Sarasota Art Museum Announces Installation of New Site-Specific Outdoor Playscape, “Natural Curiosity”
Playscape developed through community-inclusive design by The Urban Conga becomes extension of the Museum as an “outdoor classroom”
Sarasota, Fla — Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) is pleased to announce the addition of a new playscape located on the Museum’s Great Lawn. Titled “Natural Curiosity,” this piece will serve as part art installation, part outdoor classroom, inspiring creativity, social connection and well-being for locals, tourists and school students alike. Designed by Brooklyn, New York-based, award-winning multidisciplinary design studio The Urban Conga, this inviting, site-specific installation will create a dynamic outdoor respite for Museum visitors, sparking connection with nature and social activity through open-ended play.
An intimate, invite-only dedication for the outdoor work will be held on July 22, 2026 from 10– 11 am, featuring remarks by Executive Director Virginia Shearer and Lead Donors Barry and Karen McClure. The private celebration will also include a photo opportunity with designers from The Urban Conga and artmaking activities for area youth.
“This project has been two years in the making, and we are thrilled to finally see this playscape come to life,” shared Sarasota Art Museum Executive Director Virginia Shearer. “This installation was very much a community-supported effort, designed with valuable input from many local community partners. Now, it’s so meaningful to come full circle, sharing the final work with the very people who helped shape its design. It is our sincere hope that ‘Natural Curiosity’ becomes a treasured space of quiet reflection, learning, appreciation of nature and artful discovery for many years to come.”
The Urban Conga is a Brooklyn, New York-based, award-winning multidisciplinary design studio led by Ryan Swanson and Maeghann Coleman, AIA. The studio is known for its signature community-driven approach, utilizing play methodologies as critical creative tools from conception to completion. Both Swanson and Coleman have local roots, receiving degrees from University of South Florida in Architecture.
“It’s exciting to work with institutions like the Sarasota Art Museum that recognize the importance of community-driven design,” said Maeghann Coleman and Ryan Swanson, principals of The Urban Conga. “The stories, feedback and imagination shared by local residents, together with the museum and its partners, including The Haven, became an integral part of this project. The result is a playscape that reflects the community’s voice while creating inclusive opportunities for discovery, connection and open-ended play for all.”
Beginning in 2024, The Urban Conga led a 10-month community-inclusive design process for SAM, including focus groups with area partners, youth enrolled in the Museum’s popular Summer Camp program and families visiting the Museum, funded with a grant from Community Foundation of Sarasota County. As a result of this collaborative planning process, the ultimate design features canopied multisensory elements that evoke the idea of free-choice learning. Some of the interiors include kaleidoscope effects, changing color and brightness while creating patterns throughout the day. One of the structures is left unenclosed, allowing wheelchair users to participate. The playscape also features stepped structures created from sustainable materials that people can use as a vantage point to draw from nature.
One of SAM’s longest and strongest partners, The Haven, was a key player in the design discussions to ensure the installation would be accommodating for people with cognitive and physical challenges.
“We appreciate Sarasota Art Museum and The Urban Conga for inviting organizations like The Haven to help shape a space that is welcoming, engaging and accessible,” shared Alison Thomas, Chief Operating Officer of The Haven. “The result is a place where individuals of all abilities can learn, play and connect with the world around them.”
Beginning in August 2026, the playscape will be activated on each second Sunday of the month when SAM opens its doors to the general public free of charge thanks to generous support from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. Free Second Sundays will feature dedicated lesson plans and artmaking activities for youth and families. Additionally, throughout the school year, “Natural Curiosity” will serve as an “outdoor classroom” for field trips and a setting for art, play, wellness and connection with the natural environment. Overall, the new addition to the Sarasota Art Museum campus will add new cultural and park-like offerings for our community, while demonstrating the powerful impact of nurturing art and nature programs in unison.
“Natural Curiosity” is made possible, in part, with generous support from Lead Donors Barry and Karen McClure along with support from PNC Foundation, Mrs. Ruth Kreindler, Community Foundation of Sarasota County and many individual donors.
“Giving to our community and the creative arts is important to us, said Barry and Karen McClure. “We would like children to be introduced to cultural experiences the way our children were raised. A creative playscape will motivate kids to ask their parents to take them to the Museum.”
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 The Urban Conga
The Urban Conga, an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio led by Ryan Swanson and Maeghann Coleman, AIA (The American Institute of Architects), NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) based in Brooklyn, New York, whose work explores how play can act as a catalyst for community interaction and social activity within the public realm. Working across the intersections of architecture, urban design, public art and social practice, the studio focuses on creating inclusive, multiscale spatial opportunities that transform overlooked or underutilized spaces into stimulating environments that encourage curiosity, interaction and free-choice learning. Central to the studio’s practice is the utilization of play methodologies as a critical tool implemented not just in the work itself but within the community-driven design process in which the work is created. The studio examines how participatory design and open-ended spatial systems can help cultivate more empathetic, responsive and socially resilient environments. Their work worldwide often blurs disciplinary boundaries, combining elements of landscape design, public installation, architecture, education and performance to create experiences that invite people to actively shape and reinterpret space together. The resulting work encourages spontaneous interaction and shared authorship, turning everyday environments into platforms for collective exchange and exploration. For more information visit: www.theurbanconga.com