Arts Advocates Unveils February Programming, Including Eugene White Presentation

Arts Advocates has announced its schedule of February programming, featuring a series of lectures, gallery exhibitions, tours, and a free public presentation focused on Sarasota Art Colony painter Eugene White.

The month will begin with Eugene White, Painter of Vintage Florida, a free presentation co-sponsored by Arts Advocates and Art Center Sarasota. The program will take place at the Arts Advocates Gallery and will feature White’s daughter Annie Bixler, joined by Alecia Harper, centennial archivist and guest curator for Art Center Sarasota. The presentation will explore White’s life and career, including his depictions of Florida’s working waterfronts and rural landscapes, and his role in Sarasota’s mid-century art scene. Admission is free, with registration required.

The Arts Advocates Gallery, located in the Crossings at Siesta Key mall, will also present Living Creatively: The Art of Lynn Coppinger, a member artist exhibition featuring work in colored pencil, oils, acrylics, pastels, ink, and mixed media. The exhibit will be open on Saturdays throughout February. In addition, Arts Advocates’ permanent collection of Sarasota Art Colony and Florida Highwaymen works remains on view, with free docent-led and self-guided tours available during regular gallery hours.

Arts Advocates will partner with the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall for Behind the Curtain: Exploring the Van Wezel from the Art to the Stage, a guided tour highlighting artwork from the Arts Advocates collection installed throughout the venue, followed by a backstage experience led by Van Wezel staff. Proceeds from the ticketed event will benefit education and outreach programs at both organizations.

Additional February programming includes a Talkback Tuesday event featuring Sarasota-based artist Dasha Reich, centered on her exhibition The Flag: Nine Artists, Nine Flags, which brings together multiple local artists to reinterpret the American flag. Arts Advocates will also present its monthly luncheon program at the Sarasota Yacht Club, featuring Jazz Club of Sarasota president Ed Linehan as guest speaker, with live piano accompaniment by jazz musician Chris Neville.