Locals to 'embrace' Ringling's 2010 international arts festival
Planning is under way to wrap a local arts festival around the four-day Ringling International Arts Festival in October. Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau President Virginia Haley made the announcement March 11.
"We are encouraging arts groups to put together events and activities in the two weeks around the Ringling festival," she said. "We know this is a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of international attention."
The event will be called sARTeé, signifying the "art" between Sarasota and Manatee counties. The word in French is meaningless, but the accent aigu (é) grammatically belongs on the first, not second "e." It is pronounced "sar-tay."
The Ringling festival is set for Oct. 13-17; the sARTeé will run from Oct. 8-24.
"We’re very proud to be partnering with Sarasota County on this groundbreaking event," said Larry White, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
A number of local area organizations are getting behind sARTeé. Along with the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, they include the Sarasota County Arts Council, the Arts Council of Manatee County and Realize Bradenton. Jim Shirley, director of the Sarasota County Arts Council said, "We will brand this Sarasota-Manatee arts combination – Two counties, no boundaries."
The name "sARTeé" was the suggestion of a New York resident who is a Facebook fan of Haley’s organization. Haley had asked fans to suggest names for the festival.
Haley noted the event would be a mix of visual arts, ballet, food art, poetry, circus art and more. "We are sending out a call for entries," she said. They will be promoted during the Ringing festival, as well as independently.
The day before Haley’s announcement of sARTeé, the Ringling festival announced its lineup for 2010. Four new works will be performed on the first day. Top billing goes to ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, who will debut a new solo. He will be joined by David Neuman with the premiere of another new dance solo. Violinist Tim Fain will introduce a new composition by Phillip Glass, the renowned modern composer. A fourth premiere will be a "puppet spectacular" by the Forman Brothers Theater in a handcrafted tent.
In all, four days of eclectic music, dance and theater performances by 11 individuals and groups are planned.
The sARTeé festival will be woven around and through the Ringling event. "There are plans to expand a third performing arts stage and some planning for a ballet performance," said Shirley. "On Sunday afternoon, we hope to set up a stage for two performing arts groups from each county in the Ringling Museum of Art courtyard."
He added that he doubts "there will be any significant integration of our groups into the Ringling International Arts Festival."
Meanwhile, planning moves forward for a second local arts festival, probably to be held in the spring. Shirley noted the October date is "the wrong time of year for our opera and ballet. The second festival allows for selection of a date that works for them and others. [The] sARTeé is a surround festival."
"We’re more than the Ringling/Florida State University campus," said Haley. "Bradenton is running with this, planning events for downtown."
Groups from Anna Maria to Englewood are invited to join sARTeé, she said. Organizations interested in participating should visit the website www.sartee.com.
Tickets go on sale to the world on May 15. People interested in early tickets to the Ringling festival may order them at www.ringlingartsfestival.org
One wag suggested the sARTeé name as a way to re-brand Manatee County, which would henceforth be called "Mana-tay County."