Arts + Entertainment 2.17.22

A+E INSIDE: <IT’S ALIVE: Sample the sounds and sights of robotic dinosaurs at the Bishop Museum. 6

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ORCHID BALL: Selby Gardens pays tribute to new exhibit with black-and-white night. 8>

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT FEBRUARY 17, 2022

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SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

T

hey knew each other before their art would change the world. And now their art has inspired a living exhibition.

The stark and alluring images created by famed

photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and poet/ rock star Patti Smith, masters in their chosen mediums, form the basis for “Flowers, Poetry & Light,” an immersive exhibit at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens inspired by their work.

SEE LINKED, PAGE 2

Spencer Fordin

One of the displays set up at Selby Gardents is meant to evoke the aperture of a camera as a nod to Robert Mapplethorpe’s work.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

Photos by Spencer Fordin

Robert Mapplethorpe’s “Orchid” is emblazoned on this panel.

Linked FROM PAGE 1

Smith and the late Mapplethorpe met while they were still creative and ambitious youngsters, and they nurtured each other through the early stages of their artistic maturation.

The exhibit, which features flowers and foliage framed by light and shadows, is meant to evoke the spirit of nature, which played a dominant role in both of their work.

Jennifer Rominiecki, president and chief executive officer of Selby Gardens, said Mapplethorpe was one of the first artists she thought of when she made a list of potential botanical garden exhibits. And the more she researched, the more she became enamored with the project.

“He’s so well known for his nudes, his portraits, his still lifes, but there’s a significant body of his work that is flowers,” says Rominiecki. “Arguably, he’s the best flower photographer that ever existed.

“He’s the foremost photographer of the late 20th century.”

Mapplethorpe and Smith both famously made their mark on pop culture, but what’s interesting is how they made their mark on each other.

Smith wrote a moving account of their lives together in her memoir, “Just Kids,” and she called Map-

plethorpe “the artist of my life.”

Smith had just arrived in New York when they met, and Mapplethorpe helped her navigate her early days in the city. They eventually became lovers and lifelong friends.

Smith’s work in a book store helped support Mapplethorpe in his early artistic days, and in time, his photographs became covers to her albums.

Smith wrote an essay for his posthumous collection, “Flowers,” and she ultimately wrote her memoir of their time together because she had promised Mapplethorpe she would.

“They met when they were 20 years old and they were born like a month apart in 1946,” says Carol Ockman, Selby Gardens’ curator at large. “They forged a lifelong friendship starting from the minute they laid eyes on each other.

“According to Patti Smith, Robert was actually asleep looking his beautiful, angelic self. When he awakened, they started talking and they quickly moved in together.”

Mapplethorpe, who died in 1989, worked largely in black-and-white photography, and a lot of the displays in “Flowers, Poetry & Light” play with shadows to evoke his work.

But the exhibit also features dazzling color inspired by the rich and varied textures of Smith’s poetry.

The experience begins even before you enter the gardens. Out front, there’s a distinctive trumpet tree, and it’s been encased in a box that

IF YOU GO

ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE AND PATTI SMITH: FLOWERS, POETRY AND LIGHT When: Feb. 13 to June 26 Where: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. Tickets: Free with museum admission Info: Visit Selby.org.

seems a bit like a picture frame. Mike McLaughlin, the senior vice president for horticulture at Selby Gardens, said that the exhibit’s goal was to lift nature to the level it attains in a Mapplethorpe photo study.

“What does an artist do when they take a photograph?” he asks. “They remove the plant from its normal context — nature — and have really focused on it. They’re removed the background. They’re put a frame around it so all of the viewer’s atten-

Above: Carol Ockman speaks in front of an image of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. Right: The exhibit plays with frames around flowers to simulate an artist’s perspective.

tion is focused on that object.”

As you move through Selby Gardens, there are 10 distinct visiting stops with different motifs.

The Tropical Conservatory is meant to evoke a photographer’s studio and gallery, and the grid-like backdrop at the koi pond is inspired by the viewfinder in a camera.

Everywhere you look, there are plants and flowers boxed and framed.

Smith’s iconic “Horses” album cover, shot by Mapplethorpe, greets you in the conservatory, and the album plays as you walk through and experience the exhibit.

Placards with Smith’s lyrics are placed strategically around the grounds of the botanical garden.

The exhibit becomes more per-

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MAPPLETHORPE: AVANT GARDE IN LIFE AND BEYOND Robert Mapplethorpe pushed barriers in life and moved an entire genre with his pioneering spirit and vision.

