Category: Artist Community

New Fall Programs Announced

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced three additional fall programs. The newly announced events include Hermitage Fellows Talene Monahon and Tommy Lubben in an exploration of how history influences their artistic practices – Friday, November 13 at 5:30pm on the Hermitage Beach; celebrated opera composer Ricky Ian Gordon sharing his original music and creative process on Friday, November 20 at 5:30pm at Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point; and composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Jen Shyu sharing traditional songs alongside original compositions at the Hermitage Englewood Art Center on Friday, December 4 at 5:30pm.

Hermitage Fellows Talene Monahon and Tommy Lubben are acclaimed artists in their respective fields who regularly look to history to inspire their artistic practice. Monahon, a celebrated playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist for Meet the Cartozians, mined a lengthy 1920s trial transcript to guide the vision of the play, resulting in “the best production I’ve seen all year” according to The New York Times. Her other notable work includes The Good John Proctor, inspired by the Salem Witch Trials, and Jane Anger, which used a 1589 historical document and Shakespeare as its jumping off point. Tommy Lubben, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist who is one-third of the musical trio The Lubben Brothers, calls himself a “folk revivalist,” constructing original arrangements of archetypal American songs throughout history. Last seen at the Hermitage in our culminating program for the 2025 Cross Arts Collaborative and a frequent collaborator with Sarasota’s Key Chorale, Lubben returns with his latest exploration into the works of those who came before him. For this Hermitage program, these two distinguished artists will share their artistic practice and discuss how history informs their work with “Looking Back to Look Forward: An Evening of Theater & Folk Music,” against the backdrop of the historic Hermitage Beach on Friday, November 13 at 5:30pm.

Describing Hermitage Fellow Ricky Ian Gordon’s work, The New York Times wrote, “If the music of Ricky Ian Gordon had to be defined by a single quality, it would be the bursting effervescence in fusing songs that blithely blur the lines between art song and the high-end Broadway music of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim – it’s caviar for a world gorging on pizza.” Gordon’s songs have been recorded by some of the best singers in the world, including Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and many more. His works have been performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall, and he has collaborated with Hermitage Fellows Lynn Nottage and Mark Campbell, among many other notable playwrights and librettists. Gordon is also known for setting the literary work of contemporary poets and writers such as Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Dorothy Parker, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, to music for his song collections. In this program, Hermitage Fellow Thea Lobo and five Sarasota Opera Resident Artists will perform selections of this iconic composer’s songs, and Gordon will share insight into his artistic practice in the beautiful bayfront setting of Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point for “Words Spoken, Words Sung: An Evening with Ricky Ian Gordon” on Friday, November 20 at 5:30pm. This event is presented in partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and Sarasota Opera.

On Friday, December 4 at 5:30pm, Hermitage Fellow Jen Shyu, called “one of the most creative vocalists in contemporary improvised music” by The Nation, returns to the Hermitage for a special look into her singular artistry. The New York Times has called her concerts “the most arresting I’ve seen over the past five years.” Shyu’s performances encompass dance, vocals, and multiple instruments, including piano, violin, Taiwanese moon lute, and Korean gayageum, and she has performed at world-famous venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Jen Shyu shares traditional songs alongside original compositions, while exploring what it means to be guided by your heritage and history in “Finding Your Authentic Voice” at the Hermitage Englewood Art Center. 

These Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Running time for most Hermitage programs is 60-70 minutes with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Hermitage Launches New Series at Hermitage Englewood Art Center

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced the launch of two new series at the Hermitage Englewood Art Center (HEAC). The facility was acquired by the Hermitage earlier this year from Ringling College of Art and Design. These two new series mark a new chapter of Hermitage programming at the HEAC, which will continue to evolve over the coming seasons. 

Hermitage Saturday Sessions will offer a series of weekend workshops for the community. One Saturday during the month, an accomplished Hermitage Fellow will lead an intimate group of participants through a hands-on exploration of their respective craft. Workshops will vary in topic and span the disciplines of visual art, music, dance, theater, literature, and more, allowing participants the unique chance to tap into their creativity through the guidance of the Hermitage’s world class artists.

The Hermitage Book Club is an opportunity to read and explore the extensive literary work of our illustrious Hermitage Fellows. Curated and facilitated by Hermitage Programs Director Tiffany Colli-Moon, this group will meet on the first Monday of each month at 5:30pm for a lively group discussion about a work written by one of our distinguished literary alumni – many written and/or developed in part at the Hermitage. The Hermitage Book Club will provide attendees the opportunity to read critically acclaimed titles, discover new favorites, and engage more deeply with the work of Hermitage Fellows. (On select occasions, the Hermitage may arrange for the distinguished author to join the session, but the meeting will more often be an independent group discussion. Attendees are asked to read the full book prior to attending the session.) 

In December of 2025, the Hermitage assumed ownership of the Englewood Art Center from the Ringling College of Art and Design. Located directly across Lemon Bay and just a ten-minute drive from the Hermitage’s existing home on Manasota Key, the Hermitage Englewood Art Center property spans two acres of land and includes two primary buildings totaling 11,000 square feet. The Hermitage intends to make use of this facility as a multidisciplinary arts center in furtherance of its mission: to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time. To that end, the Hermitage plans to activate the HEAC as extended space for visual art installation and its celebrated public programming, now including Hermitage Saturday Sessions community workshops, and The Hermitage Book Club. Beyond the public-facing programs intended to enrich the community, this facility will provide meaningful studio and gallery space for the Hermitage’s renowned artist-in-residence program. The long-term strategic planning for the future of the facility is still in process. The Hermitage hosted a meaningful community information session for members of the Englewood and surrounding communities to help inform thoughtful activation of this invaluable space in the way that best meets the needs of our community while continuing to advance the organizational mission. This includes ongoing dialogue with constituents of the Englewood community as the plans take shape.   

On Saturday, October 10 at 11am, the Hermitage kicks off Hermitage Saturday Sessionsworkshops with Tony Award-nominated Hermitage Fellow Julian Crouch, a legendary opera and theater director and designer who has been heralded by The New York Times. His impressive body of work includes the Olivier Award-winning musical Shockheaded Peter in London; The Enchanted Island and more at the Metropolitan Opera; The Addams Family, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and more on Broadway; and numerous other opera and theater designs across the U.K. and Europe. Crouch will guide workshop participants in the exploration and use of live animation and puppetry techniques that have been the inspiration for many of his productions in “Something from Nothing: A Puppetry Workshop.” Focusing on the use of everyday materials and simple movement qualities, the workshop will demonstrate how to bring the inanimate to life through collaborative improvisation. The workshop is suitable for both true beginners and experienced practitioners, and will involve both performance and some simple making. All materials will be provided – participants need only bring their curiosity and their imagination. Due to limited capacity and supplies, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org. This first workshop will accept participants on a first-come, first-served basis.  

