Ringling Underground shines light on local artists

The nighttime is a series of bewitching hours awash with wonder and suspense in equal measure. Ordinary things and buildings during the day receive a layer of mystique in the dark. On the first Thursday of each month from 8 to 11 p.m. at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the evening welcomes a cavalcade of local contemporary artwork, music and food within the courtyard of shadows of traditional statues and works by dead masters. This mash-up of the new and old and modern salon is fittingly titled the Ringling Underground.

Fostering and cultivating the local population of artists and musicians is at the heart of the Ringling Underground’s mission. Walking into the central courtyard on any given Underground Thursday night, the attendee will venture through the threshold into the expansive garden courtyard at the heart of the museum and collide with various work from exhibiting artists selected for that month. Each successive piece is curated and positioned in the courtyard to act as a conduit for audiences to make their way down to the fulcrum of the space (Michelangelo’s “David”), where the bands perform. It is a river of surprises and aesthetic adventure at the heart of Sarasota’s traditional art reservoir.

“We’re trying to show the community that local artists have something to offer and also give artists starting out a venue to display their work,” says Natalya Swanson, art liaison for the Ringling. Swanson and Alyssa Esteban, public functions coordinator, arrange and organize the artistic and technical logistics of Ringling Underground. “I think the event is a beautiful thing for people to just open their eyes and let into their lives,” Swanson adds.

November’s artists have a commonality in that they are expressing their response to the environment around them, whether it’s nature as a whole or just the confines of their studio and everyday life. Five local and regional contemporary artists (Liz Gibson, Craig Hanson, Jacqueline Flavio, Samantha Robinson and Shawn Pettersen) will be featured at the event and present art ranging from statues, paintings and collages covering the challenges of living with physical handicaps, to the sinister nature of consumerism and civilization’s relationship with nature.

Giving local, contemporary artists a platform to show their work in sharp contrast to the traditional art that comprises the majority of the Ringling is Swanson and Esteban’s prime directive. The art, both new and old, offers a balanced palette to both the art amateur and the experienced museumgoer.

“There’s a really interesting relationship that’s created between the work already in the garden and the new work that we show,” says Swanson.

Swanson and Esteban vary in background (art history and event production), but each is passionate in her varied but essential field. Like the artwork at any given Ringling Underground, the two form an efficient, fluid and functioning dichotomy.

“I think it’s a beautiful thing when people come and just open their eyes and appreciate everything that the Ringling and Sarasota have,” says Esteban.

Swanson and Esteban cultivate, present and help foster the new. They do this not only by highlighting new artists and their work, but also by establishing a new experience of what it means to visit an art museum.
“I think each Ringling Underground is new every time,” says Esteban. “We have new art, music and try to open a new gallery within the museum each time.”

With each event providing artwork from new artists, the collective impact of each artist’s work is more potent.

“I’m interested in showing art that not only is innovative but also has underlying political, social and environmental statements,” says Swanson. “It is such an important aspect of contemporary art, to create that public conversation and to get people to talk about these social and environmental issues.”

IF YOU GO 
Ringling Underground
When: 8 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6
Where: The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road
Cost: $10; free for college students with valid college ID
Info: Call 359-5700 or email [email protected].