Arts ambassadors and advocates will gather in Burns Square, in downtown Sarasota, May 9, at 9 p.m., to show their support for Sarasota County’s arts and cultural community. The rally is the culmination of Arts Tonight!, a countywide arts advocacy awareness campaign happening the same evening from 5-9 p.m. at various locations around the county.“The rally’s message is ‘We support the arts because the arts support us,’” says Dorothy Carlin, a supporter of the Sarasota County Arts Council and an organizer of eMerge. “We can’t count on just our generous patrons to keep the arts alive. Each one of us can be an advocate for the broad base of creatives in our community; those individuals who actually do the work to produce the arts that makes us a cultural center.”
Carlin explains that the rally intends to attract a broad contingency of people who value the creativity of the community, including students, artists and performers, and people who chose to live in Sarasota because of its cultural character. Molly DeMeulenaere, another eMerge organizer, adds that by creating connections to one another we can strengthen the cultural and creative community.
“We want help the community support visual, performing and literary artists,” says DeMeulenaere. “eMerge seeks to work collaboratively in order to create the connections between independent artists and creative “enthusiasts.”
“Arts Tonight! has taken on a new sense of urgency given recent new reports from Tallahassee and Washington, DC.,” says Russ Crumley, executive director of the Sarasota County Arts Council. “Now is the time for our community to stand up and vocally announce our support for the fifth largest industry in Sarasota County—the arts!”
Arts leaders who will show their support during the rally include Brenda Terris, Tim Raines, David Carr, Virginia Hoffman, Vicky Randall, Michael Chokr, Tim Belkes, Molly DeMeulenaere, Roy Sorenson, Matt Orr, Russ Crumley, Larry Thompson, Nancy Roucher, Terry Romine, Chris Pfahler, Warren Simmonds, Darrell Huntley, Dirk Meyer, Jen Berges, Wayne Genthner and Suzette Jones.
Arts Tonight! was created by the Sarasota County Arts Council in support of area arts and cultural endeavors, and takes place concurrently at various venues throughout the county, from north Sarasota to North Port. Dozens of businesses will showcase performers, artists, poets and authors. Various area theaters and performance spaces will participate by acknowledging the significance of the arts before performances. Some events are free; some will be ticketed; all are open to the public. A list of participating businesses, arts groups, artists and performers can be found at www.arts2night.com.
For more information about Arts Tonight!, visit www.arts2night.com or call (941) 365-5118, Ext.307.