The inaugural session of the Hermitage Book Club will be held on Monday, November 2 at 5:30pm, featuring Hermitage Fellow, former Hermitage Curatorial Council member, and acclaimed author Emily Nemens’ highly anticipated second novel, Clutch. Named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Clutch follows a group of five women – friends for twenty years – as they navigate the biggest challenges of their lives, asking: when you’re hanging on by your fingernails, how can you extend a hand to the ones you love? Named a “Best Book” by The New York Times Book Review, People Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Alta Journal, Bustle, and more, Clutch is described by the LA Times as “White Lotus with more sincerity and heart.” Nemens previously shared work from her novel The Cactus Leagueon the Hermitage Beach, offering insight into the world of Major League Baseball and spring training in Arizona. To kick off the series, Emily Nemens will join this inaugural Hermitage Book Club discussion in person!

“We are incredibly excited to launch these two newly conceived series at the Hermitage Englewood Art Center,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “The HEAC is ripe with possibilities, and as we continue planning our next steps for the facility, these two series will allow us to engage more meaningfully with the community.”

Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Future workshops may require a lottery depending upon capacity and demand. In those instances, registrants will be notified two weeks prior to the workshop if their names were drawn for participation. Running time for most Hermitage programs is 60-70 minutes, with interactive workshops typically running 90 minutes.

Hermitage and Terrence McNally Foundation Continue Partnership 

Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat, today announced that Talene Monahon will be the 2026 designee of the McNally Fellowship at the Hermitage, made possible with generous support from the Terrence McNally Foundation. This residency sponsorship is intended to support the Fellowship of an early-career playwright who is making a meaningful impact in the theater. In collaboration with the McNally Foundation, the Hermitage has selected Pulitzer Prize finalist and Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist Talene Monahon as the 2026 McNally Fellow.

Monahonis a Boston-born playwright of Armenian and Irish descent. She is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her play Meet the Cartozians, which premiered Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theater in fall of 2025. Meet the Cartozians was also a New York Times Critic’s Pick and was recognized on Vulture’s “Top 10 Best Plays of 2025” and TheaterMania’s “Top 5 Plays of 2025.” Monahon’s other plays include The Good John Proctor, Jane Anger, and How to Load a Musket.

“The Hermitage is deeply grateful to the Terrence McNally Foundation for their continuing support and passionate belief in the work we are doing,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “It has been a joy to collaborate with our friend Tom Kirdahy as a fellow advocate for new voices, and he’s been such a champion of the Hermitage and its mission. We are honored to celebrate Terrence’s incomparable legacy by providing the gift of space and time to the next generation of prolific voices in the theater, and we are excited to welcome Talene Monahon as the 2026 recipient of this honor.”

Tom Kirdahy, a Tony and Olivier Award-winning theater and film producer and the late Terrence McNally’s husband, is the president of Tom Kirdahy Productions and a principal trustee of the McNally Foundation. Kirdahy’s work spans Broadway, Off-Broadway, the West End, and beyond. Among his current and recent producing credits are the Tony Award-winning revival of Ragtime at Lincoln Center Theater; the Broadway smash-hit musical Just in Time; Stephen Sondheim’s posthumous Off-Broadway musical Here We Are, which starred Tony Award winner and Hermitage Fellow Rachel Bay Jones; Terrence McNally’sKiss of the Spider Woman film starring Jennifer Lopez; the hit Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors; and Hadestown, the winner of eight Tony Awards on Broadway including Best Musical, along with the recent film release and the Olivier Award-nominated West End production. 

“We are incredibly proud to support the work the Hermitage is doing,” added Kirdahy. “The Hermitage is a world-class arts incubator – not only for playwrights and theater artists, but for so many extraordinary talents of all different backgrounds and disciplines. The gift they are giving to these innovative and imaginative writers, performers, and artists is invaluable. We are excited for Talene to continue her creative journey with this Hermitage residency in Terrence’s name.” 

The Terrence McNally Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting bold new voices in the American theater by providing support to early-career playwrights and the institutions that support them. The McNally Foundation’s mission to champion new playwrights aligns with the mission of the Hermitage Artist Retreat: to inspire and foster the most influential and consequential art and artists of our time. Created by legendary playwright/librettist Terrence McNally and supported through the ongoing royalties of his work, the Foundation is also committed to supporting LGBTQ+ causes, as McNally did throughout his life. Following Terrence’s passing, Tom Kirdahy stated that the Foundation would continue the legendary playwright’s “singular legacy of mentorship and activism.”

A leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida’s Gulf Coast exclusively committed to supporting the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key home for multi-week residencies, where diverse and accomplished artists from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, film, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get an authentic “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These free and innovative programs include performances, conversations, readings, music concerts, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.

New October Program Announced

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced a new October program on the Hermitage Beach featuringacclaimed poet and Pulitzer Prize finalist Robyn Schiff, alongside celebrated drummer and music producer Sarah Galdes. On Thursday, October 29th at 5:30pm, these two talented Hermitage artists will offer a program of poetry and percussion on the Hermitage Beach with “We Got the Beat: Poetry & Percussion.” Join us for the first beach program of the fall season as these renowned artists share their original work and discuss their respective journeys as the sun sets into the Gulf. 

Hermitage Fellow Robyn Schiff is the author of four collections of poetry, including Information Desk: An Epic, based on Schiff’s experience as a staff member at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s information desk. Described as “an effluvial rush of memory, desire, data, and metaphor” by The New York Review of Books, Information Desk: An Epic was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Schiff co-edits the independent poetry press Canarium Books, and she is a professor at the University of Chicago, where she is Director of the Program in Creative Writing. 

Hermitage Fellow Sarah Galdes is a drummer, electronic artist, and music producer. Galdes has toured, performed, and recorded with a wide variety of bands and artists in the international music scene including Julien Baker (boygenius), Lauren Mayberry (CHVRCHES), Anna Wise, Bartees Strange, and many more. In addition to the drums, Galdes has studied traditional Korean percussion instruments and North Indian music, embarking on intensive study tours in South Korea, New York, Australia, and Canada. 

Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Running time for most Hermitage programs is 60-70 minutes with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Composer Jaylin Vinson Wins 2026 Hermitage Prize in Composition

The Hermitage Artist Retreat and the Aspen Music Festival and School (Aspen, Colorado) are pleased to announce Jaylin Vinson, a composition student at AMFS, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Hermitage Prize in Composition. Vinson is the thirteenth recipient of this annual award, which includes a residency at the Hermitage. This year, the Hermitage is pleased to announce a new $10,000 valuation for the prize, which includes a $5,000 commission paid directly to the winner, in addition to supporting expenses related to the winner’s Fellowship and public program at the Hermitage. With this commission, Vinson will create an original composition that will be developed at the Hermitage prior to having its full premiere in Aspen in 2027 with the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble (ACE). This commission is made possible with generous support from Marsha & David Dowler, Rebecca Donelson & Robert Blattberg, and Friends of the Hermitage in Aspen.

Vinson was selected by a jury that includes multiple Grammy Award winner Robert Spano, Music Director of the AMFS, Artistic Director Laureate of the Atlanta Symphony, and a past member of the Hermitage Curatorial Council; award-winning composer and arts administrator Alan Fletcher, AMFS President and CEO; and the composition faculty of the AMFS, including Grammy Award-winning Hermitage Fellow Christopher Theofanidis.

Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg presented the award to Vinson on Saturday at the Aspen Music Festival’s Klein Tent, alongside Fletcher and Theofanidis. The commission was announced the following day at an annual reception hosted by Marsha and David Dowler in celebration of the Hermitage Prize and the AMFS composition students. 

The Hermitage Prize in Composition, launched in 2013, reflects an invaluable partnership between AMFS and the Hermitage, designed to champion new and original works and to recognize exceptional talent in the field of contemporary classical music. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of this award in 2023, the Hermitage and AMFS produced a retrospective video featuring exclusive interviews with past winners, distinguished AMFS faculty members, and renowned thought leaders in music, which can be seen here (full URL link below). With established composers like Spano, Fletcher, Theofanidis, Nico Muhly, and more having experienced memorable Hermitage Fellowships, the Hermitage Prize in Composition was created to offer the same experience to young, talented composers just beginning their professional careers.

“We are thrilled to recognize Jaylin Vinson as the winner of the thirteenth annual Hermitage Prize and the inaugural recipient of this new commission,” noted Sandberg. “Jaylin is a brilliant young composer whose work has been heard across the United States, and we know he will a welcome addition to the Hermitage community. We were delighted that the weekend’s festivities could be celebrated alongside fellow Hermitage alumni. We must also thank Marsha and David Dowler, Rebecca Donelson and Bob Blattberg, and our generous supporters in Aspen for making this new commission possible, and we are grateful for our continuing collaboration with the Aspen Music Festival and School.”

The Hermitage Prize at AMFS is the only student residency awarded each year; all other Hermitage Fellows are accomplished working professionals and leaders in their fields, selected by the Hermitage’s National Curatorial Council. This provides the recipient of the annual Hermitage Prize in Composition the opportunity to share this unmatched Hermitage experience with leading artists from all around the world. 

This year’s season of the world-renowned Aspen Music Festival featured works and performances from Hermitage alumni including AMFS Music Director Robert Spano, AMFS President Alan Fletcher, Christopher Theofanidis, Lera Auerbach, Nico Muhly, Jessie Montgomery, Gity Razaz, David Lang, and 2017 Hermitage Prize in Composition winner Joel Thompson. 

Hermitage Fellows have included 20 Pulitzer Prize winners, multiple Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony winners, Poets Laureate, MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellows, and more. Hermitage Fellows regularly describe their time at the Hermitage as “magical,” “transformative,” and “life-changing.”

2026 Hermitage Prize in Composition winner Jaylin Vinson is a concert-music composer whosemusic has been described as “an awakening” by the Sioux City Journal, marked by “insatiable curiosity” from the Heifetz Institute, and recognized as “bold and compelling” by DC Theater Arts. His compositions have been showcased at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, with works performed by ensembles across the United States including the New York Youth Symphony, Houston Youth Symphonies, the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras, Baylor Symphony Orchestra, University of Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the National Orchestra Institute, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Navy Band, the Apollo Chamber Players, and KINETIC Ensemble. Vinson’s one-act opera, Future of Dreams, was commissioned by Washington National Opera and premiered at the Kennedy Center in January 2025. A Finalist for the San Francisco Symphony’s Black Emerging Composer Project, Vinson’s honors prior to the Hermitage Prize include being named Composer of the Year by the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, winning the inaugural Altus Adams Prize by the U.S. Navy Band, and receiving an Honorable Mention in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award. Vinson holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Composition at the Juilliard School, as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship.

“Words cannot adequately express how thrilled and humbled I am to receive the Hermitage Prize in Composition,” said Vinson. “As a composer, I work within a fundamentally time-based art form, so receiving the gift of time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat is not one I take for granted. To know the history of this wonderful landscape on Manasota Key is to know the brilliant creatives who have also been blessed with uninterrupted time at the Hermitage – time that has led to an extraordinary body of new work and fruitful collaboration. I am beaming with anticipation, thinking of the new work and the relationships that will grow out of my own time there. I extend my utmost gratitude to the selection committee for this investment in my creative life, and for the privilege this time will mean to my career. I look forward to what I will create: my gift of gratitude for the gift that has been extended to me.”

Following the award presentation on the stage of the Klein Tent, Vinson was recognized at a reception hosted by Marsha and David Dowler in celebration of the Hermitage Prize, where he was surprised by the news of the commission. At this event, Vinson’s original work “Carpe Diem” was debuted by the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble (ACE). Vinson’s new commission will also receive its premiere in collaboration with ACE next summer, to coincide with the awarding of the 2027 Hermitage Prize winner.

Previous residencies of AMFS Hermitage Prize recipients have led to exciting collaborations, lifelong friendships, and extraordinary new compositions. The first winner of this award in 2013 was Patrick Harlin. While in residence at the Hermitage, Harlin met acclaimed designer and visual artist Anne Patterson. The two sparked a decade-long collaboration that led to the world premiere exhibition, “The Truth of the Night Sky,” at the Sarasota Art Museum in the fall of 2024. Harlin and Patterson also spent time at the Hermitage with AMFS composer Christopher Theofanidis and celebrated poet Melissa Studdard; as a result, these four Hermitage alumni began a multi-year collaboration which led to the 2025 world premiere of Siddhartha, She at the Aspen Music Festival. Adapted from Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, this original opera developed at the Hermitage featured music by Christopher Theofanidis, a libretto by Melissa Studdard, design and direction by Anne Patterson, soundscape design by Patrick Harlin, and music direction by Robert Spano– all five Hermitage alumni. This newly created work received critical acclaim at the 2025 Aspen Music Festival. 

