Sarasota Art Museum Announces its 2026-2027 Season Exhibition Schedule
Upcoming exhibitions feature works by internationally and nationally renowned artists as well as emerging talents
Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Promised Gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder Collection, 25.2001.1. Courtesy of the artist.
SARASOTA, Fla. (April 3, 2026) – Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) announces its 2026-2027 season, featuring a lineup of seven exhibitions including works by some of the most beloved and influential photographers of the 20th-century, award-winning glass artists, a father and son artistic lineage, multiple Ringling College of Art and Design talents and more.
The Season opens with a century of profound photographic history in “Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder” on October 18, 2026. The exhibition showcases approximately 100 striking images from some of the world’s most influential photographers, including Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus and Gordon Parks, all curated from the personal collection of humanitarian and photographer Judy Glickman Lauder. From the anonymous to the celebrity and from the everyday to era-defining events such as the Great Depression, the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement, this exhibition captures the full spectrum of the human experience as recorded by some of the most beloved and influential practitioners of the 20th-century. “Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder” is organized by the American Federation of Arts and Portland Museum of Art, Maine.
“This collection features some of the biggest names in photography from the past century, and we are thrilled to bring artworks of this caliber to Sarasota,” shared Virginia Shearer, executive director of Sarasota Art Museum. “Beyond the big names, I think visitors are really going to be moved by the sheer holding power and emotional presence of the images themselves. At the heart of this exhibition is authentic and compassionate storytelling surrounding what it means to be human. I hope visitors leave with a greater understanding and appreciation for 20th-century photography, and perhaps a deeper connection to themselves and our world.”
Debossed wax paper and magnifying glasses, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Allegra Bortoni.
Also opening on October 18 is “Eszter Sziksz: Seeking, I Don’t Know What I’m Looking For (And I Hope I Never Find It),” an immersive and interactive exhibition that asks viewers to navigate a world in which the potential for abrupt and unforeseen change is ever-present. Sziksz, an award-winning and internationally exhibited artist and Ringling College faculty member, transforms the gallery by suspending long, ethereal sheets of semi-translucent wax paper from the ceiling, creating a stark, yet meditative, environment. Using inkless embossing, Sziksz presses philosophical musings inspired by the minds of great thinkers such as Plato, Derrida, Camus and Heidegger into the base of each paper ribbon. Magnifying glasses are hung throughout the space, inviting visitors to interact with the artwork by leaning in and looking closely to reveal latent and thought-provoking messages. Seeking doesn’t aim to provide answers. Instead, the artist encourages a slow and intentional examination of what remains when our certainty is stripped away.
Acrylic on mulberry paper on wood, 12 x 22 in. Private Collection, Courtesy of Shoshana Wayne Gallery. Photo: Gene Ogami.
Everyday life becomes extraordinary in “Chie Fueki: Painting the Floating World,” a new exhibition by Ringling College of Art and Design alum Chie Fueki, opening October 18. The show invites viewers into a vibrant “floating world” where the mundane is transformed into the monumental. Featuring works produced over the last 25 years, “Painting the Floating World” highlights Fueki’s signature ability to weave together diverse cultural and artistic traditions. Drawing from her Japanese and Brazilian heritage, Fueki’s work serves as a bridge between Japanese ukiyo-e atmospheric techniques and Western abstraction, unified through intricate and densely layered construction. Fueki’s practice is a meticulous dance between figuration and abstraction. By carving out familiar scenes through a complex interplay of painting and drawing, she captures the kinetic energy of daily life. The result is a body of work that feels both grounded in reality and elevated by a sense of spiritual or temporal fluidity.
Free-blown and cold-worked glass, and steel, 94 1/2 x 70 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. Courtesy of the artists. Photo: Alex Ramsay.
Next is “Precession Through Glass,” by Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin, opening November 15, 2026. Guggisberg and Baldwin are internationally recognized for their sophisticated mastery of glass and their ability to translate complex conceptual themes into breathtaking physical forms. Featuring a site-specific installation commissioned by Sarasota Art Museum, “Precession Through Glass” offers an intriguing experience that is as intellectually stimulating as it is visually stimulating. Inspired by Albert Einstein’s philosophy that “the intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant,” the exhibition invites viewers into a dialogue between what is known and what is felt. Through a sophisticated blend of glass sculptures, installation and mixed media works, Guggisberg and Baldwin navigate the boundaries of the seen and unseen, the rational and the intuitive and science and the sublime.
“The art of glass holds a special place in Sarasota history that continues to this day,” explained Shearer. “John and Mable Ringling had a great appreciation for Venetian glass, which they collected and brought here to Florida a century ago. Today, Sarasota’s affinity for the medium remains strong. “Precession Through Glass” builds on the popularity of previous exhibitions here at SAM, including our 2023-2024 presentation of “Contemporary/Traditional: Selections from the Basch Glass Collection.” The glass art world often centers very strongly around formal aesthetics and craft. What’s especially exciting and refreshing about Monica and Philip’s work is that their artworks transcend formalism, using the medium to explore larger and more conceptual ideas, which is something you don’t often see within this artistic discipline. Ultimately, “Precession Through Glass” is a celebration of what we don’t yet know. It preserves space for the mysteries that remain beyond our reach, yet well within our wonder.”
