As children frolic in the “splash-friendly” fountains on Sarasota’s Bayfront, they likely have no idea that the play area is more then a place to cool off and have fun -- it is actually public art. It is the work of artists Denielle Glaysher and Papo Cobian and is appropriately titled A Family Place (Children’s Fountain).
Art is a part of the landscape of Sarasota & Her Islands perhaps just as much as the sparkling blue waters, sugary sand beaches and towering palm trees. Encountering one of the works is like stumbling upon a native treasure or a symbol of the destination’s values and character.
A new website now details the collection of public art featured in Sarasota’s downtown with photos, locations, descriptions and information about its artists. The website currently lists 40 works, but each year that list grows as the City of Sarasota’s Public Art Committee acquires and commissions new works.
The City of Sarasota started its Public Art Program in 1989, but before formalizing the process, pioneers like John Ringling had been making art accessible in public areas of growing Sarasota since the 1920s. Additional works popped up throughout the decades as part of development projects throughout the city. The presence of these works has helped fuel Sarasota’s reputation as a community where arts and culture abound.
The new website is accessible from the City of Sarasota’s homepage at www.sarasotagov.com. The collection is catalogued and viewable by artist, location or medium. Sarasota’s public art initiatives extend beyond the City of Sarasota’s Public Art Program with Sarasota Season of Sculpture, Embracing Our Differences exhibits and various guides and maps intended to engage residents and visitors.
Other public art initiatives:
• More than two dozen sculptures by artists from around the world transform the Bayfront into a “museum without walls” during Sarasota Season of Sculpture. Sarasota Season of Sculpture is an international invitational exhibition of large-scale sculptures along Sarasota's Bayfront. It is now in its fifth season with the latest works unveiled in November 2009.
• Embracing Our Differences exhibits is “an international outdoor art exhibit intended to demonstrate in a positive way that diversity enriches lives” and is presented by Coexistence, Inc. The exhibition takes place each spring and features 39 billboard-size images created by professional artists, art students and school children from around the state and world. The exhibition, always in the spring, is scheduled to be on display April 2010 in Island Park and May 2010 in south Sarasota County.
• The Guide to Arts and Culture 2010 is produced by the Sarasota County Arts Council and serves as a comprehensive guide to arts and culture in the county. It is available online at www.sarasotaarts.org.
• The Arts Trail map is a road map to art venues, museums and not-to-be-missed areas where art thrives. Download this map from www.sarasotaarts.org and jump in the car and hit all the hot spots including The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
• The Circus Heritage Guide highlights significant points of interest that earned Sarasota and Her Islands the title of home of the American circus. It is available at no cost from the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau Visitors Center, 701 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota or by ordering online at www.sarasotafl.org.
• Sarasota County’s rich architectural legacy takes center stage in the self-guided Tour Sarasota Architecture. The guide and map, designed as a driving tour that can be completed in two hours, spotlights structures associated with the Sarasota School of Architecture as well as other significant symbols of architectural ingenuity. It is available for $10 at the SCVB Visitors Center, 701 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
• The Sarasota County History Center Stroll was created by Sarasota History Alive! with the goal of encouraging residents and visitors to engage with the people, places and events that shaped Sarasota. The maps are available at www.sarasotahistoryalive.com.
