Press Releases

For media inquiries, please contact Su Byron or Kelly Fores.

Hermitage announces the return of its outdoor beach programs
September 23, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat receives strategic partnership grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County
September 16, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents the 2020 Artful Lobster: An Outdoor Celebration!
September 10, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat welcomes five new board members
September 3, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat welcomes two new hires: Elizabeth Power as deputy director/operations manager, and Michael Salimbene as executive assistant/program coordinator
August 26, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat receives substantial grant from Florida Division of Cultural Affairs
August 3, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat receives Tourist Development Cultural/Arts grant
July 15, 2020

Hermitage 2020 STARs
July 13, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat meets $150,000 matching challenge and achieves first million-dollar fiscal year
July 6, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat announces 2020-2021 curatorial council
July 3, 2020

Gulf Coast Community Foundation Awards $40,000 Grant to the Hermitage Artist Retreat with Additional Support from Flora Major
June 23, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat Announces Dates for 2020 Artful Lobster (November 14) and 2021 Greenfield Prize Dinner (April 11)
May 26, 2020

The Hermitage Artist Retreat meets $100,000 matching pledge in less than one month and now continues to ride the wave of support
May 15, 2020

Hermitage receives $100,000 matching pledge in response to COVID-19 crisis
April 7, 2020

Hermitage cancels upcoming public programs and Greenfield Prize Weekend
March 16, 2020

Renowned artists take center stage at the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s Greenfield Prize Weekend: A Celebration of Art
March 6, 2020

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces the 2020 Greenfield Prize winner: Visual Artist Jennifer Packer
February 16, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat announces six upcoming programs in February and March
January 28, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat announces two events to meet Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg
January 9, 2020

Hermitage Artist Retreat offers four community programs in January
December 28, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat appoints Andy Sandberg as artistic director and CEO
December 4, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents four free community programs in December
November 27, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat welcomes new board president Leslie Dignam Edwards
November 25, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents November programs: “Viola Works from J.S. Bach to Philip Glass” with Ralph Farris, and “Smart in Medicine, A New Era” with Alexa Miller
October 25, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat uses John Ringling Towers grant for renovation of historic structure
September 26, 2019

Acclaimed composer and performer Daniel Bernard Roumain to headline at the Hermitage’s 2019 Artful Lobster fundraiser
September 25, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents October programs: “Historical Activism in Song and Print,” and “Falling Birds, Falling Man”
September 14, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat Uses Community Foundation of Sarasota County Grant for Special Project
September 10, 2019

Composer Chelsea Komschlies wins the 2019 Hermitage Prize in Aspen
August 26, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat appoints new development director
August 21, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat receives Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Grant to help fund the organization’s 2019-2020 community arts and cultural programs
August 2, 2019

Hermitage STARs announced for 2019
June 24, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Fridays @ 5: “Musical Theater in the Making” with composer/lyricist Adam Gwon
April 25, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Fridays @ 5: “Suntelia” with Kaylene McCaw
April 17, 2019

Nationally acclaimed artists highlight the Greenfield Prize celebration of artistic excellence
March 27, 2019

Hermitage Founding Executive Director Bruce E. Rodgers to retire in December
March 26, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Fridays @ 5: “Red Tide: The History, Causes and Future”
March 8, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Fridays @ 5: “The Decaying Frame” with filmmaker Bill Morrison, and “What’s Blooming Now” with multimedia artist Laurie Olinder
February 21, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Hermitage North @ New College: “How (Not) to Read Poetry”
February 21, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat receives $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
February 15, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents 2019 Greenfield Prize in Music to Helga Davis
February 11, 2019

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Book Club Meeting with author Andrea Kleine, and Fridays @ 5: PoetryLife’s Favorite Poem Reading
January 31, 2019

Hermitage North @ New College – International Contemporary Ensemble: “Words and Music”
January 14, 2019

Fridays @ 5 – Two Lives Devoted to Art: Linda Brooks and Dan Cameron
January 4, 2019

Fridays @ 5 – “Prelude to a Kiss: The Musical in the Making” with Craig Lucas, Daniel Messé and Sean Hartley
December 20, 2018

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Hermitage North @ New College: “LGBT Opera, Then and Now”
December 10, 2018

Hermitage Artist Retreat announces keynote speaker for 2019 Muse Luncheon
November 12, 2018