Mapplethorpe, who died in 1989 at the age of 42, came from humble beginnings in Queens, New York, and studied art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

His artistic ouevre consisted of mainly black-and-white photos of flowers and the human form, and he took pride in pushing the boundaries between art and the erotic over the course of his life and career.

Mapplethorpe achieved perhaps his greatest renown right after his death.

He had contracted to participate in a solo exhibit of his work entitled “The Perfect Moment,” and he decided to display photos from his X Portfolio, which featured imagery considered taboo for its time. The show was curated by the Institute of Contemporary Art, which had received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.

A controversy ensued when the Corcoran Gallery of Art, which had agreed to house the exhibit, pulled out due to the nature of the artwork displayed.

Mapplethorpe’s exhibit spurred debate over what is art and what crosses the line into pornography, and it also raised questions over what kinds of art the government can support with public funding.

Ultimately, the controversy had an unexpected effect: It boosted Mapplethorpe’s renown and made his art exponen-

sonal at the Museum of Botany and Arts, where visitors are greeted with a large silk screen image of the artists.

The museum houses souvenirs from Mapplethorpe and Smith’s early life as artists, and a few of the photographer’s most famous images are on loan from the University of South Florida, where he produced them.

Ockman said that Mapplethorpe may have taken his artistic instincts in a different direction had he been born in a different era or century.

“He loved sculpture,” says Ockman of Mapplethorpe’s artistic preferences. “But he said that the contemporary pace of life did not permit him to use that particular medium.

“One of the reasons he turned to photography is it enabled him to capture the contemporary speed of

tially more valuable.

Mapplethorpe had already enjoyed a healthy audience for his work, but the New York Times reported that the controversy surrounding his final exhibit helped his estate sale at Christie’s bring in a reported $8 million.

Interestingly, despite his choice of photographic subjects, Mapplethorpe came to art from a surprising angle.

“He was not religious, but he defines himself as Catholic in his art making,” says Carol Ockman, Selby Gardens’ curator at large. “He’s very interested in symmetry, very interested in balance.

“He said he was very influenced by the altar that he grew up with in his church.”

Ockman spoke briefly about a few of the Mapplethorpe original compositions on loan at Selby Gardens, and she explained how he added color to some of his black-and-white photographs.

The color, she says, was actually added by an artist’s hand via watercolor.

Mapplethorpe, cut down in the full flower of his life, influenced art that came after him, and Ockman says that he believed all of his output came from the same artistic perspective.

“Robert himself used to say, ‘All my images are the same,’” says Ockman. “‘It doesn’t matter whether I’m doing flowers, whether I’m doing nudes, whether I’m doing portraits.’ It’s the same eye. They’re all equivalent in his eye.”

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life.”

Smith, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, graced Selby Gardens on Tuesday with a performance and a conversation about her life in art.

The exhibit uses the words of her memoir, “Just Kids,” to illustrate the depth and power of her relationship with Mapplethorpe, and Rominiecki said they tell an artist’s love story that will stand the test of time.

“Their relationship was really formative to both of each other’s practice in artistic output,” says Rominiecki. “She actually wrote about Robert Mapplethorpe’s flowers.

“There was all this terrific synergy around putting these two artists in dialogue together and looking at them through the lens of their connection to flowers and nature.”

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

THIS WEEK THURSDAY

JON LOVITZ 6:30 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $42 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

ACTING! Jon Lovitz, perhaps best known from his days on Saturday Night Live or his stint as the voice of Jay Sherman on “The Critic,” will bring his absurdist notions and punchlines to the McCurdy faithful.

Lovitz will also play shows on Saturday and Sunday.

TAKE ME HOME: THE MUSIC OF JOHN DENVER 7 p.m. at Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way $25-$59 Visit Tickets.SunEvents.com.

Country roads. Take him home. To the place he belongs.

Sarasota will be entertained by tribute artist Jim Curry, whose voice was heard in the CBS telefilm chronicling John Denver’s life. Prepare for a Rocky Mountain High on the eastern seaboard.

OUR PICK

CHAMBER SOIRÉE 7: ‘VOICES OF COLOR’ 5:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $38-$48 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

‘A NIGHT AT THE OPERA’ Soprano and Sarasota native Adelaide Boedecker will appear courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera for one night only, and she’ll sing through selections from “The Marriage of Figaro” with her husband, Calvin Griffin.

