise includes designing stained glass windows and doors, as well as creating wooden tables and benches. He had a workshop at the Boston Center for the Arts and now maintains workshops in Sarasota and Martha's Vineyard, MA.

• Artwork drop off dates are May 12 & 13, pickup dates are Aug 10 & 11

Molly Duff-Clarke

Molly Duff-Clarke invites viewers into a vibrant, life-sized world of ceramic furniture and domestic vignettes that reimagine the home as a space of unrestrained joy, texture, and playful reinvention. Through brightly colored ceramics adorned with yarn, velvet, and tactile excess, Molly explores the complexities of building a home and raising a family in today’s shifting cultural landscape.

Molly Duff-Clarke is a ceramic artist based in St. Petersburg, FL. She earned her MFA from the University of South Florida in 2023, where she was honored with the MFA Excellence Award. She also holds an MA from Maharishi University and a BFA in Printmaking and Ceramics from Kendall College of Art and Design.

Molly's work has been exhibited both locally and nationally, including at Heiress Gallery, the Contemporary Art Museum at USF, the Museum of Art – DeLand, and at numerous NCECA conferences. Her teaching and professional experience includes positions at Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency, the Morean Center for Clay, Dunedin Fine Arts Center, and St. Petersburg College.

Shaping Sarasota: A Century of Art

Shaping Sarasota: A Century of Art marks the culmination of Art Center Sarasota’s 2025–2026 Centennial Season, presenting a chronological visual history spanning 100 years of creativity. This landmark exhibition features rich archival images that highlight the artists, influential members, and community leaders who helped shape the Center’s evolving identity and legacy.

From Marsha Rader’s 1926 gatherings of local art supporters, to the official incorporation of the Sarasota Art Association in 1941, the organization’s guiding mission—to “promote the educational and cultural advantages of Sarasota in the field of contemporary art”—has remained at its core.

Shaping Sarasota: A Century of Art was researched and brought to life by ACS Archivist and Guest Curator, Alecia Harper. Alecia Harper earned her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by a graduate degree in Applied Art History and a certification in Museum Management from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. Her professional experience includes work at the Harpeth Gallery in Nashville, Vanderbilt University Creative Services, the Center for the Study of the American South, and Duke University Press.

A passionate advocate for arts education and public engagement, Alecia is docent emerita at The Ringling Museum of Art and has contributed her expertise to the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, and the Old Davie School Historical Museum. Alecia currently teaches Art History and Humanities at State College of Florida. She previously served on the board of Sarasota’s community radio station WSLR, where she continues to host a Wednesday morning show as a deejay.

Antoine Williams

Antoine Williams presents a new body of work that reimagines Black southern cultural folklore and traditions through a surrealist lens.

Antoine received his MFA from UNC Chapel Hill. His residencies include the Joan Mitchell Residency in New Orleans, The Center for Afrofuturist Studies, The McColl Center of Art and Innovation, The Hambidge Center, Loghaven Artist Residency, and Rubenstein Arts Center at Duke University. Williams was also part of the 2021 Drawing Center viewing program. He is a recipient of the 2017 Joan Mitchell Award for Painters and Sculptors, the 2022 National Academy of Design’s Abbey Mural Prize, 2022 South Arts Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grant, and the 2018 Harpo Foundation Grant Award.

Williams has exhibited nationally, including at Smack Mellon Brooklyn, the Nasher Museum of Art, The Weatherspoon Museum, 21c Museum, North Carolina Museum of Art, Prizm Art Fair, and the California Museum of Photography among others. His work is in the collection of the Nasher Museum of Art and the North Carolina Museum of Art. Williams is an assistant professor of Drawing in the Expanded Field at the University of Florida.

Juried Show: Icons

Icons is a visual exploration of figures, symbols, and moments that shape culture, influence society, and transcend time. From historical legends to contemporary trailblazers, this exhibition examines what it means to be iconic—whether through fame, influence, or artistic interpretation.

Artists are invited to submit works that engage with the idea of "icons" in any form—portraits of cultural figures, symbolic imagery, or conceptual reflections on power, legacy, and myth-making. Whether celebrating, critiquing, or reimagining icons, this exhibition seeks bold and thought-provoking perspectives.