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Hermitage North @ New College
October 25, 2018

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Artful Lobster
October 3, 2018

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents Fridays @ 5
September 26, 2018

Composer Sid Richardson wins the 2018 Hermitage Prize
August 26, 2018

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents “Film and Musical Theater in the Making”
August 10, 2018

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents historic home tours
August 6, 2018

Hermitage Artist Retreat presents two community programs in August
July 25, 2018

Hermitage STARs announced for 2018
June 26, 2018

The Hermitage property is owned by Sarasota County and is leased to the Hermitage Artist Retreat, Inc.
The property is maintained by the Hermitage Artist Retreat, Inc. and the Sarasota County Department of Parks and Recreation.

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Sep

Wed

Speaking of the Arts: Exploring & Supporting the Creative Process

Tickets

Sep 30 @ 1:00 pm

REGISTER HERE.

Arts Advocates, in collaboration with the Hermitage Artist Retreat, present
“Speaking of the Arts … Exploring and Supporting the Creative Process”
A conversation with Hermitage Artistic Director Andy Sandberg and musician/composer Allison Loggins-Hull

A Zoom Presentation
Wednesday, September 30th, 2020
1 pm

Registration for this free program is required – please register here. You will receive an email with a Zoom link and instructions about how to join within 48 hours of the event. Please watch your inboxes!

Hermitage Artist Retreat Fellow Allison Loggins-Hull is a flutist, composer and producer. In 2009, she co-founded the duo Flutronix, which was praised by The Wall Street Journal for being able “to redefine the instrument.” She has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and other major venues around the world. Loggins-Hull has been commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carolina Performing Arts, Alarm Will Sound and The Library of Congress. She is on the flute faculty of The John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, and is a teaching artist at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute and The Juilliard School’s Global Ventures.

Andy Sandberg, an accomplished director and writer whose national and international career has been committed to new work and artist development, was appointed Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat in 2019. In 2009, at the age of 25, he became one of the youngest producers in history to win a Tony Award. His theatrical work has been represented in New York City, London, and throughout the United States. Sandberg is a graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in English and Theater Studies.

Oct

Thu

“Art & Controversy”: A Conversation with Coco Fusco

Tickets

Oct 1 @ 5:00 pm

REGISTER HERE.

“Art & Controversy”: A Conversation with Coco Fusco
Acclaimed Multidisciplinary Artist and Writer
2016 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner
2013 Fulbright Fellow & Guggenheim Fellow

Creator & Artist
“Tin Man of the Twenty-First Century”
Hermitage Greenfield Prize Commission
Premiered at the Ringling Museum in 2018

Thursday, October 1^st at 5pm EST (via Zoom)
Click here to RSVP.

Join us for a discussion and Q&A about the controversy surrounding sculptures and public statues, the way artists are making an impact, and the responses of viewers.

Moderated by Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg

Free admission. Registration required – click here to RSVP.

An invitation link to the Zoom will be sent within 48 hours of the event to all registered attendants.

Free Hermitage programs like this are made possible by the generosity of our donors. Please help us continue to champion artists and the creative process. Support the Hermitage – click here to make a donation.

Oct

Fri

“Genius Loci: A Sense of Place in Story, Music, & Poetry” @ Hermitage Artist Retreat Beach

Tickets

Oct 9 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces the return of its popular beachfront series with “Genius Loci: A Sense of Place in Story, Music, & Poetry,” Friday, October 9, 6 p.m., at the Hermitage Beach, 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood.

This outdoor event features three Hermitage artists-in-residence: composer and bassist Michael Kurth, poet Lynnell Edwards, and author Justin Torres. In Edwards’ book of poetry This Great Green Valley and Torres’ book and film We the Animals, each captures the sense of place of their childhoods. Composer and bassist Michael Kurth, meanwhile, defines his place as the bottom staff of an orchestral score. The artistic realms include music, film, and the spoken and written word. In every realm, each artist has created a place of their own. As the sun sets over the Gulf of Mexico, Edwards and Torres will read from their celebrated works, and Kurth will delight audiences with his string bass and bass ukulele.

Admission is free but registration is required. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. Capacity will be limited to accommodate safe social distancing, so early reservations are recommended. Masks are strongly encouraged.