“This opportunity at the Hermitage has made such a big difference to me,” said 2025 Hermitage Prize in Composition winner Harriet Steinke. The first thing I noticed was how amazing it has been for my creative brain to have space and time. People, including myself, underestimate how much you need that to be creative. It takes time to get your brain and your body in the right space, and as you move through your life, it’s impossible to find that sort of time. This experience has helped me find that peace and quiet, this extraordinarily valuable thing that artists really need to continue to produce throughout their lives. While I’m at the Hermitage, I’m working on an opera for Beth Morrison Projects, setting the text of the Victorian poet Christina Rossetti.”

“I cannot adequately describe how grateful I felt to be at the Hermitage Artist Retreat,” said the 2024 Hermitage Prize winner Hannah Rice of her resulting residency. “Life is so fast paced for young artists, so to be awarded the time to wake up, watch the sunrise, and ground myself was truly a gift. I was so unbelievably inspired by the ocean, the sounds of the birds squawking, and the beauty of mother earth, and I feel so thankful for this invaluable time to get back to child-like play in my music studio. I also had the opportunity to connect with some incredible, seasoned artists while in residence, and I have learned so much from their insights and experiences. As I approached the end of my time on Manasota Key, I soaked in everything that this gorgeous place and these wonderful people had to offer and splattered as many sounds against the canvas as I could. It was truly a privilege to be at the Hermitage –I kept reminding myself – I’m not in a dream!”

Previous Hermitage Prize recipients include Patrick Harlin (2013), Thomas Kotcheff (2014), Phillip Sink (2015), Andrew Hsu (2016), Joel Thompson (2017), Sid Richardson (2018), Chelsea Komschlies(2019), David Clay Mettens (2021), Sofía Rocha (2022), Matīss Čudars (2023), Hannah Rice (2024), and Harriet Steinke (2025).

Hermitage Announces New Members of National Curatorial Council

The Hermitage Artist Retreat recently announced its 2026-2027 Curatorial Council, comprised of distinguished national arts leaders spanning the fields of theater, music, visual art, literature, and arts education. The newest additions to the Council include Mark Ronson, Academy Award and nine-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer; Will Butler, Grammy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated composer; Bill Rauch, Tony Award-winning Artistic Director of the Perelman Performing Arts Center; Ian Alteveer, Beal Family Chair of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and Justin Torres, a National Book Award-winning author and Hermitage alumnus. 

The full National Curatorial Council for the Hermitage’s 2026-2027 season, comprised of fifteen accomplished and diverse nominating members from across the United States, includes: 

  • Ian Alteveer* (Visual Art), Chair of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  • Courtney J. Boddie (Arts Education), VP, Education & School Engagement, New Victory/New 42
  • Will Butler* (Music), Grammy Award-Winning & Academy Award-Nominated Composer
  • Kimberli Gant (Visual Art), Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum
  • Lauren Groff (Literature), New York Times Bestselling Author & Time “100 Most Influential People” 
  • Cathy Park Hong (Literature), Pulitzer Prize Finalist & Time “100 Most Influential People” 
  • Rajiv Joseph (Theater), Obie Award-Winning Playwright & Screenwriter
  • Christine Kuan (Visual Art), President & Executive Director, Creative Capital
  • Tina LaPadula (Arts Education), Founder of Arts Corps & Arts Ed Manager, City of Seattle
  • Lynn Nottage (Theater), Two-Time Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright
  • Shara Nova (Music), Grammy Award-Nominated Recording Artist & Performer
  • Bill Rauch* (Theater), Tony Award-Winning Artistic Director of Perelman Performing Arts Center
  • Mark Ronson* (Music), Academy Award & Grammy Award-Winning Songwriter & Producer
  • Justin Torres* (Literature), National Book Award-Winning Author
  • Du Yun (Music), Pulitzer Prize-Winning & Grammy Award-Nominated Composer

*New to the Council as of 2026

 “We are honored to welcome these visionary and forward-thinking arts leaders to the Hermitage Curatorial Council,” says Andy Sandberg, Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO. “Ian Alteveer, Will Butler, Bill Rauch, Mark Ronson, and Justin Torres are innovative creative minds with a finger on the pulse, each highly regarded for their unique contributions to their respective fields. The members of this esteemed Curatorial Council share a collective passion for the development and creation of new work from bold and diverse voices, and we are incredibly fortunate to have these luminaries of the arts in the Hermitage family. With their breadth of experience, their vast networks, and their insightful ability to identify extraordinary talent, the selection of this next wave of Hermitage Fellows is in exceptionally capable hands.”

Mark Ronson is a globally celebrated DJ and a nine-time Grammy Award, Academy Award, and Golden Globe Award-winning producer and songwriter. He began his career DJ-ing in 1990s New York before rising to fame with standout collaborations, including Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, which earned him multiple Grammys including Producer of the Year, and the global smash “Uptown Funk” with Bruno Mars. He co-wrote the Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy-winning hit “Shallow” for A Star Is Bornand has worked with artists like Lady Gaga, Adele, Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, and Dua Lipa. In 2023, he served as executive producer and composer for Barbie: The Album and its score, earning another Grammy, and in early 2025, executive produced SNL50: The Homecoming Concert with Lorne Michaels. His memoir, Night People: How to Be a DJ in ’90s New York City, was released in September of 2025 and earned him a spot on The New York Times Bestsellers list, and the Sunday Times “Top 10 Bestsellers” list. The memoir was quickly snapped up by Brad Pitt’s Plan B and Warner Brothers Studios for a film adaptation. Most recently, Mark received the 2026 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music and highlighted the show with a seven-minute live performance featuring Ghostface Killah and Dua Lipa.

Will Butler is an award-winning musician and composer. As a member of the band Arcade Fire until 2022, he released era-defining records such as Funeral and The Suburbs, which won the 2011 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Along with Owen Pallett, he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Score for the Spike Jonze film Her. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Emma Stone, Terry Gilliam, Greta Gerwig, choreographer Ryan Heffington and comedians Jo Firestone and Patti Harrison. He is currently a recording artist for Merge Records. Stereophonic was his Broadway debut, earning 13 Tony Award nominations, including Best Score and Best Orchestrations.

Bill Rauch is the inaugural Artistic Director of the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), at the World Trade Center. His work as a theater director has been seen across the nation, from community centers to Broadway in the Tony Award-winning production of All The Way, its sequel The Great Society, and most recently co-directing Cats: The Jellicle Ball, for which he won the 2026 Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. From 2007 to 2019, Bill was Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the country’s oldest and largest rotating repertory theater. Bill co-founded Cornerstone Theater Company where he served as artistic director from 1986 to 2006, directing collaborations with diverse, rural, and urban communities nationwide. 

