Art Center Sarasota And The Boys & Girls Club Of Manatee Seek Artist To Design Mural

Art Center Sarasota (ACS) is actively seeking an artist to design a mural for a collaborative initiative it recently launched with the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County.

The selected artist will design the wall mural and outline the major details of the design. Youth who attend the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County will then paint the mural, with supervision, over the course of four days in January.

What's the concept behind the project?

Jane Harris, ACS's education director, says it fulfills two Art Center imperatives: to engage young people in the process of creating art and to foster public art. Harris adds that the initiative is sponsored by Joe and Gwen Ziomek, who are enthusiastic supporters of the arts and the Boys & Girls Club.

Kinsey Robb, ACS's executive director, emphasizes that this project signals the launch of what ACS and the Boys & Girls Club envision as a biennial initiative, with the artwork changing every two years. She explains that a vital element of the project is to be able to offer a rare opportunity to young people to become intimately involved with an art project from conception to completion. "They'll experience interacting with artists, learning about the inspiration behind the artist's design-and also learn how to paint a large outdoor mural. Finally, since this mural will be on public display for two years, they'll bask in a sense of achievement over a significant period. It's a tremendous opportunity for these youth and Art Center Sarasota is thrilled to be part of the process."

Robb says the entire staff and board of ACS are "incredibly grateful to the Ziomeks and Catrese Estes Allen, vice president of program services at Manatee's Boys & Girls Club, for making this collaboration possible and for recognizing the important role art plays in childhood development and engagement. This project is a perfect example of what can happen when organizations come together to inspire and support our youth."

"I'm extremely excited at the opportunity for our teens to engage in a self-expressive project that all can see," says Catrese Estes Allen. "Teens are quite expressive and this opportunity to work with an artist opens up another avenue of communicating their perspectives."

According to exhibitions coordinator, Christina Baril, the mural will be painted on the west wall of Art Center Sarasota's building, and will be visible from The Bay's Mangrove Path, "welcoming the many visitors enjoying the revitalized bay park," she says.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and live in Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas, Hillsborough, or DeSoto counties. The artist's commission is $2,800 and includes materials. Submission deadline is Sunday, November 20. To apply, visit https://www.artsarasota.org/mural-project or contact Christina Baril at 941-365-2032 or email christina@artsarasota.org.

Important Dates

• Submission deadline: Sunday, November 20, 11:59 p.m.

• Notification of acceptance: Friday, November 29, no later than 6 p.m.

• Meeting with ACS Education & Exhibition Staff: Tuesday, December 6, 3:30 p.m.

• "Meet the Muralist" event: Thursday December 15

• Outline the Mural: Thursday, December 15 - Thursday, December 22

• B&G Club Paint Mural: Wednesday, January 4 - Friday, January 6, and Monday, January 9

• Artist to retouch the mural: Tuesday, January 10 - Friday, January 13

• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Thursday, January 19

Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For information, visit www.artsarasota.org or call 941-365-2032.

Photo captions: Youth from the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee collaborate on various arts projects throughout the year at Art Center Sarasota.

About the Boys & Girls Clubs

The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America aims to provide a world-class Club Experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who enters our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.

About Art Center Sarasota

Art Center Sarasota was the first arts and cultural institution in Sarasota. Founded in 1926 as the "Sarasota Art Association" by Marcia Rader, the art supervisor for the Sarasota County schools district, the Association was later incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1943 and has been in its current location in the Sarasota Bayfront Cultural District since 1949. Art Center Sarasota is a member-supported organization that offers curated and juried exhibitions, adult and youth education programs, outreach initiatives for underserved youth, and culturally related public programming. Art Center Sarasota is admission-free and open to all public; its mission is to inspire individual creative expression, nurture artistic talent and provide the community with accessible and diverse visual art opportunities

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