Boedecker, who grew up singing at the Church of the Redeemer and graduated from Pine View School, is waiting to make her Met debut.

Boedecker is currently contracted as cover for the role of Thibault in “Don Carlos,” which will start its production at the Met later this month, and she will depart Sarasota after her show to return to New York.

Griffin, a gifted bass-baritone in his own right, made his Met debut last year in “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.”

It’s a celebration of Black History Month and the artistry of Black composers at Holley Hall. The works of William Grant Still, Valerie Coleman and Florence Price will be played, with Still’s “Miniatures for Woodwind Quintet” leading off and Price’s “String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor” rounding out the show.

LUCA STINE JAZZ ENSEMBLE 5:30 p.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. $40 Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

You’ve seen him as a youngster.

Come back and greet him as a young professional. Trumpet player Luca Stine, now studying at the University of Miami, will be back in Sarasota and playing his own compositions for the first time at Selby Gardens. Stine will be playing with a backing band of peers and friends.

cash or a brand new Mercedes Benz.

The festival will also run from 11 a.m. to 9 on Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

interspersed with original comedic sketches.

FRIDAY

LAUGHING MATTERS: PARANOIA ON PARADE 7:30 p.m. at John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

BELOVED OPERA, OPERETTA, BROADWAY + POPULAR CLASSICS 10:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, 2050 Oak St. Free Visit SarasotaMusicClub.org.

This musical sketch comedy revue is inspired by today’s culture and politics, and the cast will look to make you laugh with parodies of popular songs and theater classics

Soprano Anne Tormela, who has performed all over Florida’s Gulf Coast, will sing selections from Verdi, Puccini and Gershwin but also Jerome Kern and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’ LIVE! 8 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 7777 N. Tamiami Trail $67-$102 Visit VanWezel.org.

Your favorite small screen dancers are coming for a big performance.

“Dancing with the Stars: Live” will feature mirrorball champions Kaitlyn Bristowe and Iman Shumpert in addition to a host of familiar competitors from the TV show. Come see the tango, the salsa, the foxtrot and everything in between.

Joseph Holt of the Choral Artists said he is also excited to present works by Mozart and by William Grant Still.

IF YOU GO When: 5 p.m., Feb. 20 Where: at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road Tickets: $35; students $5 Info: ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.

SATURDAY

Tormela has sang with the Pops and the Sarasota Choral Society, and she’s also performed with orchestras in Italy and Poland.

GREEK FESTIVAL 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, 7671 N. Lockwood Ridge Road $5; children under 12 free Visit StBarbaraFestival.org.

Come by and sample Greek cuisine, music and dancing at the 33rd annual St. Barbara Greek Festival.

Festival attendees will also have an opportunity to win a raffle with a grand prize featuring $30,000 in

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Main Street, Sarasota Free Visit ArtFestival.com.

Make way for the mother of all Main Street fairs. The downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts will be celebrating its 34th edition over Saturday and Sunday, and more than 200 artists will fill the five city block area.

Painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics and more will be on display at this two-day celebration of art.

NEIL DIAMOND TRIBUTE 2 and 7 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave W., Bradenton $30-$38 Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. org.

Good times never seemed so good. Sing along with the infectious harmonies of Neil Diamond as tribute artist Keith Allynn hits the high notes of the troubadour’s rich catalogue of hits.

‘LIFE’S A BEACH’ 8:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab Theatre, 1265 First St. $15 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Settle in and get ready to laugh as the FST cast pokes fun at everything Sarasota. The show will feature sketches, singalongs and topical material touching on snowbirds, roundabouts and fun in the sun.

SUNDAY OLD AND NEW MUSIC 3 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3131 61st St. Tickets $5 Visit SuncoastConcertBand.org.

The Suncoast Concert Band will bring familiar tunes and new directions to a Sunday concert at Northminster Presbyterian Church.

NEXUS CHAMBER MUSIC CHICAGO WITH MARIA IOUDENITCH, VIOLIN 4 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road $40 Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Cellist Alexander Hersh, a two-time winner of Artist Series Concert competitions, co-founded this group, and they’ll be joined by virtuoso violinist Maria Ioudenitch as they play through a selection of string trio tunes.

PAUL ANKA — ‘GREATEST HITS: HIS WAY’ 7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 7777 N. Tamiami Trail $82-$132 Visit VanWezel.org.

Canadian crooner Paul Anka is bringing his velvet voice to Sarasota, and he’ll be singing his songs his way.

