- December 26, 2024
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The Ringling’s “I want you to know my story” showcases new photographs from Jess T. Dugan’s “Every Breath We Drew” series. These compelling portraits, self-portraits and still-lifes grapple with issues of identity, gender and sexuality and reflect Dugan’s lived experience as a queer, non-binary person. The artist began this series in 2019 and continued it through the height of the pandemic and afterwards. Dugan’s mastery of rich textures, vivid colors and dramatic lighting evokes a Baroque sensibility, imbuing interior scenes with a deep sense of intimacy. “My photographs function as an extended, oblique self-portrait as much as a catalogue of friends and loved ones,” says Dugan, and notes that the series of work in this exhibition, “brings our attention to one of the most powerful and complex forms of intimacy — that of seeing and being seen.” Through Feb. 25. Visit Ringling.org.
ensembleNEWSRQ (enSRQ) is rolling up for a musical mystery tour on Jan. 13. “Visions and Miracles” will take listeners on a sonic trek through the lands of dreams and visions. The program features recent compositions for strings, flute and clarinet. These include: Anna Clyne’s contemplative “Rest These Hands” for solo violin; Chris Theofanidis’ “Visions and Miracles,” an ethereal exploration of inner and outer space for string quartet; Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Milagros,” a haunting work for string quartet; and Dai Wei’s cosmic “How the Stars Vanish” for clarinet, violin and cello. These compositions speak of things seen and unseen, of transient beauty and transcendental possibility. Get ready to blast off. Visit EnSRQ.org.
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” sings the praises of the legendary singer/songwriter in this Asolo Rep production. Along with King’s chart-toppers, this Broadway smash offers cool liner notes on her life story. You discover that King had wanted to be a songwriter in high school. Her mother told her, “It’s not practical! Girls don’t write music.” (We’re lucky she didn’t take her mother’s advice.) By the age of 18, she’d written hits for Aretha Franklin and The Drifters. At the ripe old age of 29, King became the voice of a generation. With anthems like “You’ve Got a Friend” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “I Feel the Earth Move,” King’s voice has moved several generations in the decades that followed. In this soaring musical, it rings out loud and clear. How beautiful is that? November 13 to January 5. Visit AsoloRep.org.
“Flesh and Bone” tells a tale of art, love, inspiration and obsession at Sarasota Museum of Art. The late photographer Larry Fink and sculptor Martha Posner are the protagonists. They were romantic partners and artistic co-conspirators for more than 30 years. This exhibition explores the creative interplay in the couple’s bodies of work. It’s a study in contrasts — and common obsessions. Posner and Fink shared a fascination with desire, vulnerability and brutality. Posner’s sculpture reimagines heroines from assorted myths and legends; Fink’s photos capture fleeting moments of bravado in everyday life. The couple’s creations also reflect their lives on a Pennsylvania farm — a place where the boundaries of man and beast blur. Fink began photographing that patch of green in the 1970s. Posner didn’t arrive until the 1990s — and instantly found magic in the idyllic surroundings. Here, you see their work side by side. The air seems thick with artistic dialog. At times, you can almost hear them talking. November 17-April 13. Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” at the Sarasota Opera is one of the most beloved comedic works in the operatic repertory. The plot itself is delightfully contrived. Count Almaviva is determined to win the heart of the beautiful Rosina. He needs to spirit her away from Dr. Bartolo, her wicked guardian. He seeks the help of — you guessed it — Figaro, the eponymous barber of Seville. Side-splitting complications ensue, all set to the tune of Rossini’s scintillating, sprightly music. Even better? This opera has a happy ending! This production features Lisa Marie Rogali as Rosina in her company debut. Filippo Fontana (an audience favorite) will return as Figaro. February 22-March 29. Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
Sarasota Contemporary Dance is known for its syncretistic collaborations between different artists, art forms and attitudes. Its 19th season is no exception. “The Barker Project” kicks it off — with a kick. This kinetic concert is bassist Johnnie Barker’s dazzling, improvisational collaboration with a cohort of talented musicians and SCD dancers. Do they color outside genre lines? Absolutely. Barker’s song-and-dance gumbo is rooted in jazz and seasoned with a blend of funk, rock, blues and gospel. The dancers will be equally fluid in their genre-busting moves. Don’t be surprised when this show surprises you. December 5-8. Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance.org.
