Exhibition Archive

Richard Benson: The World Is Smarter Than You Are

February 5 – May 7, 2023

“Go out into the world with the camera and photograph and find out that the world is smarter than you are.” – Richard Benson

This exhibition surveys nearly fifty years of Benson’s photography, a wide-ranging body of work that reflects his humility and boundless curiosity about the world and his tireless exploration of how to make photographs. A selection of artworks by ten artists who studied and worked with Benson will also be included in this exhibition.
"Newfoundland (Green Boat)," c. 2006, by Richard Benson (American, 1943–2017). Multiple impression pigment print, image: 11 9/16 × 17 3/8 inches.; sheet: 12 15/16 × 19 inches. © Estate of Richard M. A. Benson. Collection of Barbara Benson. Image courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2021.
"Newfoundland (Green Boat)," c. 2006
by Richard Benson (American, 1943–2017)
Multiple impression pigment print, image: 11 9/16 × 17 3/8 inches.; sheet: 12 15/16 × 19 inches.

© Estate of Richard M. A. Benson. Collection of Barbara Benson. Image courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2021.

Xaviera Simmons

May 2021- April 17, 2023

Xaviera Simmons engages her sweeping practice of photography, painting, video, sound, sculpture, and installation to explore the construction of landscape, language, and complex histories in the United States and its empire building globally.
Xaviera Simmons, The structure the labor the foundation the escape the pause (2020) Steel, wood, concrete, and acrylic, in three parts: a. 17 × 4 × 12 ft.; b. 14.8 ft. × 10 in. × 7.5 ft.; c. 12.5 × 9 × 26 ft. Courtesy of the Artist, Socrates Sculpture Park, and David Castillo, Miami, Photo: Ryan Gamma
Xaviera Simmons, The structure the labor the foundation the escape the pause (2020)
Steel, wood, concrete, and acrylic
in three parts: a. 17 × 4 × 12 ft.; b. 14.8 ft. × 10 in. × 7.5 ft.; c. 12.5 × 9 × 26 ft.

Courtesy of the artist and David Castillo, Miami; Originally commissioned by Socrates Sculpture Park, New York, with support from the Ford Foundation
Photo: Ryan Gamma

Steven and William Ladd

September 4 – February 5, 2023

Steven and William Ladd create collaboratively, pulling from childhood stories and experiences to transform materials, such as textiles and beads, into microcosms of memory. The exhibition will include past works and new works being exhibited for the first time, including a work created with members of the Sarasota community during Scrollathon.
Steven and William Ladd, "Shaboygen," 2012, Board, plywood, metal, fiber, beads, paper, tulle, Angora bunny hair, and pins, 26 3/4 x 26 3/4 x 102 1/4 in., Courtesy of the artists and Cristina Grajales Gallery
Steven and William Ladd
Shaboygen
2012
Board, plywood, metal, fiber, beads, paper, tulle, Angora bunny hair, and pins
40 ½ x 60 ¾ x 15 ½ in. (each)

Courtesy of the artists

Journeys to Places Known and Unknown: Moving Images by Janet Biggs and peter campus

October 16 – January 15, 2023

Journeys to Places Known and Unknown looks at the contrasting ways two artists of different generations—Janet Biggs and peter campus—use moving images to explore intersections of science, philosophy, and spirituality.
peter campus, "barrier," videograph, 6:26 minutes, looped, edition of 3 plus 1 artist's proof, installation view of "when the hurly burly's done" at Parrish Art Museum (Water Mill, NY), Courtesy of the artist
peter campus
barrier
videograph, 6:26 minutes, looped, edition of 3 plus 1 artist's proof, installation view of when the hurly burly's doneat Parrish Art Museum (Water Mill, NY)

Courtesy of the artist and Cristin Tierney Gallery, New York

"In the Cold Edge" (video still), 2010. Single channel HD video with sound. Courtesy of the artist and Cristin Tierney, NYC
Janet Biggs
In the Cold Edge(video still)
2010
Single channel HD video with sound.

Courtesy of the artist and Cristin Tierney, New York

Katrina Coombs

I M(O)ther

Threads of the Maternal Figure

May 22 – October 2, 2022

Katrina Coombs (b. 1986, Jamaica) has a passion for fiber and an understanding of the sensitivity of threads and fabric, which she uses to bring forth unique designs and sculptural forms. Coombs’ works are inspired and guided by a quest to deepen the spiritual, emotional, and psychological understanding of the numerous conflicting roles that have been attributed to women in contemporary society.
Katrina Coombs, Oshuns Glory, 2020
Katrina Coombs
Oshun’s Glory (detail)
2020
Finger-knitted mixed fibers
Dimensions variable

Courtesy of the artist
Photo: Katrina Coombs

State of the Art 2020: Constructs

April 24 – September 11, 2022

State of the Art: Constructs is an exploration into how contemporary art – produced all across the country including regions outside traditional art centers – reflects the present moment.