“My Way” was made famous by Frank Sinatra, but Anka claims it back and will sing a bunch of his most famous compositions from his 60-plus-year career in music.

Anka will play just one night only in Sarasota.

MONDAY JAZZ AT THE FST CABARET WITH DAN MILLER QUARTET 7:30 p.m. at FST’s John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $35-$39 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Jazz trumpet player Dan Miller will team with Lou Del Gatto to bring a

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DON’T MISS

full jazz quartet sound to the John C. Court Cabaret. Guests will be able to purchase dinner and drinks as they take in the sounds of Miller and company.

ENSRQ + CHROMA TRIO 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 1031 S. Euclid Ave. $25 Visit ENSRQ.org.

ENSRQ will team up with Bostonbased Chroma Trio to present a new work by composer Tyson Davis.

Co-founder Samantha Bennett will play alongside instrumentalists Mary Ferrillo and Francesca McNeeley. Davis, a student at Juilliard, has been composing since he was just 8 years old.

TUESDAY ‘THE LEARNED LADIES’ 7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $30; students $15 Visit AsoloRep.org.

“The Learned Ladies” will have a pay-what-you-can preview showing on Tuesday night, and then it will run through March 13. The play, a satire on academic pretension penned

by Moliere, premiered in Paris all the way back in 1672. The Sarasota production is directed by Benny Sato Ambush, artistic director at the Venice Theatre.

Journey to the past.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m., Feb. 19 Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Tickets: $25 Info: SarasotaOpera.org.

WEDNESDAY

‘THE MARVELOUS MARTHA’ 4 p.m. at Stone Hall at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton $8-$12 Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

This show focuses on the forgotten story of Martha Matilda Harper, an immigrant servant who revolutionized retail franchising by building a network of hair salons. See the world Harper lived in and the people who admired her as the Manatee Performing Arts Center celebrates the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.

SARASOTA PREMIERE!

‘CELTIC THUNDER’ 7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 7777 N. Tamiami Trail $37-$92 Visit VanWezel.org.

FRI, MAR 18* • 7:30PM SAT, MAR 19 • 2PM & 7:30PM SUN, MAR 20 • 1PM & 6:30PM

Here come the thundering hoofbeats of Irish singers. This troupe formed in 2007 and has gone on to international acclaim, and they’ll bring their catalog of traditional folk songs to the Van Wezel. Celtic Thunder played the White House during the Obama administration, and their act has been celebrated all over the world.

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DONIZETTI’S ‘THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT’ Decades have passed since the last time the Sarasota Opera performed “The Daughter of the Regiment,” a comedic opera that first debuted in Paris in 1840.

The opera — penned by Gaetano Donizetti and set to a libretto by JulesHenri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and JeanFrançois Bayard — tells the story of a soldier and a young girl raised by a French regiment.

The opera has a passage that requires the main character Tonio to sing an aria with eight High C’s, a signature moment performed by Luciano Pavarotti in 1972.

There will be six other showings running through March 18.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

Photos courtesy of Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

Above: The exhibit features life-size recreations of prehistoric creatures. Right: The Tyrannosaurus looms large in the human imagination.

Bishop exhibit offers a lost (and found) world ‘Dino’ Don’s DinoVenture brings long-lost dinosaurs to realistic life at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

What: “Dino” Don’s DinoVenture When: Through March 20 Where: The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton Tickets: Exhibit Admission: $10; Museum Admission: $16.95-$31.95 Info: Call 746-4131 or visit BishopScience.org

They’re life-sized, but not alive.

True-to-life works of art that move.

The exhibit starts off big.

A massive Quetzalcoatlus looms above you. This terrifying pterosaur resembles a giant, long-necked, reptile pelican with razor-sharp teeth.

It screeches as you approach and snaps its beak as if contemplating its next meal. With wings outstretched, Quetzalcoatlus would’ve been 40 feet wide. It was the largest flying creature that ever lived.

A 20-foot Dilophosaurus stands in its shadow. Scientifically accurate.

No frills, no venom.

There’s also a cast of the original, fossilized Dilophosaurus skeleton.

Across the path, a Herrerasaurus runs low to the ground. A theropod, or meat-eating dinosaur.

It’s clearly built for speed — a nightmare lizard version of the roadrunner. It has serrated teeth and powerful claws, and it boasts massive jaws that are hinged like a steam shovel. It’s clearly built for killing.

