Sarasota Art Museum hosts group show ‘Impact’ with Hermitage Artist Retreat fellows

The 10 artists whose work will be represented in a new exhibition at Sarasota Art Museum have little in common other than that most of them are still living and working and have enjoyed residencies as Hermitage Artist Retreat fellows.

Curator Dan Cameron studied the list of about 100 visual artists who have spent time at the Hermitage on Manasota Key since it opened slightly more than 20 years ago. He selected 10 of them who had work that would be available from the artists or from galleries, museums and private collections for display in “Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat,” March 10-July 7.

The exhibit features two winners of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize – Sanford Biggers (2010) and Trenton Doyle Hancock (2013) – along with Diana Al-Hadid, Chitra Ganesh, Todd Gray, Michelle Lopez, Ted Riederer, the late John Sims (a Sarasota artist), Kukuli Velarde and William Villalongo.

Their work touches on a variety of media, including sculpture, painting, installation, video, photography, printmaking, ceramics and textiles.

Cameron said he knew more than half of the artists who have been fellows, and researched the others. “I started with artists who I wanted most to give a shout-out to, for what they’ve done since the Hermitage. That’s important because there are artists who arrived there in the relatively early part of their career and now they’re superstars. This is an excuse to let us share that superstar’s work with the Sarasota audience.”

Biggers and Hancock were the first two visual arts winners of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize, and Biggers has said the nature of his work shifted after his time at the Hermitage.

In a statement, Biggers said the prize “could not have come at a more crucial moment in my artistic journey. The Codex and Code Switch projects that I’m so proud of – and still exploring – were born because of my time at the Hermitage providing me the space to experiment and forge connections while I was there.”

Andy Sandberg, the Hermitage CEO and Artistic Director, said the show will give Sarasota area residents a first chance to see completed work by a range of artists who have been inspired by being in the community. All Hermitage fellows are required to present public programs during their residencies, and visual artists, along with others selected as fellows, either display or demonstrate work in progress or talk about their work.

Cameron said some artist retreats have a production aspect to them where artists are expected and want to show their work. At the Hermitage, “retreat is a word that really matters. Some artists choose to work a little less, immerse themselves in the work a little more. These are artists who are beneficiaries of their time at the Hermitage,” he said.

Expanding collaborations

Under Sandberg’s tenure, the Hermitage has been expanding the number and variety of collaborations with other arts organizations in the area, including the Sarasota Art Museum, where there have been talks and presentations. In April, Sarasota Art Museum also will present a museum-commissioned exhibit of a new work by Hermitage fellow Anne Patterson and sound artist Patrick Harlin that will have an overlapping run with “Impact.”

Virginia Shearer, executive director of the museum, said she watched the Hermitage develop during her time as education director at The Ringling from 2000 to 2003, and since her return to Sarasota in 2021.

She said the exhibition “is a wonderful way for the museum to provide space and resources to showcase these artists. In a way, it’s part of being a great community partner, which we want to be at the Sarasota Art Museum, and hopefully we’ll shine a light on the excellent work they’ve been doing for more than 20 years.”

Putting together an exhibit

Cameron said the title “Impact” emerged from meetings with artists and the museum about the exhibition. He said such titles are usually an instinctual response to the work being featured.

It demonstrates the “open-endedness of impact. That means so many things,” he said. “The impact the Hermitage had on the artist, which in many cases was deeply meaningful, and every artist is impacted by their world. We’re always on the receiving end of news and events and try to make some sense of it in some way, on a symbolic level, a thematic level and sometimes an explicit level.”

Arts Newsletter: Sign up to receive the latest news on the Sarasota area arts scene every Monday

Theater, music, dance, art and more: 70+ arts events keep March busy in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties

He describes himself as a “mega-fan” of all the artists involved. “I’ve been biding my time to have a chance to work with them.”

His goal was to create an exhibition “where people are engaged, where they walk in the door and they start asking questions. You really want them to leave the exhibition feeling that the art spoke to them.”

Shearer said she has long been an admirer of Cameron’s curatorial work. “He’s done such great, groundbreaking work in contemporary art. When the prospect came up, I thought it would be special to work with him.”

‘Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat’

Runs March 10-July 7 at the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Spring exhibition opening party 7:30-9:30 p.m. March 8. $25, $15 for members. Dan Cameron talks about the exhibit at 1 p.m. March 9 in Thomas McGuire Hall during Member Preview Day. 941-309-4300; sarasotaartmuseum.org

Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at [email protected]. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: ‘Impact’ of Hermitage Artist Retreat displayed at Sarasota Art Museum