State of The Art 2020: Constructs is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.

 

The national tour of State of the Art 2020 is sponsored by Bank of America with additional support from Art Bridges.

Bank of America Logo
Crystal Bridges Museum of America
Lori Kella, Euclid’s Mirror, 2019, Archival pigment print Courtesy of the artist

Daniel Lind-Ramos: Las Tres Marías

April 2 – August 7, 2022

Daniel Lind-Ramos (b. 1953, Puerto Rico) creates assemblages from found and reclaimed objects, many of which the artist collected from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. This exhibition will include two new assemblage works created specifically for the Museum, Baño de María and María Guabancex, in addition to María de los Sustentos.

Daniel Lind-Ramos, María de los Sustentos (2020-2021). Collection of David Cancel Photo: Abby Leigh
Daniel Lind-Ramos
María de los Sustentos
2020-2021
Assemblage
121 x 91 x 42 in.

Collection of David Cancel
Photo: Abby Leigh

JPW3

Zen Jail

December 14, 2019 – July 19, 2022

Marcy & Michael Klein Plaza

Zen Jail is an open-ended work in progress, adapting to its new home in Sarasota, after time in a park in Miami. The artist, JPW3 (b. 1981, Tallahassee, FL), sourced a piece of wood from a tree that grew in Sarasota and has turned it into a scope for the viewer/participant to meditate—or spy—on passers-by from the sunken bench seat. A tea plant is growing, that will be harvested and brewed in a series of interactive performative events that will riff on tea ceremonies around the world. Passion flower (passiflora) vines grow onto the framework of Zen Jail, providing a micro-ecosystem for butterflies (especially the endangered Monarch Danaus plexippus) and other pollinators to assist in habitat restoration. Zen Jail will evolve and grow as the site responds to the community’s engagement. It may be a meditation site, a site for music and performance, a site for reflection, a playspace—how would you like to play with Zen Jail?

JPW3's Zen Jail is a site specific art installation at Sarasota Art Museum
JPW3, Zen Jail , 2016/2019

Courtesy of the artist

Carl Abbott

La Musa Azul

2019 – July 17, 2022

Marcy & Michael Klein Plaza

As one enters the Plaza, the eye is drawn toward two “Abbott Blue” walls converging in a portal. These diagonal gestures define the entrance to the site-responsive, interactive installation, La Musa Azul, featuring one of the signature blue hues that has defined Carl Abbott’s (b. 1944) creative practice since his youth, where he was captivated by the wild irises and petunias of his Georgia childhood. The sculpture defines Abbott’s intersecting attributes as both a colorist and a landscape designer, and employs his signature diagonal gesture, used as a device to lead both body and vision. Visitors are invited to wander the grove, sit in quiet contemplation or simply marvel at the musa trees (Latin name for the banana genus), and enjoy the shared etymology of “muse”, origin of the word museum—a muse in the grove. Trees have long provided our “first architecture”—providing shelter—and sacred groves throughout time and across cultures have provided a respite from the bustle of our “profane”, workaday lives—much needed during this current time.

Carl Abbott, La Musa Azul
Carl Abbott, La Musa Azul, 2019
Wood, stucco, latex paint, and banana plants

Courtesy of the artist

Felix Gonzalez-Torres

November 27, 2021 – May 15, 2022

Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996, Cuba) used everyday materials, such as lightbulbs, paper, and candy, to engage viewers in deeper consideration of intrapersonal and cultural issues. “Untitled” (L.A.) is one of the artist’s candy spill works that employs the familiar and alluring material of candy.
Installation view of Felix Gonzalez-Torres' "Untitled" (L.A.), Photo: Ryan Gamma
Installation view of Felix Gonzalez-Torres' "Untitled" (L.A.)