Beginning April 25, 2027, five leading area institutions unite to showcase the pinnacle of contemporary art in Tampa Bay. Now in its fourth iteration of the triennial exhibition, “Skyway 2027: A Contemporary Collaboration,” celebrates outstanding creative practices flourishing across Florida’s Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. What began in 2017 as an innovative collaboration has evolved into a beloved tradition, galvanizing the regional artist community and introducing artistic talents and vigorous practices to larger audiences. In this year’s iteration, SAM proudly joins four other esteemed institutions: The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (Sarasota), Museum of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg), Tampa Museum of Art (Tampa) and University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum (Tampa).
Photo mounted on Dibond. Courtesy of the artist.
“E.A. KAHANE: HEART OF THE RACE, Master Mechanics of the Mille Miglia” opens April 25. Through more than 100 black-and-white photographs, E.A. KAHANE tells the story of Italy’s legendary classic automotive race, shifting the lens from vintage sports cars to the master mechanics who keep them running. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the world-famous “thousand-mile journey,” Kahane’s exhibition honors 80 workers from around the globe who make the five-day, grueling journey possible. Featuring behind-the-scenes glimpses of real-time repairs and posed portraits, Kahane captures the excitement, chaos and beauty of one of the world’s most renowned vintage automotive events, while paying tribute to the human hands behind the machine.
SAM’s 2026-2027 Exhibition Season comes to a close with “Double Feature: Mike Solomon and Syd Solomon,” beginning May 16. This exhibition explores the lasting artistic legacy of Sarasota- and New York-based father-and-son artists Mike Solomon and Syd Solomon. The exhibition is organized into adjacent galleries, creating a visual conversation between the mid-century modernism of the late Syd Solomon and the contemporary, atmospheric compositions of his son, Mike Solomon. Syd Solomon’s works are celebrated for their sweeping gestures and vibrant palettes, rooted in the coastal light and topography of the Gulf Coast. Mike Solomon’s work shifts toward the ethereal as his practice is defined by a rigorous exploration of materials and a fascination with spirituality, light and transparency. Through a side-by-side look at the evolution of abstraction across two generations, “Double Feature” is a celebration of Sarasota as a wellspring of artistic inspiration and ongoing influence.
From legends like Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon and Gordon Parks, to award-winning conceptual glass artists Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin to the Ringling College of Art and Design talents of Eszter Sziksz and Chie Fueki and more, this season reflects SAM’s commitment to presenting pioneering modern and contemporary exhibitions that foster appreciation and understanding of the art of our time.
A full Season schedule with more details follows this release.
Sarasota Art Museum’s 2026-2027 Exhibition Season
Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder
October 18, 2026–April 4, 2027
Photographs are, as writer Roland Barthes affirms, “certificates of presence,” verification that a moment, a person, or a place existed. From the adoration of a loved one or the wonder felt before nature, to the hardship of labor and the devastation of war, photographs are imprinted by human experience. Featuring approximately 100 photographs by over 50 artists, this exhibition explores the concept of presence through tender portraits, awe-inspiring landscapes, candid photojournalism and spontaneous cityscapes. Drawn entirely from the collection of photographer and humanitarian Judy Glickman Lauder, “Presence” creates a dialogue among an array of photographs by some of the most beloved and influential practitioners of the 20th-century, including Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Danny Lyon, Gordon Parks and James Van Der Zee.
“Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder” is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and Portland Museum of Art, Maine, and curated by Anjuli Lebowitz, PhD, Judy Glickman Lauder Curator of Photography, Portland Museum of Art, Maine.
Chie Fueki: Painting the Floating World
October 18, 2026–April 4, 2027
Everyday life becomes extraordinary in “Painting the Floating World.” This new exhibition by Ringling College of Art and Design alum Chie Fueki synthesizes Japanese ukiyo-e atmospheric techniques with Western abstraction, perspectival space, and practices of overlay and juxtaposition. Drawing from her own Japanese and Brazilian heritage, Fueki’s vibrant and densely layered works dance with an elaborate interplay of painting, drawing and constructed mulberry paper compositions. Spanning 25 years of the artist’s career, these works carve out familiar scenes that fuse figuration and abstraction to create an intricate “floating world.” Intimate and expansive, ordinary and extraordinary, “Painting the Floating World” captures daily life in full motion.
“Chie Fueki: Painting the Floating World” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Lacie Barbour, associate curator of exhibitions, with Rangsook Yoon, former senior curator.
Eszter Sziksz: Seeking, I Don’t Know What I’m Looking For (And I Hope I Never Find It)
October 18, 2026–April 4, 2027
What remains when everything we thought was important suddenly shifts? Award-winning and internationally exhibited artist Eszter Sziksz invites visitors to meander through, examine and consider open-ended questions from some of the world’s greatest minds in “Seeking,” a new immersive and interactive installation. In a stark display, long sheets of semi-translucent wax paper hang from the gallery ceiling. At the base of each, inquiries inspired by the musings of philosophers like Plato, Derrida, Camus and Heidegger are pressed into the fragile paper through inkless embossing. Using magnifying glasses hung throughout the space, visitors must lean in and look closely to reveal their latent messages. “Seeking” does not provide answers. Instead, it searches for better questions.
