Hermitage Artist Ted Riederer Returns to Sarasota Art Museum
June 3-9 to Create Additional Vinyl Records for Never Records Project

Local Music Artists to Collaborate with Riederer During Daily Recording Sessions On View with Museum’s Exhibition, Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artists Retreat

Never Records installation at Sarasota Art Museum
Artist Ted Riederer’s Never Records installation at Sarasota Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design has an appearance reminiscent of a vintage vinyl record store combined with a music recording studio. Photography by Ryan Gamma.

SARASOTA, Fla. (May 31, 2024) – Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design is pleased to announce that New York artist and musician and Hermitage Artist Retreat alum Ted Riederer will return to the Museum, June 3-9, to create additional vinyl records as part of his 14-year audio-visual art installation project, Never Records. While in residence, Riederer will collaborate with local artists and community members to capture their sounds on vinyl during one of two daily recording sessions. This is Riederer’s second time creating vinyl records in residence at Sarasota Art Museum, the first coming directly after the opening of the exhibition, Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artists Retreat, back in March, of which Never Records is included. Impact is open now through July 7.

According to Riederer, the idea behind Never Records is simple: Riederer travels to a city and opens a vinyl record shop and recording studio. Local artists — musicians, poets, comedians — can sign up for a three-hour recording session, overseen by Riederer himself, at the end of which they leave with a freshly cut vinyl record. Visitors to the exhibition can peruse the shop, which features unique artwork and is designed to mimic a long-operating record shop; listen to recordings from past Never Records installations; and watch performances as they’re being recorded and cut live.

While the practice of recording on vinyl has been displaced commercially by new technologies, recording on vinyl is still revered by many audiophiles and music fans for its ability to capture the nuance of live performance.

“My goal with Never Records is to create high-quality recordings that everyone can be proud of, and the opportunities to collaborate with talented artists in this community were so numerous, I knew I had to return to Sarasota Art Museum to continue this project,” said Riederer. “The three weeks I spent here in March were not enough.”

Ted Riederer headshot with records in the background
Artist Ted Riederer in his Never Records installation at Sarasota Art Museum, March 2024.
Courtesy of the artist.

Some of the local artists collaborating with Riederer on his return include Shawn Cacciola, a singer and guitar player who describes his sound as a “visceral, raw, alternative rock and hard grunge sound;” Francesco Tarantino, a singer-songwriter-guitarist; and a four-member rock band performing alt-rock songs, nowincolor. To represent other genres, Ellen Bernfeld will perform jazz standards with her 101-year-old mother, a supper club singer in the 1940’s; Edwin Culver will record classical guitar compositions; and Dean Brenneman and the Dan Dembicki Quintet will perform as The GRAVEL ROAD, a musical collaboration that seeks to trace the evolution of The Blues, through Jazz, to the birth of Rock and Soul, with some added storytelling. Louie San Luis will read from the children’s book, Welcome to the Axos World, and sing its theme song. Paul Citrin, a folk/rock guitarist performing original songs written 50 years ago, will share his songs with the public for the first time since 1970.

Once the artists have recorded their tracks, which are mixed and quickly mastered, Riederer then demonstrates how to cut a vinyl record, using what he terms a “transcendental science,” which includes the examination of the recording’s sound waves under a microscope. Riederer refers to the process as “a guided meditation into the visualization of sound.”

“The process of recording with Never Records is unique because the recordings are made in the spirit of art, and they have an organic energy freed from the constraints of traditional recording sessions. I encourage participants to share their recordings with their audiences. Many Never Records performers have gone on to release their recordings because they feel these sessions capture a true performance,” said Riederer.

“Installations like Never Records allow the Museum to open the galleries for social and artistic dialogue and play an integral role in the growth of the artistic community in Sarasota,” said Sarasota Art Museum Executive Director Virginia Shearer. “Presenting Impact and Never Records advances Sarasota Art Museum’s goal to serve as an incubator for contemporary artists while simultaneously stimulating the local art scene and inspiring community dialogue.”

Never Records participants from Sarasota Housing Authority's Youth Thrive Program with Ted Riederer at Sarasota Art Museum in March 2024.
Courtesy of the artist.

The Never Records recording sessions at Sarasota Art Museum will take place in view of the public and are part of the exhibition, Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artists Retreat. Audiences are encouraged to observe the June 3-9 sessions, which are included with admission and will take place Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm, Saturday 2 pm to 5 pm, and Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm.

Never Records already has brought so many diverse local artists and community members into the Museum, some for the very first time, each bringing with them their own sounds and stories that activate and transform the energy in the galleries,” said Lacie Barbour, Associate Curator of Exhibitions at Sarasota Art Museum. “The true magic behind this installation lies in Riederer’s power to create a space where people feel comfortable sharing their voices with others who want to listen.”

Never Records at Sarasota Art Museum marks the 14th anniversary of the project. Since 2010, the project has traveled to Liverpool; Derry, Ireland; London; Lisbon; New Orleans; Victoria, Texas; Brooklyn, New York; and Amman, Jordan. To commemorate the occasion, Riederer will present a talk about his Never Records project at the Sarasota High School Alumni Auditorium at the Museum on Saturday, June 8, from 11 am to 12 pm. Riederer will discuss his background and the origins of Never Records, share personal stories from his global installations, and explore the intersection of art, community, and music. The talk is free for Museum Members and $20 for Not-Yet Members (the $20 ticket includes Museum Admission).

About Sarasota Art Museum

Sarasota Art Museum is a catalyst for appreciation and understanding of the art of our time. As a platform for exposure, education, and experimentation, the Museum inspires new ideas and new ways of being through an endless rotation of transformative, relevant, and pioneering exhibitions and programs designed to elevate and empower all by cultivating discerning visual thinkers and ethical citizens.

Sarasota Art Museum is Ringling College of Art and Design’s dynamic laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art. Sarasota Art Museum shares the Ringling College Museum Campus with Ringling College’s Continuing Studies program comprised of the non-credit Studio and Digital Arts program and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Ringling College.
Located in the historic Sarasota High School, Sarasota Art Museum opened to the public in 2019 in the beautifully reimagined building by K/R Architects. The new Museum is comprised of 15,000 square feet of dedicated exhibition space, a plaza court, the Great Lawn featuring temporary sculpture and site – specific installations, Bistro, and SHOP.
As Sarasota’s only museum solely focused on contemporary artists and their work, Sarasota Art Museum offers visitors a place to see thought-provoking exhibitions and participate in education programs that start conversations and amplify the city’s creative spirit.
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