A vignette of an Oviraptor brood corrects several errors. The name is Latin for “egg thief.” Roy Chapman Andrews discovered its fossils in the Gobi Desert in the 1920s. Its skeleton was splayed across a nest of crushed eggs. Paleontologists assumed these

were Protoceratops eggs and that death had cut short the Oviraptor’s dinner.

Turns out, Oviraptor got a bad rap.

Like any good mother, it was protecting its own eggs from attack.

This vignette imagines a circling swarm of Velociraptors closing in.

Unlike Spielberg’s fearful film version, these are smaller and feathered. Scientifically spot-on. But no less terrifying.

The path now curves around to a musical family of Parasaurolophi.

This duck-billed dinosaur had a swept-back horn on its skull.

No mere ornament. The crest was hollow and designed for communication.

These beasts used it like a builtin trumpet. What did it sound like?

That’s actually not a mystery.

A scientist re-created the creature’s hollow crest with a 3-D printer and discovered the note it blew: E-flat.

Perfect for projecting a warning across long distances.

The Triceratops was a gentle herbivore the size of a bulldozer.

Three horns and a bony head plate protected him from frontal attack.

This behemoth was a peaceful vegetarian. But ready to fight if any carnivore tried to add him to its meaty diet.

A final turn takes you to the star of the show — Tyrannosaurus Rex. So long as Godzilla remains fiction, he’s the most deadly giant lizard of all.

Another hinge-jawed, apex predator. Its mouth was a killing machine, with serrated teeth the size of Bowie knives. These could cut through flesh and also crush bone.

After that, its tiny arms were perfect for scooping up any leftovers.

You can clearly see why Triceratops needed all that armor.

That’s just a sample of the lifelike, life-sized dinosaurs and pterosaurs roaming here.

These animatronic effigies are dynamic works of art.

Their metal skeletons support silicone skin; realistically colored, based on pigment samples found in fossil sites and comparative anatomy with contemporary lizards.

For additional accuracy, their chirps and cries are based on birdcalls and the bleats of living creatures with similar morphology. Lessem’s creative team also supplies each figure with internalized bellows that make them seem to breathe.

Cunning artistry — but it always strives for accuracy.

Lessem’s work flows from hard science. This exhibit digs into the reasoning behind these figures.

Bilingual guides explain the deductive process that led up to the knowledge.

Not just what paleontologists know. How they know it.

As with all good science, their knowledge is theoretical.

If new evidence contradicts a pet theory, good scientists will come up with a better model that fits the facts. That said, these animatronic thunder lizards are as true-to-life as humanly possible.

All that nitpicky, granular attention to scientific detail has one clear result … Visceral impact.

Scientific facts that might seem abstract now feel real.

The specificity of these animatronic re-creations gives your imagination something to grasp.

“Oh wow!” is the usual response.

The lost world of these giant reptiles doesn’t seem so lost anymore.

Sixty million years from now, let’s hope that future paleontologists will give our species the same loving attention to detail.

PLEASE JOIN THE

Child Protection Center in bringing transformational healing to victims of child abuse.

Wed | 4.6.2022 | 6PM | Michael's On East

SUNCOAST WALKATHON March 5 | Nathan Benderson Park

$250 | Purchase at tickets: CPCSarasota.org

Gates Open: 9:00 a.m. ~ Let’s Walk! 10:00 a.m. ~ Raffle Drawing: 11:30 a.m.

Join Us for Our Fun, FREE, Dog-Friendly Walkathon & Festival

enjoy:

Delicious cuisine & drink, a thrilling live auction, and an evening of changing lives.

We invite you and your pups to the Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon.

Enjoy a 3K walk and festival including music, food, vendors, and an exciting raffle. By fundraising, you can make a big impact for people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges.

Sign up online at GuideDogsWalkathon.org MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR SPONSORS

CHILD ABUSE: Prevention.

Intervention.

Treatment.

All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll free 1.800.435.7352 within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. Registration number CH0475.

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his “DinoVenture” exhibition means only one thing: Robot dinosaurs have taken over The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

No worries.

They don’t bite — and no dinosaurs were harmed creating this exhibit.

How’d they get there? Long story.

Here’s the short version.

“The Flintstones” got it wrong.

Dinosaurs and humans didn’t live on the Earth at the same time.

But dinosaurs definitely live in the human imagination. Everyone’s child (and inner child) is mesmerized by these “thunder lizards.”