Lynnell Edwards is author of author of several poetry collections, including This Great Green Valley, Covet, The Highwayman’s Wife, The Farmer’s Daughter, and the Kings of the Rock Hot Shop. Her work has appeared in New Madrid, Connecticut Review, Cincinnati Review, and Pleiades, and her poems have been featured on Verse Daily. She is an associate professor of English at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Edwards is a founding member of Louisville Literary Arts and serves on the Kentucky Women Writers Conference Board. A recipient of the Al Smith Fellowship, Edwards holds a Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition and a master’s degree in creative writing, both from the University of Louisville.

Michael Kurth was born in Virginia and grew up near Baltimore. After starting to play double bass in fourth grade he went on to get his bachelor’s degree at Peabody Conservatory. Kurth has been a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra bass section since 1994. He was named “Best New Composer 2017” by Atlanta Magazine. The Atlanta Orchestra has given world premieres and released an album of many of his orchestral and choral works. In addition, his works have been commissioned and performed by symphonies, choruses, ensembles, instrumentalists, and colleges. He serves as Composer-in-Residence for the Riverside Chamber Players of Roswell, GA., which has premiered many of his chamber works and recorded “The Music of Michael Kurth: String Quartets.” He teaches at Emory University.

Justin Torres has published short fiction in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Granta, Tin House, The Washington Post, and other publications, as well as non-fiction pieces in publications like The Guardian and The Advocate. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Justin’s New York Times bestselling novel We the Animals has been translated into 15 languages and was recently adapted into a film. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for five Independent Spirit Awards. He was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, and a Cullman Center Fellow at the New York Public Library. The National Book Foundation named him one of the 2012’s “5 under 35.” He was the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, a Rolón Fellowship in Literature from United States Artists, and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. He lives in Los Angeles where he is an assistant professor of English at UCLA.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Oct

Fri

“Triple Current: Music of Arabia & America” @ Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Tickets

Oct 23 @ 6:00 pm

Free admission; registration is required. REGISTER HERE.

“Triple Current” promises a gentle sonic sound from an extraordinary Hermitage artist that reflects the peace and beauty evoked by Selby Gardens as part of our “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby.”

Composer, santur player, trumpeter and vocalist Amir Elsaffar will preview a new work that is set to premiere in November in New York. ElSaffar’s piece, commissioned by the Jazz Coalition, uses the currents of electronics as they’ve never been used before. Our Sarasota audience will be the first to hear this brand new work!

ElSaffar is an important voice in an age of cross-cultural music, cited as “one of the most promising figures in jazz today” by the Chicago Tribune. Expert trumpeter with a classical background, ElSaffar has created techniques to play microtones and ornaments idiomatic to Arabic music that are not typically heard on the trumpet. He is a purveyor of the centuries old, now endangered, Iraqi maqam tradition, which he performs actively as a vocalist and santur player.

Awards and commissions include the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chamber Music America, Jazz Institute of Chicago, as well as traditional Middle Eastern ensembles, chamber orchestras, string quartets, and contemporary music ensembles, and dance troupes. His commission performed at the Newport Jazz Festival made a clear emotional connection to the audience with its visceral passion reflecting the sectarian violence of the Middle East, receiving a rousing standing ovation. With resonance as his governing principle, ElSaffar creates a unique microtonal musical environment that moves beyond the notions of style and tradition.

REGISTER HERE.

Audience members are invited to bring their own chairs and blankets.

Capacity will be limited, so RSVP is required. All seating will be socially distanced; audiences are requested and encouraged to wear face masks.

In the event of rain cancellation, registrants will receive a notification via email no later than 3pm on the day of the event.

Nov

Sat

2020 Artful Lobster: An Outdoor Celebration! @ Hermitage Artist Retreat

Tickets

Nov 14 @ 11:30 am – 2:00 pm

The highly popular Artful Lobster is our signature fundraising event, and the only benefit to take place on our historic Gulf front campus on Manasota Key. With a luscious lobster feast catered by Michael’s On East and live entertainment featuring a celebrated Hermitage Fellow, the Artful Lobster is anticipated as the season kick-off for many across our community.

For complete event details, click here.

To purchase tickets, click here.

September – November 2020 Sep – Nov 2020

Press Releases

Hermitage Artists Respond to COVID-19.

Engage Creativity