Ian Alteveer , a 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize juror, joined the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2023 as the Beal Family Chair of Contemporary Art, where he leads the department focused on art made after 1955 and where his project Martin Puryear: Nexus, a 50-year survey of the American sculptor, is currently on view. Prior to his current role, Alteveer was the inaugural Aaron I. Fleischman Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he curated the survey Cecily Brown: Death and the Maid, as well as retrospectives for Kerry James Marshall, Marisa Merz, David Hockney, and Vija Celmins. Alteveer is a graduate of Stanford University and New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. 

Justin Torres is a Hermitage alumnus and the author of Blackouts, which won the National Book Award for Fiction and the California Book Award, and was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Lambda Literary Award, the Inside Literary Prize, and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. A 2025 Berlin Prize Fellow at the American Academy, he’s also received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, and the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center. His first novel We the Animals was a national bestseller and adapted into a feature film. He lives in Los Angeles and is a professor of English at UCLA.

Members of the Hermitage Curatorial Council are experts in their disciplines and connected to some of the world’s most renowned artists and cultural institutions. Each year, the Council selects artists of extraordinary ability who are already making an impact in their field – artists, writers, performers, and educators who are eager to continue developing bold and impactful new works, and who may benefit creatively from a distinguished Hermitage Fellowship. *Since national and international Hermitage Fellowships are curated, there is no application for a Hermitage residency; neither the Hermitage staff nor members of the Curatorial Council can accept applications or solicitations. However, Sarasota County artists and arts teachers in Florida schools can find information on how to apply to select programs (John Ringling Towers Fellowships and Hermitage STARs) through the Hermitage website.

Hermitage Hosts West Coast Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles

Over two decades of Hermitage Fellows came together in Los Angeles on Monday, August 3rd to celebrate the legacy of the Hermitage and connect with Hermitage Fellows across all artistic disciplines. Following the success of previous New York reunions, Hermitage alumni gathered in California to commemorate the impact of this leading national and international arts organization, located on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

“Yes, the Hermitage is a beautiful and inspiring place to create, but the more than 900+ extraordinary Hermitage Fellows are the true heart of the organization. These incredible artists and their experiences at the Hermitage are collectively changing the face of the artistic landscape,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “They are all part of a remarkable tradition that has fostered generative artists, writers, creators, performers, and innovators, many of whom have earned national and international recognition.”

The evening brought together multiple generations of Hermitage alumni – and new Hermitage Fellows – to connect and reconnect as they shared stories of what they accomplished while in residence on Manasota Key, how the Hermitage has impacted their work and careers, and what the organization means to them as both artists and individuals. Sandberg thanked everyone for coming and encouraged all in attendance to take a moment to recognize the collective talent in the room, and to take pride in the shared legacy of what it means to be a Hermitage Fellow. 

The Hermitage, through its expanding commitment to alumni engagement, endeavors to build upon what many of the artists in residence share as one of the most meaningful experiences of their careers. In addition to serving as a leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage annually presents two distinguished commissions: the Hermitage Greenfield Prize and also the Hermitage Major Theater Award, which presents workshops and readings in major arts capitals such as New York, London, and Chicago. Hermitage Greenfield Prize winners Aleshea Harris and Sandy Rodriguez were among the distinguished artists in attendance.

Ringling College Transfers Ownership of Englewood Art Center to the Hermitage Artist Retreat

Ringling College of Art and Design (Dr. Larry Thompson, President) and The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO) announced today that Ringling College has transferred ownership of the former Englewood Art Center to the Hermitage, a fellow nonprofit organization and a leading national arts incubator based in Englewood. The center is located directly across Lemon Bay and just a ten-minute drive from the Hermitage’s existing home on Manasota Key.

For more than 50 years, the nonprofit organization that became the Englewood Art Center (EAC) served as a creative hub for artists and art enthusiasts in south Sarasota County, Charlotte County, and coastal Lee County. Ringling College assumed ownership of the EAC in 2008 from the original Englewood Art Center organization. Following a strategic decision made by Ringling College to consolidate its community-facing arts programming at the College’s Museum Campus, the EAC permanently closed its doors on May 3, 2025.

The board and leadership of Ringling College are pleased to transition the EAC facility to a fellow cultural nonprofit. The Hermitage and Ringling College notably collaborated on two Hermitage alumni artist exhibitions at Sarasota Art Museum: Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat and The Truth of the Night Sky.

“Ringling College has maintained a close relationship with the Hermitage over the years and thus was a natural and deserving successor of the space,” said Dr. Larry R. Thompson, President of Ringling College of Art and Design. “The Englewood Art Center played a pivotal role in the local arts offerings, and it was a difficult decision for the College to close its doors. We are pleased the Hermitage can now step in and continue enriching the community with programming for the foreseeable future.”

“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Thompson and the Board of Ringling College for entrusting the Hermitage with this vital cultural asset,” said Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat. “The college has maintained the property with the highest standard of care for seventeen years, and we look forward to preserving and activating this unique facility for many decades to come. This acquisition allows us to dream bigger and to expand our impact in both the local and global arts ecosystems.”

The Hermitage Englewood Art Center property spans two acres of land and includes two primary buildings totaling 10,000 square feet. The Hermitage intends to make use of this facility as a multidisciplinary arts center in furtherance of its mission: to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time. To that end, the Hermitage plans to activate the EAC as extended space for visual art installation and its celebrated public programming, spanning music, theater, visual art, literature, dance, and more.

The Hermitage anticipates that there will be some changes to the use and operations of the facility, and the long-term strategic planning for the future of the facility is still in process. Over the coming months, the Hermitage intends to engage in further dialogue with constituents in the Englewood community as plans take shape.

“We want to ensure that we are taking the time needed to thoughtfully activate this invaluable space in the way that best meets the needs of our community while also advancing our mission,” added Sandberg. “Englewood is our home, and our sincere hope is that the Hermitage’s stewardship of this unique cultural facility will allow us to more deeply engage members of the Englewood community and beyond.”

“This is incredible news for Englewood,” added Leslie Dignam, who served as President of the former Englewood Art Center for many years and is now a member of the Hermitage Board of Trustees, where she also previously served as President. The Dignam family spans four generations in Englewood and has played a meaningful role in the growth of both the Hermitage and the EAC. “When Ringling College announced its plans to discontinue operations, the Hermitage became the clear option to take the helm. Knowing that Hermitage will be stewarding this community asset under Andy Sandberg’s visionary leadership is truly a cause for celebration.”