Steven Spielberg was counting on that when he adapted Michael Crichton’s novel, “Jurassic Park,” for the big screen in 1992. He hired “Dino” Don Lessem, the best-selling author and dinosaur expert, to get the science right.

But science and cinema didn’t always agree.

Take the Dilophosaurus.

In the movie, it’s a poison-spitting beastie with a fluttering neck fan.

In reality, it had neither. But that’s not nearly so scary.

And wouldn’t sell as many toys.

When the facts weren’t fearful, Spielberg fudged them every time.

Lessem didn’t object. He’d advised film and television productions before, and knew the score.

“Jurassic Park” was show business, not a science lesson.

No problem.

But Lessem decided to set the scientific record straight after the movie wrapped, and he did so by making realistic recreations of the dinosaurs.

Not just sculptures. Sculptures that moved and roared, thanks to servomotors and strategic speakers.

Audio-animatronics, in other words.

Walt Disney’s resorts had pioneered this technology in the 1960s.

By the mid-1990s, it was far more sophisticated than the “Country Bear Jamboree” or Robot Lincoln reciting the Gettysburg Address.

It was ideal for bringing realistic dinosaurs to life. Lessem and his creative team did just that — and pushed the envelope in the decades that followed. Their animatronic dinosaurs got increasingly sophisticated.

The latest phase of their evolution has thundered into The Bishop Museum.

This outdoor exhibit comprises 30 dinosaur figures from the late Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

IF YOU GO

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

OBITUARIES

Photo courtesy of FST

Florida Studio Theatre mourns loss of James Ashford Coordinator of casting and hiring worked at FST for 21 years.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

F

lorida Studio Theatre is mourning the loss of Coordinator of Casting and Hiring James Ashford, who died Feb. 8 at the age of 51.

Ashford spent 21 years at FST, rising from an acting apprentice to assistant to the artistic director, and he helped cast shows for the theater for more than 12 seasons.

“James worked at FST for more than two decades and contributed his heart and soul to the theater,” said Richard Hopkins, FST’s Producing artistic director, as part of an official press release. “We are grateful for his significant and invaluable contributions to the growth of FST. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing.”

Ashford helped to select the casts and design teams for several promi-

nent FST productions including “Metamorphoses” (2005), “Shear Madness” (2011), “Monty Python’s Spamalot” (2014) and “Bright Star” (2020). Ashford also played a key role in the development of FST’s Write a Play program.

Kate Alexander, FST’s associate director and founder of the Write a Play program, said she would remember Ashford as a key contributor to the theater over decades of work.

“I was very fond of James from the early days when I worked with him as an acting intern appearing in ‘James and the Giant Peach,’” Alexander said. “Even back then, it was clear that he was so intelligent, inquisitive, sensitive and kind. He found an artistic home here at FST, and we all grew — as people and as leaders of a theater — together.

“He really found his stride as the casting coordinator, working with agents, actors and contributing to the artistic process. He had a unique gift of helping actors know and feel that they were part of something larger, that they were essential to FST’s mission.”

Melanie Marcotte, Kelsey Wehde Wilson, Luke Johnson, James Ashford, Susan Angermann, and Bruce Price in 2018.

Presents

Photography by Jamie Kraus

BOX OFFICE: 941.359.0099 SarasotaBallet.org

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4 - 7 March 2022 FSU Center

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TIE

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

Photos by Harry Sayer

Above: The night had a New York-inspired black-and-white theme. Left: Cochairwomen Liebe Gamble, Ashley Kozel, Retta Wagner and President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki

Orchid Ball

Right: Laura Lobdell and Darrel Flanel Far right: Tracey McCammack and Nicole Kaney

Saturday, Feb. 12, at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens | Benefiting Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

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he 2022 Orchid Ball was a lively black-and-white affair on Feb. 12.

Marie Selby Botanical Garden’s premier fundraiser embraced its “Because The Night” theme with a creative aesthetic that paid tribute to the garden’s new exhibit “Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith: Flowers, Poetry and Light.”

The event’s interior boasted blackand-white motif and white curtains inside the tent to give the event more of an outdoor atmosphere.

Event planner Nicole Kaney said

we

because we

CARE

the idea was to give the night a New York City rooftop feel.

Guests arrived at the gardens wearing unique and creative blackand-white designs and mingled for some time before settling in their seats for the program to begin.

Selby President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki spoke to future plans for the gardens before the night’s first course was served.

The night ended with outdoor dancing near the tent space.

—HARRY SAYER

for you about

you.

