Quotable Talks

Quotable Talks present authors, artists, and contemporary creatives who spark new ways of thinking about art, culture, and creative practice.

Meet in the Thomas McGuire Hall.

Quotable Talk with Ari Seth Cohen
Author of Advanced Pets

Saturday, January 25, 2025

1-3 pm

$35 for Members
$40 for Not-Yet Members (includes Museum admission)

Ari Seth Cohen is a freelance writer, photographer, and blogger based in Los Angeles. Cohen grew up in San Diego and moved to New York in 2008, where he immediately noticed a vibrant community of older women with grand personal styles. This eventually led to the creation of Advanced Style, a blog devoted “to capturing the sartorial savvy of the senior set.” Over the past ten years, Advanced Style has appeared in national media such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, Vice, New York, The Fader, Vogue Japan, Vogue Italia, Elle, Elle UK, The UK Telegraph, Forbes.com, and internationally broadcast news and fashion programs. He has since published Advanced Style The Coloring Book, Advanced Style: Older and Wiser and Advanced Love. Cohen brought his colorful subjects to the big screen in the critically acclaimed Advanced Style Documentary. In 2015 New York Times fashion director, Vanessa Friedman, credited Cohen with creating a movement which has led to more age diversity and increased visibility for older models in popular culture, fashion and advertising.

Following the talk, Ari Seth Cohen will sign copies of his book Advanced Pets, available for purchase in the Museum’s SHOP.

About the Book

Advanced Pets, a follow up to the acclaimed bestsellers Advanced Style, Advanced Style: Older & Wiser, and Advanced Love, explores the tender bond between photographer, author, and social media extraordinaire Ari Seth Cohen’s colorful, catwalk-worthy subjects and their furry and feathered companions. This heartwarming book dives into the magic of interspecies relationships through Cohen’s vibrant portraits and interviews of mature fashion icons with their adorable animal friends. Advanced Pets, a continuation of the photographer’s renowned book series that has sold over 150,000 copies globally, builds on the conversations about age representation Ari Seth Cohen has been championing for the past decade, this time focusing on the cherished bonds between seniors and their pets. Advanced Pets invites readers into a world of heartwarming connections between fabulously attired senior style icons and their beloved animal friends.

Quotable Talk with Kelly Stilwell
Author of 100 Things to Do in Sarasota Before You Die

Saturday, February 22, 2025

1-3 pm

$20 for Members
$25 for Not-Yet Members (includes Museum admission)

Kelly Stilwell is a travel and food writer who has visited 40 countries in the last 15 years. She is the author of the popular blog, Food, Fun & Faraway Places, which has a social media following of over 350,000. She is also a contributor to USA Today 10Best, MSN, and Bradenton Magazine, as well as a guest travel pro on Suncoast View, the local morning show. Kelly is a member of the Society for American Travel Writers.

Following the talk, Kelly Stilwell will sign copies of her book 100 Things to Do in Sarasota Before You Die, available for purchase in the Museum’s SHOP.

About the Book

Located on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Sarasota is known for its powdery white sand beaches and clear blue water. Nature lovers flock to the area to see dolphins, manatees, and a plethora of seabirds. But there is so much more than the beach in this west coast parcel of the Sunshine State. Because of Sarasota’s rich history connected to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, it’s often called Circus City. One visit to The Ringling and you’ll understand why. Sarasota is also known as Florida’s Culture Coast for its plethora of arts, theaters, and museums. With so much to do, think of 100 Things to Do in Sarasota Before You Die as your guide to exploring the area, checking off all those bucket list items as you go. Discover the best places to dine, whether you’re in shorts and a T-shirt or dressed to the nines at one of our many fine dining spots. Fresh seafood is abundant, and one bite of a Grouper sandwich at the Sandbar while watching the sunset on Anna Maria Island and you’ll be hooked, too. Explore the Amish Experience or take a City Sightseeing Tour by trolley with narrated Discover Sarasota Tours. Baseball fans will want to check out a Major League Baseball Spring Training game for the Baltimore Orioles or Atlanta Braves at Ed Smith Stadium or the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park in neighboring Bradenton. Families won’t want to miss the Bishop Museum, also in Bradenton, with its digital full-dome Planetarium. And yes, visit our stunning beaches, from Anna Maria Island to the beaches of Venice, the Shark Tooth Capital of the World. Let Kelly Stilwell, local journalist, show you around.

Quotable Talk with Dalia Colón
Author of The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook

Saturday, April 5, 2025

1-3 pm

$20 for Members
$25 for Not-Yet Members (includes Museum admission)

Dalia Colón is a multimedia journalist and author of The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook. She’s the executive producer and host of The Zest, a food podcast from the NPR Network; she writes the Heritage Kitchen column for Forum, the magazine for Florida Humanities; and she has served as a judge for the James Beard Awards. Dalia is also associate producer and co-host of WEDU Arts Plus on Tampa Bay’s PBS station. Dalia lives in Tampa Bay, and she never leaves home without a snack.

Following the talk, enjoy a tasting of Dalia’s Roasted Beet Hummus which is featured in her new book, The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook, available for purchase in the Museum’s SHOP. Dalia will also be available to sign copies of the book.

About the Book

With year-round harvests and incredible seasonal variety of crops, Florida offers a wealth of homegrown foods that make it easy to cook local and fresh. Food journalist Dalia Colón is your guide to discovering flavorful dishes that showcase Florida’s bounty of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and grains. The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook includes more than 100 recipes using local ingredients as distinctive as oranges, tomatoes, and watermelon and as interesting as sugarcane, peanuts, cabbage, squash, and cantaloupe. Colón inspires readers to try new twists on classic recipes such as her Spanakopita, a satisfying entrée that pays homage to the Greek restaurants of Tarpon Springs; her sweet-and-spicy Game Day Buffalo Cauliflower that will win over any potluck party; and her Chocolate-Dipped Avocado Paletas that combine creamy avocado, zesty lime, and sweet dark chocolate for a refreshing treat in the summer heat. Colón’s recipes are accompanied by 12 essays that offer the stories behind some of Florida’s most cherished food traditions. Topics include the origins of the Florida Strawberry Festival, the rise and decline of Florida’s citrus industry, the importance of corn for Florida’s First Peoples, and more. Crafted for home cooks seeking to lean into a plant-based lifestyle, this cookbook includes tips on how to plan meals around seasonal fruits and vegetables, using local farmers markets for fresh produce, and exploring the cuisines of different cultures. Colorfully illustrated with simple step-by-step instructions, this book will take you on a delectable journey through the many ways that vegetarian and vegan foods are woven into Florida’s history and culture.