Meet the Juror, John Pirman:

John Pirman graduated in 1979 from Kent State University with a BFA in graphic design & illustration, and studied in Brissago, Switzerland with Paul Rand. His work is influenced by Swiss design, pop culture, posters of the WPA era, and mid-century modern design.

In the fall of 1979, John moved to New York City and began a career as a freelance illustrator. He created editorial art for Fortune, Hemispheres, Vogue, Wallpaper, Glamour, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Time, The Wall Street Journal,Travel and Leisure, Advertising Age, and Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Since 2013, John has created over 125 monthly illustrations for Sarasota Magazine’s last page, “Only In Sarasota”, featuring iconic places in town. His work has been exhibited at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Art Center Sarasota, Center For Architecture Sarasota, Pansy Bayou, and Bird Key Yacht Club.

• Online Submission Deadline: Sunday, July 19, 2026

• On View: Thursday, August 20 - Saturday, September 26, 2026

• Opening Night Reception: Thursday, August 20, 5-7pm

• Art drop off dates are Aug. 11 & 12, pickup dates are Sep. 28 & 29, 2026

Juried Show: Icons

Icons is a visual exploration of figures, symbols, and moments that shape culture, influence society, and transcend time. From historical legends to contemporary trailblazers, this exhibition examines what it means to be iconic—whether through fame, influence, or artistic interpretation.

Artists are invited to submit works that engage with the idea of "icons" in any form—portraits of cultural figures, symbolic imagery, or conceptual reflections on power, legacy, and myth-making. Whether celebrating, critiquing, or reimagining icons, this exhibition seeks bold and thought-provoking perspectives.

Meet the Juror, John Pirman:

John Pirman graduated in 1979 from Kent State University with a BFA in graphic design & illustration, and studied in Brissago, Switzerland with Paul Rand. His work is influenced by Swiss design, pop culture, posters of the WPA era, and mid-century modern design.

In the fall of 1979, John moved to New York City and began a career as a freelance illustrator. He created editorial art for Fortune, Hemispheres, Vogue, Wallpaper, Glamour, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Time, The Wall Street Journal,Travel and Leisure, Advertising Age, and Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Since 2013, John has created over 125 monthly illustrations for Sarasota Magazine’s last page, “Only In Sarasota”, featuring iconic places in town. His work has been exhibited at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Art Center Sarasota, Center For Architecture Sarasota, Pansy Bayou, and Bird Key Yacht Club.

• Online Submission Deadline: Sunday, July 19, 2026

• On View: Thursday, August 20 - Saturday, September 26, 2026

• Opening Night Reception: Thursday, August 20, 5-7pm

• Art drop off dates are Aug. 11 & 12, pickup dates are Sep. 28 & 29, 2026

Strange Weather

This exhibition invites artists to explore the surreal through unpredictable conditions and uncanny atmospheres. Submissions may interpret “weather” as environmental, emotional, or psychological, capturing moments when reality shifts, logic bends, and the familiar turns strange. Artists are encouraged to embrace transformation, ambiguity, and the unexpected in both subject and approach.

Meet the Juror, Danny Canton:

Danny Canton is a veteran of over 50 years in the Film Industry where he has served as a Director, Producer and most notably as a Director of Photography. He has worked on a variety of projects including Feature Films, Television Programs, Behind the Scenes/Making of Studio Films, Industrial Films, Commercials and Documentaries.

Danny graduated from The School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Cinematography and years later returned to Visual Arts to teach Film Production and Cinematography and eventually moved to Florida to build the online Film Program for Full Sail University. Danny continues to teach film here in Sarasota for the Sarasota Film Society in Lakewood Ranch Cinemas and he is working on a number of projects here in Sarasota including Directing a Documentary on Jorge Blanco, a local Metal Sculpture Artist, whose work can be seen across the street from the Art Center.

• Online Submission Deadline: Sunday, Sep. 6, 2026

• On View: Thursday, October 8 - Saturday, November 14, 2026

• Opening Night Reception: Thursday, October 8, 5-7pm

• Art drop off dates are Sep. 29 & 30, pickup dates are Nov. 16 & 17, 2026