We believe your doctor should get to know you personally, have the flexibility to see you at any time, and commit to delivering benefit-oriented care and advice tailored to your unique needs.

Discover how LernerCohen puts the CARE in Healthcare.

Schedule a meet and greet to see if concierge care is right for you.

The Doctor Is In. Always.™ 941.953.9080 • LernerCohen.com 1921 Waldemere Street, Suite 814 • Sarasota, FL 34239

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Dr. Brad S. Lerner | Dr. Louis M. Cohen | Dr. James R. Cocco | Dr. Amy M. Roth

YourObserver.com

Above: Patricia and Charles Clark with Lisa and Jerry Wells Left: Tom Taylor and Margaret Wise Below: Becki Creighton, Ian Bland and Shavonne Simon

copenhagen imports

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9

Presidents’ Day Sale Immediate delivery on all in stock items.

February 18 March 9

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arts

7211 S. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, Florida 34231 *See Sales Associate for Details

crafts

S A R A S OTA WINTER

&

F E S T I V A L

Paragonfestivals.com

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SATURDAY & SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26 &27 • 10-5 JD HAMEL PARK • DOWNTOWN SARASOTA SArasotsWinter A&C 11.25x9.833.indd 1

2/14/22 11:47 AM

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18!

Lafe and Savannah Cook Photos by Harry Sayer

Above: Alix Redmonde walks the runway. Left: Alyssa Simons, Jessica Rogers, Megan Micale and Nikki Taylor.

Below: Greg Corvelle gets the crowd going.

wednesday, may 4 • 8pm TICKETS & PRESHOW DINING

941.263.6799 vanwezel.org

Box Office: M-F 10-6, Sat 10-4, Open Later on Show Days Prices, dates and times subject to change without notice.

Saturday, March 26, 2022 In-Person & Virtual Attendance Bradenton Area Convention Center 1 Haben Blvd, Palmetto, FL 34221

9 AM – 3 PM (ET)

Doors open at 8 am • Program starts at 9 am

FREE EVENT

Registration Required at NeuroChallenge.org Online registration is strongly encouraged at NeuroChallenge.org.

Call 941-926-6413 ext. 105 for more information.

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View the Latest Safety Protocols on Our Website

Influence Inspire Impact

YOU’RE INVITED

Gulfside Wealth & USF Women’s Summit ‘22 Live event at Selby Auditorium at the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus

Sponsorship opportunities available.

The Parkinson’s Expo will feature presentations from medical experts on treatment options, the latest in research, managing the non-motor aspects of the disease, and more.

This event is presented to the community at no charge thanks to the following partners: Exclusive Presenting Sponsor

M A RCH 8, 2022 8 AM - 12PM Featuring keynote speaker,

Dr. Jennifer Bencie County Health Officer, FL Department of Health -Manatee

Angie Bastian Founder of Boomchickapop Popcorn

Shawny Robey Diamond Sponsors

Executive Director First Step

Heather Junqueira Platinum Sponsors

Founder of Bioscent

Free event registration:

via email jenni.lanham@lpl.com Or to register online, visit:

Jennifer Compton Gold Sponsors

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Sarasota, Sunovion

Managing Partner Shumaker, Loop & Kenderick

gulfsidewealth.com/events

A complete listing of speakers and topics is available at ParkinsonsExpo.org

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Silver Sponsors Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Parkinson’s Foundation

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

FSU/ASOLO CONSERVATORY FOR ACTOR TRAINING 2021-22 season

MOLIÈRE’S

THE

LEARNED LADIES

Joseph Hornberger and Terri Antonelli

Thunder by the Bay Fashion Show

translated by RICHARD WILBUR directed by BENNY SATO AMBUSH

FEB 22–MARCH 13 BEGINS TUESDAY! PHOTO BY JOHN REVISKY

Thursday, Feb. 10, at Sarasota Yacht Club | Benefiting Suncoast Charities for Children

T

Top: Lexi Fresta struts the runway. Above: Cochairwomen Wendy Rossiter and Darci Jacob

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hunder by the Bay got off to an early start with a debut fashion show on Feb. 10.

The Thunder by the Bay “Rocks The Runway” fashion show brought more than 150 guests to the Sarasota Yacht Club for a night of fundraising and fashion to benefit Suncoast Charities for Children.

Guests mingled and had food before the night’s event — a lengthy fashion show featuring more than 40 models wearing designs from Rossiter’s Harley-Davidson and the Darci clothing store in downtown Sarasota.