Beyond the public-facing programs intended to enrich the community, this facility will provide meaningful studio and gallery space for the Hermitage’s renowned artist-in-residence program. Each year, generative artists, writers, and performers are invited by nomination to enjoy multi-week residencies on Englewood’s Manasota Key, where they receive the gift of time and space in an inspirational setting to develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, and more. These artists are invited to share their work and their talents with the public, offering a rare glimpse into the creative process.

This news comes on the heels of the Hermitage receiving a $12,000,000 gift of land and property on Manasota Key, one of the largest land gifts of its kind to a nonprofit arts organization. Located less than half a mile from the Hermitage’s existing home on Manasota Key, this generous gift from the Morrison and Steans more than doubles the Hermitage’s capacity for its celebrated artist residency program. The Gulf-to-Bay property spans 6.5 acres of land and is comprised of five main structures. These buildings provide additional accommodations for the nonprofit’s renowned artist-in-residence program. The Hermitage emphasizes that the recent acquisitions of both the South Residences on Manasota Key and the Englewood Art Center are expansions, not replacements. The 501(c)(3) organization has no intention of abandoning its original Manasota Key home, where the Hermitage has a lease with Sarasota County that currently allows for extensions up through 2055. These new property acquisitions are intended to broaden the reach and impact of the nonprofit’s mission and programming.

The 850 artists the Hermitage has served includes 18 Pulitzer Prize winners, Poets Laureate, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellows, and multiple Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar winners and nominees.

“As an artist forever grateful to and fully committed to the mission of the Hermitage, I am very excited about the Englewood Art Center coming under its auspices,” notes acclaimed visual and installation artist Anne Patterson. Patterson’s work developed at the Hermitage has been exhibited in Sarasota at The Ringling Museum of Art and most recently in a Hermitage collaboration at Ringling College’s Sarasota Art Museum with The Truth of the Night Sky. “It is thrilling to imagine all the engaging and exquisite artistry and inspired creativity that will fill this center. While this will obviously enhance the artistic impact for the local community in Englewood and Sarasota, the works of art and performance created here will also influence the wider artistic world.”

“The Hermitage is a visionary leader in the arts world and invaluable player in our cultural landscape,” added internationally acclaimed artist and Hermitage Curatorial Council member Sanford Biggers, an early recipient of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize whose work was recently exhibited in Sarasota Art Museum’s Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat. “This generous gift from Ringling College will allow the Hermitage and its cohort of extraordinary artists to achieve their greatest potential while giving back to the community in a deeply meaningful way.”

Ringling College of Art and Design is a global thought leader in educating emerging artists and designers across multiple disciplines, including the business of art and design, computer animation, creative writing, film, fine arts, graphic and motion design, virtual reality, and more. Alumni of Ringling College have gone on to work with industry giants including Disney, DreamWorks, NASA, Pixar, Netflix, Nickelodeon, and the NFL. Students and graduates have been hugely successful, receiving multiple Student Academy Awards, Oscars, Emmys, Annies, ADDY and Telly Awards, and showing in exhibitions across the country. The College is also the home of the Sarasota Art Museum (SAM), the city’s only museum dedicated exclusively to modern and contemporary art. Ringling College’s Museum Campus features three state-of-the-art studios where SAM hosts classes in ceramics, drawing, painting, and mixed media; several of the courses provided were transferred from previous offerings at the EAC.

A leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida exclusively committed to supporting the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key campus for multi-week residencies, where diverse and accomplished artists from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, film, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get an authentic “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These free and innovative programs include performances, conversations, readings, music concerts, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.

 

Playwright Anne Washburn is Sixth Recipient of the Hermitage Major Theater Award

Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat, announced today that New York-based playwright Anne Washburn has been selected as the sixth recipient of the Hermitage Major Theater Award (HMTA). This jury-selected prize, established by the Hermitage in 2021 with generous support from Flora Major and the Kutya Major Foundation, offers one of the largest unrestricted nonprofit theater commissions in the United States. Washburn will receive a cash prize of $35,000, a residency at the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Florida, and a developmental workshop in a major arts capital – which for this commission is anticipated for New York in late 2027. 

Anne Washburn is a New York-based playwright. Washburn’s plays include Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play, a New York Times Critic’s Pick and fourth on The New York Times list: “The 25 Best American Plays Since Angels in America.” Her other plays include 10 Out of 12, Antlia Pneumatica, The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire, A Devil at Noon, Apparition, The Communist Dracula Pageant, I Have Loved Strangers, The Ladies, Little Bunny Foo Foo, The Internationalist, Shipwreck, The Small, and transadaptations of Euripides’ Iphigenia in Aulis and Orestes. Washburn’s work has been produced nationally and internationally and has premiered with 13P, Actors Theater of Louisville, the Almeida, American Repertory Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, Classic Stage, Clubbed Thumb, The Civilians, Dixon Place, Ensemble Studio Theater, The Folger, Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep, Two River, Vineyard Theater, and Woolly Mammoth. Her honors include an Alpert Award, a Guggenheim, a PEN/Laura Pels Award, twice a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn, and a Whiting Award.

“I was delighted to receive the Hermitage Major Theater Award and residency,” said Anne Washburn. “This is a demanding project I’ve been thinking about for years, and this award with the residency time at the Hermitage (at what looks like a dreamy stretch of this good earth) makes it all possible.”

“Amidst four extraordinary and deserving finalists, Anne Washburn confirmed herself to be one of America’s most compelling playwrights as she impressed us all with her inventive and ambitious proposal,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “We are honored to support Anne as she creates this epic new play, and we can’t wait to see her brilliant work come to fruition. I must thank our brilliant and dedicated Award Committee – Evan Cabinet, Snehal Desai, and Jill Rafson – for their passion, intelligence, and care throughout this process. I also want to congratulate Adam Gwon, Talene Monahon, and Aya Ogawa, each of whom are innovative and exceptional artists with thrilling, original ideas for new theatrical works.”

The Hermitage Major Theater Award (HMTA) was established in 2021 to recognize a playwright or theater artist with a $35,000 commission to create a new, original, and impactful piece of theater. Three distinguished finalists for the sixth Hermitage Major Theater Award include Adam Gwon, a Drama Desk and Drama League Award-nominated Hermitage Fellow whose celebrated musicals include Ordinary Days, Scotland, PA, and All the World’s a Stage; Talene Monahon, an award-winning playwright whose acclaimed works include Meet the Cartozians, The Good John Proctor, and Jane Anger; and Aya Ogawa, a Tokyo-born, Brooklyn-based, Obie Award-winning theater-maker whose works include Nosebleed, Journey to the Ocean, and the forthcoming Meat Suit. Each finalist has been awarded a Hermitage residency and Fellowship, in addition to a cash prize of $1,000.