Photo: Ryan Gamma

Danner Washburn

Effigy: Hemric

December 8, 2021– 8 May 2022

Danner Washburn (b.1994, North Carolina) utilizes sculpture, painting, sound, and installation to study the junctures between consumerism, folklore traditions, and the built environments of rural American subcultures.
Danner Washburn, Fertile, 2021, Porcelain figurine, NC 95 tobacco seed, collards seed, summer squash seed, sweet corn seed, neutral pH adhesive, 3 x 1 ¼ x 2 in., Courtesy of the artist
Danner Washburn, Fertile, 2021
Porcelain figurine, NC 95 tobacco seed, collards seed, summer squash seed, sweet corn seed, neutral pH adhesive
3 x 1 ¼ x 2 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Judith Linhares: The Artist as Curator

November 27, 2021 – April 3, 2022

Judith Linhares: The Artist as Curator illuminates the wondrous world of Judith Linhares (b. 1940, California) and the abundance of influences that shape her artistic practice—from her time in the California Bay Area in the 1960s and 70s, to her studio space, to her dream journals, to other artists, five of whom Linhares has selected to include in the exhibition.

Judith Linhares, Cove, 2010, Oil on linen, 60 x 81 in., Adrienne and Chris Birchby Collection, Image courtesy of the artist and Various Small Fires, Los Angeles/Seoul
Judith Linhares, Cove, 2010
Oil on linen
60 x 81 in.

Adrienne and Chris Birchby Collection
Image courtesy of the artist and Various Small Fires, Los Angeles/Seoul

David Budd: Motion Within Stillness

October 9 – March 20, 2022
After painting for only six years, David Budd (1927-1991, Florida) dove into the New York art scene in the 1950s —immersing himself in Abstract Expressionism and working alongside iconic names of the movement, such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline. His paintings, like others of the time, relied on the bodily relationship between the artist and canvas —each stroke and mark of the artist encapsulated in viscous gestures of paint—and spontaneity; although, this is not to say that Budd painted hastily—each mark was placed with intention to animate the canvas’s surface.
David Budd, Easter Island I, 1973, Oil on canvas, 60 x 60 in., Collection of Ringling College of Art + Design, Photo: Rich Schineller
David Budd, Easter Island I, 1973
Oil on canvas
60 x 60 in.

Collection of Ringling College of Art and Design
Photo: Rich Schineller

Samo Davis: Happiness in ROYGBIV

May 29, 2021 – March 6, 2022

Happiness in ROYGBIV is a vibrant sculptural installation that features a colorful and effervescent tree composed of found objects from the artist’s home, intending to spark joy within the difficult times of the last year.

Samo Davis, Happiness in ROYGBIV, 2021, Plastic, pom poms, resin, yarn, clay, recycled materials. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Sarasota Art Museum
Samo Davis, Happiness in ROYGBIV, 2021
Plastic, pom poms, resin, yarn, clay, recycled materials.

Courtesy of the artist.
Photo: Sarasota Art Museum

Charles McGill: In the Rough

29 May – 31 October

Charles McGill: In the Rough explores the assemblage works of artist, educator, and golf teaching professional Charles McGill, who physically deconstructed and repurposed the plastic, steel, leather, vinyl, and hardware from vintage golf bags to examine the racial and class inequities associated with the sport and leisure activity.

Charles McGill, Shredded Quilt II, 2016
Reconfigured golf bag parts on panel, 72 x 72 x 6 in.

Courtesy of the Estate of Charles McGill
Photo: Jenny Gorman

Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott

29 May – 31 October 

Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott is the first comprehensive retrospective of one of the United States’ most compelling and provocative artists who—through vibrant paintings laced with biting satire—confronted issues of race, gender, identity, and the uncomfortable realities of American life in the latter half of the 20th century.

Installation view of "Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott". On view at Sarasota Art Museum, May 29 - October 31, 2021, Photo: Ryan Gamma
Installation view of Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott
Photo: Ryan Gamma

Unraveling: Aranda\Lasch & Terrol Dew Johnson

12 June – 26 September

Aranda\Lasch, a New York and Tucson-based design studio, and Terrol Dew Johnson, an internationally renowned Tohono O’odham basket weaver, collaborate on exquisitely intricate sculptures that are a unique blend of traditional Native American weaving techniques and digital fabrication methods.
Aranda\Lasch and Terrol Dew Johnson, Knot #3, 2016 Aluminum, creosote, yucca, and cedar bark, 68 x 66 x 40 in. Courtesy of the artists Photo Credit: Aranda\Lasch
Aranda\Lasch and Terrol Dew Johnson, Knot #3, 2016
Aluminum, creosote, yucca, and cedar bark, 68 x 66 x 40 in.

