Art and About art and about

Spring has sprung. Plays, exhibitions and concerts are blossoming across the area. It’s a great time for an artistic pilgrimage. Here are four great places to start.

SU BYRON CONTRIBUTOR

Catching the Truth of the World Photographer Richard Benson gave his students a precisely defined mission: “Go out into the world with the camera and find out that the world is smarter than you are.” That simple assignment summed up photography’s essence: recording objective reality — the world out there, not the image in your mind’s eye. Benson did in his own photography. This exhibition, at Sarasota Art Museum, surveys nearly 50 years of his work with more than 100 prints. Each separate image is powerful; they add up to an evolutionary timeline of Benson’s photographic oeuvre. They’re also a form of co-evolution. Benson’s photography was in constant feedback with the evolution of printing and media technology — and education as well. As an author and professor and dean at Yale University, he made his mark on three decades of students and creators. Benson’s camera never lied. He tried to capture the objective truth of the world. But that truth is a constantly moving target. To catch it, you have to keep running. Benson did. And he encouraged his students to do the same. Through May 7 at Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

The Music and the Man

Thanks to the leadership of renowned conductor Riccardo Muti, the internationally acclaimed Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has solidified its status as one of the world’s top five orchestras. Under his guidance, Muti deepened CSO’s engagement with the Chicago community, supported emerging musicians and collaborated with visionary artists. This year marks

Muti’s final season as CSO’s music director, and area residents will have a final chance of watching the maestro in his glory. The concert’s soaring program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures from an Exhibition.” The experience honors both the music and the man. Don’t miss it. 7:30 p.m., March 1, at the Van Wezel; ScaSarasota.org; 966-6161.

Don’t Touch That Dial

In his days as FCC chairman, Newton Minow once described the landscape of network television as “a vast wasteland.” In his blistering, satiric screenplay for “Network,” Paddy Chayefsky

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Continued imagined a voice crying in that wilderness — Howard Beale, an anchorman who snaps and becomes the “mad prophet of the airways.” Thanks to Lee Hall’s adaptation, Beale’s thundering voice is now ringing out on the Florida Studio Theatre stage in a production directed by Richard Hopkins. In the world of this play, prophecy makes for great ratings, but displeases the network’s major corporate sponsors. The network cancels Beale’s show — and Beale, as well. Chayefsky’s dark satire imagined a future of global village idiots. The modern media landscape is slightly different. But it’s closer than we’d like to think. Through March 19; FloridaStudioTheatre.org; 366-9000.

Heart of Glass

“Circles + Spheres” explores the possibilities of geometry in Ringling College’s 14th annual exhibition of glass art drawn from the collection of Richard and Barbara Basch. These orbs and cylindrical glass creations spring from a range of glass art tech- niques. Some pieces were blown; others cast in kilns; others worked with flame; others fused. All evoke a sense of inner flame. The master artists featured in this show include Martin Blank, Dale Chihuly, Richard Royal, Livio Seguso and Lino Tagliapi- etra. Starting with simple geometry, they’ve created a vast array of expressive permutations. That vast diversity flows from a common source; the fire of artistic imagination. Through March 24, Basch Gallery at Ringling College; RinglingCollege.Gallery.

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Above: Before the horses take the playing field at the Sarasota Polo Club, fans are allowed to enjoy the field. Lakewood Ranch 4-year-old Caspian Reeves tries to outrun his mom, Ashley McLeod.

Left: Placida's Richard and Patricia Bossey were the first patrons to reserve a spot in the new Hemingway English bus. They had a great view on the bus's upper deck.