“Eszter Sziksz: Seeking” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Virginia Shearer, executive director.
Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin: Precession Through Glass
November 15, 2026–April 25, 2027
The art of glass becomes a lens through which award-winning artists Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin explore the mysteries of the universe in “Precession Through Glass.” Through a thought-provoking array of sculptures, installations, and mixed media works, this new exhibition delves into a world where science meets the sublime, the seen meets the unseen and the rational meets the intuitive. Inspired by Albert Einstein’s view that “the intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant,” “Precession Through Glass” celebrates the beauty of what we don’t yet know, embracing uncharted territories of thought and perception. From the complexities of DNA to the vast enigma of human consciousness, Guggisberg and Baldwin invite curious minds to marvel in the intricate tapestry of what is known, while preserving space for the sparks of insight that can emerge from the depths of what is unknown.
“Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin: Precession Through Glass” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Virginia Shearer, executive director with curatorial guidance by Rangsook Yoon, former senior curator.
Skyway 2027: A Contemporary Collaboration
April 25–September 26, 2027
Now in its fourth iteration, “Skyway” is a triennial exhibition celebrating the gamut of regional creativities and contemporary art practices flourishing in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. Originating as a collaboration among art institutions in the Tampa Bay area in 2017, “Skyway” has galvanized the artist community in the region, introducing artistic talents and vigorous practices to a larger audience. This year, Sarasota Art Museum proudly joins four other esteemed institutions: The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (Sarasota), Museum of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg), Tampa Museum of Art (Tampa) and University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum (Tampa).
Sarasota Art Museum’s “Skyway 2027: A Contemporary Collaboration” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Lacie Barbour, associate curator of exhibitions.
E.A. KAHANE: HEART OF THE RACE, Master Mechanics of the Mille Miglia
April 25–September 26, 2027
Behind the glitz of Italy’s legendary “thousand-mile race” is a team of men and women whose skill, sweat and savvy sustain the iconic spectacle of speed. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the first Mille Miglia race, photographer E. A. KAHANE shifts the lens from vintage sports cars to the master mechanics who keep them running. Through evocative black-and-white images, Kahane honors 80 mechanics from around the globe whose generational knowledge and late-night grit sustain this five-day, grueling journey from Brescia to Rome and back again year after year. Featuring over 100 photographs, this exhibition captures the excitement, chaos and beauty of one of the world’s most renowned classic automotive events, while paying tribute to the human hands behind the machine.
“E.A. KAHANE: HEART OF THE RACE, Master Mechanics of the Mille Miglia” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Virginia Shearer, executive director.
Double Feature: Mike Solomon and Syd Solomon
May 16–October 31, 2027
Experience the artistic legacy of Sarasota and New York-based artists Mike and Syd Solomon in “Double Feature.” Syd Solomon’s sweeping gestures and bold colors, inspired by the Sarasota landscape, made him a highly regarded artist of the Abstract Expressionist movement in the mid-20th century. After moving to the Gulf Coast in the mid-1940s, Solomon helped put Sarasota on the map as a destination for modern art, encouraging his New York-based artistic colleagues to live and work in Florida. Today, Mike Solomon carries on the creative continuum with his ethereal body of work, influenced by spirituality and material exploration. Bruce Helander for the Huffington Post called Mike Solomon, “a tastemaker if there ever was one.” Exhibited in side-by-side galleries, the works of father and son create an intergenerational dialogue between modernist and contemporary practices and celebrate Sarasota as a wellspring of artistic inspiration and ongoing influence.
“Double Feature: Mike Solomon and Syd Solomon” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Elana Rubinfeld, guest curator with Rangsook Yoon, former senior curator.
About Sarasota Art Museum
Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) is the city’s only Museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Founded in 2019, SAM features an ever-rotating lineup of world-class exhibitions, dynamic programs, and enriching educational offerings, and serves as a creative gathering place for curious minds from across the Gulf Coast, Southeast United States, and beyond. Housed in the historic former Sarasota High School, the Museum has revitalized and reimagined the towering landmark and architectural treasure, connecting Sarasota’s past with its present. Today, SAM is home to 15,000 square feet of gallery exhibition space, where nationally touring shows, as well as curated and commissioned exhibits by both renowned and emerging artists, deepen visitors’ appreciation for 20th and 21st century art. More at SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
About American Federation of Arts
The American Federation of Arts is the leader in traveling exhibitions internationally. A nonprofit organization founded in 1909, the AFA is dedicated to enriching the public’s experience and understanding of the visual arts through organizing and touring art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishing exhibition catalogues featuring important scholarly research, and developing educational programs.
About Portland Museum of Art
The Portland Museum of Art, located blocks from the working waterfront in Maine’s largest city, seeks to tell multifaceted stories through art. From free school tours, family activities, curator talks, and tours of the Winslow Homer Studio—it’s all happening at the PMA.