Courtesy of the artists
Photo Credit: ArandaLasch

Janaina Tschäpe, Gush (2014), Photo: Teresa Lojacono
Janaina Tschäpe, Gush (2014)

Casein and watercolor pencil on canvas, 118 x 234 in.
Podesta Collection, Washington D.C.
Photo: Teresa Lojacono

Janaina Tschäpe

Between the Sky and the Water

13 December – 2 May 2021

Caribbean Hilltop Residence photo: Steven Brooke Studios
Caribbean Hilltop Residence
Photo: Steven Brooke Studios

Carl Abbott

Architecture for Nature

Carrie Mae Weems, RESIST COVID/TAKE 6! poster on a billboard at US301 and 17th Street, Photo: Matthew Holler
Carrie Mae Weems, RESIST COVID/TAKE 6! poster on a billboard at US301 and 17th Street
Photo: Matthew Holler

Carrie Mae Weems

RESIST COVID/TAKE 6!

Sarasota Art Museum launched its participation in Carrie Mae Weems’ public awareness campaign RESIST COVID/TAKE 6! in July of 2020. The project delivers Weems’ characteristic dual force of powerful, yet sobering image-text unions – here, concerned with COVID-19 and the disproportionate effects on Black, Latinx, and Native communities as a result of healthcare inequities.

Dogon by Harmony Hammond
Harmony Hammond, Dogon (1978/2015)

Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Gray Associates, New York
Photo: Eric Swanson
© Harmony Hammond / VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Harmony Hammond
Material Witness, Five Decades of Art

15 October - 15 November 2020

Harmony Hammond: Material Witness, Five Decades of Art is the first museum survey of the work of Harmony Hammond – subversive artist, feminist and lesbian scholar, author and curator. Through the recontextualization of a wide cast of materials and form, Hammond challenges the historical associations of painting as a male-dominated field, and combats stereotypes of feminist and queer art. Organized by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, this exhibition spans fifty years (1971-2018) of Hammond’s painting-sculpture works, drawings, and ephemera.
Harmony Hammond: Material Witness, Five Decades of Art is organized by Amy Smith-Stewart, Senior Curator, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.
Generous support for Harmony Hammond: Material Witness, Five Decades of Art is provided by Crozier Fine Arts and Diana Bowes and James Torrey. Media support is provided by Connecticut Cottages & Gardens (CTC&G). Generous support from the Wagner Foundation has helped to make it possible for Material Witness: Five Decades of Art to travel to the Sarasota Art Museum.
Crozier, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, and Wagner Foundation logos
Pino Pascali's Bachi da setola are acrylic bristle brushes on metal supports
Pino Pascali, Bachi da setola (1968)
Photo: Sarasota Art Museum

Color. Theory. & (b/w)

14 December 2019 - 25 October 2020

This is the first installation of an ongoing investigation into the art and science of color. The subject of color theory allows us to look at wide range of ideas, from cognitive science to philosophy to literature, while marveling at the seductive and confounding ways in which artists wrestle with color. Here, we invite you to pay close attention to the artists’ use of color relative to the medium. What is the relationship of color to material? Is color applied, embedded, reflected, atomized, projected, inferred? How do colors shift in the light?  How do colors appear relative to their neighboring works? We invite you to take a closer look on the third floor galleries of the Museum, and then enjoy visiting our Conservatory to learn more about Color. Theory. & (b/w).
Artist Jean Shin poses with her installation Celadon Landscapes
Jean Shin, Celadon Landscape (2015)

Celadon Landscape

Jean Shin

14 December 2019 - 13 March 2020

Celadon Landscape is constructed from ceramic discards collected from numerous kilns in Korea. These shards are the result of potters destroying finished ceramic vessels with any minor imperfections. Shin views the celadon fragments as a metaphor of the Korean diaspora, vibrant artifacts of the Korean people, their history and culture that are scattered all over the world to form new identities elsewhere. The term celadon also refers to the soft, pale grey-green color achieved by coating the clay with an iron-rich glaze that oxidizes during the heating process.

Marat(Sebastiao)(2008) from Vik Muniz's Pictures of Garbage series
Vik Muniz, Marat (Sebastião)(2008) from Pictures of Garbage

Vik Muniz

14 December 2019 - 8 March 2020

Vik Muniz is distinguished as one of the most innovative and creative artists of our time. Endlessly playful and inventive in his approach, Muniz harnesses a remarkable virtuosity in creating his renowned “photographic delusions”. Working with a dizzying array of unconventional materials including sugar, tomato sauce, diamonds, magazine clippings, chocolate syrup, dust, and junk Muniz painstakingly builds tableaux before recording them with his camera. From a distance the subject of each resulting photograph is discernible; up close, the work reveals a complex and surprising matrix through which it is assembled. That revelatory moment when one thing transforms into another is of deep interest to the artist.