HMTA winners and finalists are nominated and selected by a jury of visionary and forward-thinking artistic leaders. The 2026 HMTA Award Committee included Evan Cabnet, Artistic Director of New York’s Second Stage Theater and longtime Artistic Director of LCT3 at Lincoln Center; Snehal Desai, Artistic Director of Los Angeles’ Center Theatre Group and previous Producing Artistic Director of East West Players; and Jill Rafson, Producing Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company in New York and previously the Associate Artistic Director at Roundabout Theatre Company.

“Anne Washburn is one of our most brilliant and fascinating playwrights, and the Hermitage one of the most important and vital arts organizations in America,” said Evan Cabnet. “To know she’ll have the support of Andy Sandberg and everyone at the Hermitage as she embarks on such an ambitious project makes me excited for the future; I cannot wait to see what she creates.”

“Anne’s work stands the test of time,” noted Snehal Desai. “Her proposal raises interesting and timely questions about the Greeks, and about society. Anne is approaching these stories in a way I haven’t considered before, and I find that refreshing and thrilling.”

“There are not a lot of Anne Washburns out there,” added Jill Rafson. “Her voice is one of a kind, and the preoccupations of her subjects are so unique. No one else would even think about writing this play in this way, or about this combination of things with this source material – and that’s very exciting.”

In addition to the $35,000 commission, the recipient of the annual HMTA will receive six weeks of residency at the Hermitage’s historic beachfront campus to develop the new theatrical work, as well as a reading or workshop in a leading arts and cultural center. Anne Washburn’s commission is expected to receive its first presentation in late 2027 in New York.

For her Hermitage Major Theater Award commission, Anne Washburn will probe what she calls the “dramaturgical flaw at the heart of Western Democracy” by reimagining Aeschylus’ The Oresteia. Her approach will be informed by the ongoing debate about the role of democracy in today’s social media, the history of jury trials as entertainment in ancient Greece, and the scholarship which says that the simultaneous birth of democracy and the Western dramatic tradition was not a coincidence. Washburn plans to complete transadaptations (close although occasionally flexible renderings) of Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers, then will turn her primary attention to The Eumenides, the final play of the trilogy in which Orestes is pursued by the Furies (Greek goddesses of vengeance) and put on trial for the murder of his mother. This trial, in the original, is somewhat cursory, tipping the scales towards the newer Athenian Gods and the brand-new political experiment which was Democracy. Washburn plans to complexify the debate surrounding Orestes’ guilt, fleshing out the arguments on both sides of the conflict to more thoroughly explore the contest between our darkness and our light – and the necessities of both. Washburn also plans to structure the ‘Greek chorus’ so that audience members are invited to sing along during certain sections, a reaction to the phenomenon of Broadway mega-musicals where superfans who sing along are clashing with audience members who just want to hear the professionals. In Washburn’s world, harmony is possible.

In the spirit of the Hermitage’s commitment to the arts across multiple disciplines, recipients of the Hermitage Major Theater Award are encouraged to create a commission that directly or indirectly represents the role and impact of art – musical, literary, theatrical, visual, dance, or otherwise – in our culture and society. As to how this will infuse Washburn’s Hermitage commission, she explains, “The Oresteia was an act of art which was simultaneously an act of deep cultural and social significance. We don’t come together like the ancient Greeks did – one city gathered into one stadium to watch the same stories at the same moment – but that instinct still resounds in us, and the fabric of our culture and our society is woven throughout with the art we remember and the art we no longer remember; it’s a toss-up which is the more powerful driver of individuals and of nations.”

This distinguished Hermitage Major Theater Award recognition is not an award for an existing work, but rather it is designed as a commission that shall serve as a catalyst and inspiration to a theater artist to create a new, original, and impactful piece of theater. Further, the prize is intended to bridge the connection between the Hermitage in Sarasota County, Florida – where the commission is born – and other leading arts and culture centers around the world, including New York, London, Chicago, and other notable arts capitals where great theater is frequently developed and presented. Previous recipients of the HMTA have included Pulitzer Prize finalist and “Only Murders in the Building” writer Madeleine George; theater-maker and director Shariffa Ali; award-winning composer and theater artist Imani Uzuri; Olivier Award-winning playwright and librettist Chris Bush; and California-based playwright Naomi Iizuka. George and Ali had their first readings at New York’s MCC Theater in November of 2023. George’s The Sore Loser is a Faustian comedy reimagining the patriarchy through a small-town bowling tournament, and Ali’s play Hero chronicles a South African village faced with an opportunity for national glory through a singling competition. Uzuri’s commission, Lighthouse of the Singing Birds, had an invitation-only presentation at New York Theatre Workshop in 2024. Chris Bush’s new HMTA commission, Orlando (FL), received a premiere workshop at London’s National Theatre in October of 2025, directed by Andy Sandberg. Naomi Iizuka’s new commission, currently titled Casa de Mañana, is expected to have its first presentation in Chicago in the fall of 2026.

“This award is designed to be transformational for its recipients, providing not only significant funds and recognition, but also invaluable time, space, and inspiration at the Hermitage, plus an opportunity for these innovative theater artists to workshop and develop their original ideas,” said Andy Sandberg. An accomplished director, writer, and Tony Award-winning producer, Sandberg took the helm as Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage in early 2020. “In addition to introducing a new work of theater to the world each year, this is a meaningful way for the Hermitage to take a further step in supporting the artistic process, offering meaningful developmental resources to these extraordinary artists and their new commissions.”  

The Hermitage Major Theater Award, presented annually, is made possible with a generous multi-year gift to the Hermitage from Flora Major and the Kutya Major Foundation. “No one does more for the arts and the creation of new work than the Hermitage,” added Flora Major, founder and trustee of the Kutya Major Foundation. “The impact and success of this commissioning program are further evidence that Andy and his team have established the Hermitage as a leading international arts incubator. I hope others who are passionate about the arts will support the important work that’s happening there. The impact and reach of the Hermitage is greater than most people realize – it’s truly unbelievable.” Flora Major was named an Honorary Member of the Hermitage Board of Trustees in 2024.

