Arts Advocates Will Honor Sarasota Art Colony Artist Beth Arthur at 100

Arts Advocates recently added two paintings by Sarasota artist Beth Arthur, an historic member of the Sarasota Art Colony, to their collection. Arthur will be celebrating her 100th birthday this year. Arts Advocates will honor Arthur with a special event, A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Beth Arthur, on May 2, 1:00-2:00 p.m. in the Arts Advocates Gallery, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Arthur and her daughter Robin Draper will be in attendance. Registration (free) is requested but not required at ArtsAdvocates.org.

The Sarasota Art Colony was a group who defined a post WWII era in which members created art enhanced by the region, often featuring coastal landscapes, influenced by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, while closely collaborating with fellow creatives and local art schools. The synergy of these influences boosted Sarasota's arts reputation.

Beth Arthur came to Sarasota in the 1950s with a degree in fine arts from the University of Pittsburgh. She accepted a student scholarship from Hilton Leech, who originally came to Sarasota to organize the Ringling School of Art, and who many remember was a prominent teacher and painter responsible for influencing many artists.

Arthur served as a staff artist at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus creating props and dazzling displays. She always said that the circus was a key part of her development and that the circus was “an unending source of imagination.” There, she met more fellow artists who became lifelong friends and collaborators.

Renowned Sarasota artist Syd Solomon was a close friend of Arthur's and helpful to her career while she firmly cemented her place within the Sarasota Art Colony.

She later studied with some well-known contemporary artists that came to Sarasota through the New College Arts Institute. Along with Syd Solomon, artists such as Phillip Guston, James Brooks, Larry Rivers, and Conrad Marca-Relli became friends and familiar guests in Arthur's Siesta Key home. It was a unique time for the collection of these artists and particularly women artists. Many were mothers and wives who chose to pursue their careers as professionals despite societal expectations and norms. 

For a woman artist, it was about figuring out a way to stay relevant in a male dominated field. As a contemporary abstract artist, Arthur pushed the boundaries as not many women were bold enough to pursue abstract, experimental work that was often considered out of the mainstream. Arthur spent six decades working as a Sarasota contemporary artist, holding 30 gallery showings while earning countless honors and awards.

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