941.351.8000 | ASOLOREP.ORG/CONSERVATORY/SEASON

—HARRY SAYER

@FSUASOLO_CONSERVATORY

941-306-1202 ArtistSeriesConcerts.org

Stars on the Rise Building on our Legacy

NEXUS CHAMBER MUSIC CHICAGO with Maria Ioudenitch, violin

February 20, 4 pm • Temple Sinai • $40 String trios by Sibelius, Kurtág, Dohnányi, and Beethoven “Supremely high-level music making” ~ Chicago Classical Review

RISUS QUARTET

www.manasotaonline.com

1734 South Tamiami Trail Venice, FL 34293 941.493.7441

This project is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture (Section 286.25, Florida Statutes).

4551 N. Washington Blvd.

Sarasota, FL 34234 941.355.8437

2510 1st Street West Bradenton, FL 34208 941.748.4679

OUR SHOWROOMS ARE OPEN Special Financing Available

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March 6, 4 pm • Temple Sinai $40 “Risus” in Latin means “laugh” and the main vision of the quartet is to bring joy and laughter to their audiences. Grand Prize and Gold Medal prizewinners at the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022

Vegas Comes To Town Friday, Feb. 11, at the Meadows Country Club | Benefiting Sisterhood for Good

T

he Meadows Country Club was full of laughter, cheer and gambling for a good cause during the Sisterhood for Good’s annual fundraiser on Feb. 11.

The nonprofit hosts a casino-themed fundraiser that has guests gambling to raise funds for the organization’s grant programs that benefit local nonprofits, and this year was no exception.

Before the fun and games were to begin in earnest, President Angela MassaroFain welcomed the audience and thanked them for their continuing support with Sisterhood for Good. Co-chairwomen Peggy Kronus, Roxanne Sima and Becca Towery spoke to the audience before introducing Board Chair Amy Gorman, who had a surprise for the assembled crowd.

Gorman surprised Sisterhood For Good members Josie Parr, Graceann Frederico, Debbie Danheisser, Kathy Collums and Maureen Chesson for their work with the nonprofit.

The night continued with gambling and a live auction led by emcee Ray Collins.

Above: Ryan and Melissa Rand throw play craps. Left: Board Chair Amy Gorman and award winner Josie Parr

—HARRY SAYER

Photos by Harry Sayer

Above: Brandon Gundrum and Ciarra Layton play the cards.

Right: Debin Alderman, Elvis and Regina McDermott

It’s Greek Time!

38th Annual “Glendi”

FEBRUARY 18-20 Authentic Greek Food & Wine Live Music by “The Omega Project” Band

Greek Dancers Perform Daily Marketplace & Crafts

WIN A CAR OR $30,000 CASH!

$100 Donation - Only 1500 Raffle Tickets!

Tickets Available:

Online: www.stbarbarafestival.org Email: stbarbara34243@gmail.com Phone: (941) 355-2616

GRAND PRIZE

Kid’s Adventure Zone

2022 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA250W or A220W or $30,000 Cash!

Church Tours & More!

3-Day Pass - $5 Children Under 12 - FREE

2ND PRIZE $4000 Cash

Friday & Saturday 11 – 9 Sunday Noon – 6 A portion of proceeds to benefit Manatee County Sheriff’s Badge of Honor

3RD PRIZE $3000 Cash

DRAWING SUNDAY . FEB. 20, 2022 . 5:30 pm

ST. BARBARA GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

7671 N. Lockwood Ridge Rd. Sarasota, FL 34243 • 941-355-2616

www.stbarbarafestival.org 372703-1

Raffle is open to citizens or permanent residents of the USA who are 18 years of age or older. Car winner is responsible for payment of all applicable federal, state and local taxes, title and license fees. Each winner will be issued a 1099 IRS form stating the prize value. Winners need not be present to win. Additional rules available at the church office.

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Free additional parking Church of the Trinity, free shuttle to & from festival.

The Season’s Hottest Event

SPARCC

Runway • SRQ2022 • Fashion Show | Luncheon | Boutique Shopping

Friday, March 18, 2022 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota Tickets: SPARCC.NET/EVENTS Presenting Sponsor

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Benefiting:

Susan Erhart & Katie Hayes

Platinum Sponsors Joan Castellani

Media Sponsors

JoAnn Heisen

Diane Muldoon

Courtney & Charlie Shrem

*Art by Karen Chandler