Visual Artist Charisse Pearlina Weston Receives 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO), in collaboration with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation, has announced visual artist Charisse Pearlina Weston as the winner of the 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP). Her recent exhibits include group and solo presentations at the Whitney Museum of American Art, MOMA PS1, SITE Santa Fe and the Queens Museum, among other venues. Weston was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation in 2025.

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize is awarded annually, rotating between the fields of visual art, music, and theater. Weston will receive a six-week Hermitage Fellowship and a $35,000 commission to create a new work or collection of art, which will have its premiere exhibition in Sarasota in 2028.

Weston was selected by a distinguished jury that included Ian Alteveer, Beal Family Chair of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Alison Gass, Founding Executive Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco; and Larry Ossei-Mensah, independent curator and co-founder of ARTNOIR, a nonprofit supporting artists, curators, cultural workers, and emerging patrons. Past winners of this distinguished honor in the discipline of visual art include Sandy Rodriguez (2023), David Burnett(2017), Coco Fusco (2016), Trenton Doyle Hancock (2013), and Sanford Biggers (2010), who is now a member of the Hermitage Curatorial Council.  

“Amidst a remarkable field of four brilliant finalists, this insightful jury faced the difficult task of selecting a single recipient. Charisse Pearlina Weston emerged as a thoughtful and original artist who impressed the jury with her inspired and ambitious proposal,” says Hermitage Artistic Director Andy Sandberg. “Her innovative work with glass offers a unique lens into life and culture. Charisse’s multifaceted and thoughtful approach to her work embodies the mission of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize: to bring into the world works of art that have a significant impact on the broad as well as the artistic culture of our society. We thank our distinguished jurors for their passion and dedication, and we congratulate all four exceptional finalists, whom we look forward to welcoming at the Hermitage. We’re excited to host Charisse in Florida for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner in April, and subsequently as a Hermitage Fellow in anticipation of the premiere of her new exhibition in Sarasota in 2028.”

Charisse Pearlina Weston, born in Houston and now based in Harlem, is a conceptual artist whose work contends with the dynamic interplay of violence and intimacy through repetition, enfoldment, and concealment. She works across sculpture, writing, installation, and photography. Weston often integrates glass into her work due to its inherent nature. Whether it be through photographs, fragments incorporated into a canvas, or an element within a sculpture, the duality of the material speaks to Weston’s understanding of Black resistance. Her recent exhibitions include group and solo presentations at the Whitney Museum of American Art, MOMA PS1, SITE Santa Fe, and the Queens Museum, among other venues. Recent fellowships and residencies include the Studio Museum, Harlem Artist in Residency, Jerome Hill Fellowship, Hodder Fellowship at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, a 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation, and a 2025 Stepping Stone awardee from the Trellis Foundation. Weston received a BA from the University of North Texas, a MSc in Modern Art from the University of Edinburgh’s College of Art, and an MFA in Studio Art with Critical Theory emphasis from the University of California-Irvine.

Three finalists for the 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize include Melissa Joseph, whose work considers themes of memory, family history, and the politics of how we occupy space and has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, Delaware Contemporary, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, MOCA Arlington, ICA San Francisco, and List Gallery at Swarthmore College; Lily Kwong, a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores plant-life as both an artistic medium and a platform for community building and collective care, with recent projects at Madison Square Park (New York), Night Gallery (Los Angeles), and ICA (San Francisco); and Patrick Martinez, a Los Angeles-based artist whose work examines language, place, memory, and the social histories embedded within the American landscape, with recent exhibitions at the Whitney Museum, The Broad, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the Studio Museum in Harlem, El Museo del Barrio, and the Tucson Museum of Art. All three will receive a Hermitage residency, in addition to a finalist prize of $1,000.

“I am thrilled that the Hermitage Greenfield Prize will go to Charisse Pearlina Weston, an artist of great talent and expansive vision, who I know will benefit immensely from the residency’s call for independent thinking and exploration,” added fellow HGP juror Ian Alteveer. “Weston’s practice is fascinating in its wide-ranging references — to literature, to architecture, to social justice — and I cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next.”

“I am so proud that we are awarding this prize to Charisse Pearlina Weston, said 2026 HGP juror Alison Gass. “Charisse’s proposal was astonishing in its thoughtful depth of nuance, building on her past practice, her depth of rigorous research, and her ability to weave storytelling into sculptural form. She is poised at such an exciting moment for an opportunity like this, and I cannot wait to see what is next for her, both with the Hermitage Greenfield Prize and beyond.”

“Charisse Pearlina Weston’s work confronts the complexities of Black life with material rigor and poetic force, moving with a quiet power that makes her one of the most compelling artists of her generation,” said fellow HGP juror Larry Ossei-Mensah, founder of ARTNOIR and independent curator. “The Hermitage Greenfield Prize offers her the rare gift of time, space, and support to expand that visionary practice in ways that will ripple far beyond the studio.”  

“I’m honored to receive the 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize,” said Weston upon learning of her recognition as this year’s HGP winner. “Through multimedia installations, my commission will address the ongoing entanglement of past and present legal regimes and engage broad audiences in reflecting on how the past continues to shape contemporary life. This Prize provides a rare combination of time, focus, and support that will allow me to fully realize this work and enrich my creative practice.”

For her Hermitage Greenfield Prize commission, Charisse Pearlina Weston will create a new body of work examining specters of desire, control, and recognition through the phenomenon of so-called “zombie laws”—legal statutes that persist beyond their supposed obsolescence. Rather than treating these laws as dormant remnants, Weston approaches them as active structures that continue to organize bodies and social life through desire, fear, punishment, and moral authority. The project draws on Zora Neale Hurston’s ethnographic writing on zombies in Haiti, where the zombie emerges not as spectacle, but as a social figure shaped by unmet desires for recognition, care, and belonging. This commission deepens Weston’s ongoing investigation into the dialectics of Black interior life and resistance, extending her exploration of how structures of power and surveillance produce constrictive intimacies, and how tactics of refusal enable Black interior life to re-inscribe intimacy despite those constraints.

Charisse Pearlina Weston will be celebrated at the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 12th at 6pm at Michael’s On East in Sarasota, Florida. This year’s event Co-Chairs are Ellen & Richard Sandor. Capacity will be limited, so early reservations are strongly recommended. Tables and sponsorships are now available; additional information can be found at HermitageArtistRetreat.org/HGPDinner2026.

In addition to the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on April 12th, the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration will include programs April 10-13 with current and past HGP winners, including the HGP commission debut from playwright and 2024 recipient Deepa Purohit, presented in collaboration with Asolo Repertory Theatre. Additional details around these HGP programs will be announced at a later date. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration is presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as the Lead Community Sponsor.