Four exhibitions opened at Art Center Sarasota

Art & Culture

Pictured: “We’re All In This Together” by Olive W., featured in the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County exhibit.

Art Center Sarasota concludes its 2023-24 season with a slate of four exhibitions opening this week, including solo shows by two emerging artists, as well as a group show by the young artists of the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County and a major juried exhibition at the end of the summer. Flora and faunawith guest judge Dr. David Berry of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Currently on view at the Art Center Sarasota, all exhibitions run through September 28th.

The first solo exhibition is by Precious Darling, a New College graduate whose recent work unflinchingly explores femininity and objectification, the male gaze and its impact on the individual and society as a whole. Through sculpture and photography, mostly nudes, Darling challenges viewers to question their assumptions and expectations. “It’s definitely a little provocative,” says Christina Baril, curator and exhibition director at the Art Center Sarasota. “But very exciting.” Darling will give an artist talk about the exhibition on September 12 at 5 p.m.

A gallery over, the budding artists of the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County have their own exhibition, showcasing the work they made over the summer, when they spent Saturdays with their mentors at the Art Center Sarasota. From sculptures and paintings to poetry and the written word, the works explore questions of identity and self-worth, belonging and fear of the future. They are sometimes surprisingly profound, Baril says. “They have a lot going on in their lives and are grappling with pretty big issues,” she says. “And that validates not only their artwork, but their struggles and their commitment to keep going. It gives them a voice they might not normally have.”

The second solo exhibition features the oil paintings (and strange plush creations) of Tanner Simon, an artist with a penchant for the absurd and a dry sense of humor that comes across on every canvas. In Simon’s playful world, the crescent moon over Paris can be a croissant, and themes range from an aggressively childish take on Napoleon crosses the Alps to a misshapen figure howling in fear over a bowl of alphabet soup that has “BOO” written on it. But behind all the strangeness lies an iconography, says Baril. “He’s not overtly political,” she says, “but he uses art history and turns it on its head, in a way.” Simon will give an artist’s lecture on September 14.

And last but not least: Flora and fauna The juried exhibition fills the art center’s largest gallery space with nearly 90 original artworks, all celebrating the beauty of nature. From hyper-detailed botanical drawings and digital art to ceramic sculptures, woodwork, textile art and abstract painting, medium and approach run the gamut as each artist pays tribute in their own way. “Every juried exhibition just highlights the diversity of our community,” says Baril. “And it’s always exciting and fun.” A special presentation featuring the exhibition’s guest juror, Dr. David Berry, chief curator of Selby Gardens Museum, will take place on August 21 at 3:30 p.m.

Pictured: “We’re All In This Together” by Olive W., featured in the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County exhibit.