Saturday, November 9th - It’s Rise and Shine Saturday!
Our family-focused FREE arts exposition at Sarasota’s own Municipal Auditorium brings all our cultural and creative families together with the explicit goal of fostering arts engagement among our area youth. Both indoor and outdoor stages proudly provide opportunities for our area schools and local educational organizations to place their unique energy on a stage for the world to see. Area dance schools, performing arts schools, and our area public and private schools will be working, playing, and growing together. Parents and children are introduced to art appreciation and art collecting in the event’s visual arts area. Arts and crafts and performances all day long! This day is about learning and growing, emphasizing children of all ages and from all backgrounds. Let’s amplify the impact of the arts for the next generation of creatives and leaders.
Sunday, November 10th - A World of Entertainment - Opening Party
Our festival officially begins with an exciting and eclectic opening night party. This “rooftop experience” will offer a global perspective of our incredible arts and culture offerings. It’s a fusion of international and local arts. Imagine our world-class Chalk Festival on the streets and music from a Brazilian band and vocalist setting the tone for world-class entertainment at our door step. This annual kickoff party is also a perfect naming opportunity for a local business or foundation. As the producer of this event, Sarasota Rising celebrates the amazing things to come and toasts the many stakeholders that have made this spark of economic vitality possible. With the support of our generous donors, we present a glimpse of the unbelievable week of arts programming, from theater and dance to fine art and music, all with an inclusive world beat. This cleverly produced party, and its accompanying naming opportunity are synonymous with civic mindedness and collaboration as the arts and business communities come together to applaud the potential in all of us to elevate our cultural coast to the national and, yes, world stage!
Monday, November 11th
This year, Monday falls on a very important holiday: Veterans Day! To honor this day, Sarasota Rising will collaborate with our area’s arts organizations to infuse this day with arts that honor those who served! For this programming, we will join forces with area governmental agencies to salute and thank the men and women who have fought and sacrificed for our freedom. Since most theaters and performance spaces are “dark” on Mondays, this focused celebration will help us create momentum while theatrically honoring our heroes on this second day of The Living Arts Festival – Sarasota.
Monday, November 11th - Tuesday, November 12th – Our Embrace Reimagined
The bulk of our week-long programming begins today, as our region’s arts organizations produce events on their stages and in their own locations! Many of these organizations will use this Festival opportunity to premiere new works, while others will be excited to produce crowd favorites for new visitors. A significant part of the Sarasota Rising mission is to work closely with groups that do not have permanent venue locations of their own, so we are collaborating with them by producing our super collaboration. With collaboration and diversity as two of the core values of Sarasota Rising, The Living Arts Festival -Sarasota is blessed to be working with our friends at Embracing Our Differences and The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. This performance walking tour at Historic Spanish Point will boast a number of unclaimed banners from past seasons that have been chosen by an eclectic group of area arts groups such as CreArte Latino, Modern Marimba, and Sarasota Contemporary Dance, to name a few. These passionate arts groups will use these panels as inspiration to create an original song, dance, spoken word, or acting scene panel. These newly created performances will come together to create a live performance walking tour unique to our area. Collaboration, innovation, and creativity collide in celebrating diversity in the arts! Ticketing information to be announced.
Thursday, November 14th – All Roads Lead to Venice
The week continues with an explosion of arts in our neighboring city of Venice! The city of Venice is coming together with its major arts, the many arts groups that understand they are stronger when they work together! With the help and power behind organizations like The Venice Arts Center, The Downtown Association, Venice Main street, the Venice Symphony, and Venice Theater, we support their takeover of their downtown for the arts! This area-wide celebration of the arts will include bars, restaurants, and hotels for pop-up visual arts exhibitions, impromptu street performances, and carefully curated buskers. Highlighting their arts groups, their individual artists, and their mission all working together will be the highlight of this day.
Friday, November 15th
Wondering what will help put The Living Arts Festival – Sarasota on the map? Look for surprise events that help brand Sarasota as the cultural coast and arts hub. Discover unique pop-up surprises and ‘happenings’ to help celebrate downtown with live acts, food, and spirits! By infusing the event with our festival’s unique theatrical flavor, we will engage those members of the community who may not consider themselves “arts aficionados” and show them the arts are for everyone!
Saturday, November 16th – Arts Roulette
The mission of our festival is to help build cultural tourism and assist in helping our community cherish the arts groups we proudly boast asmembers of our arts community. What better way to do this than to indulge in what we call ARTS ROULETTE! All day long, we will be out in thecommunity, letting members of our community spin the wheel to win tickets to the many organizations participating in our festival, and givingthem the opportunity to experience the arts!
Sunday, November 17th – Sarasota Rising: A Celebration of Youth – Closing Party
What’s a festival without entertainment, prizes, and a closing party at the Circus Arts Conservatory? On theFestival’s last day, we all come together and celebrate by offering an exceptional opportunity for the education wings of area arts organizations to bask in the spotlight. Imagine the stage filled with up-and-coming singers, dancers, musicians, and thrill-seeking circus acts. Students of all ages from our community come together to celebrate their passion for the arts. We are blessed to be giving them this opportunity and stage time and end the week with our awards presentation built with pride for our region’s best and finest. During the festival, a group of judges who were out in the community watching will adjudicate the many performances in search of the best and the brightest. These awards come with a cash prize, which is a wonderful motivator for large organizations, small groups, and individuals.
Current prize categories include:
Best of the Festival Award | Best Collaboration | Small But Mighty Award | Innovation Award | Excellence in Artistry | Rising Star Award
These awards are available with naming opportunities. The hope is that area businesses, foundations, and philanthropic individuals will support the Festival while giving a perk to a deserving participant.
Join us!
Did you know that instead of the 3 "T's" of volunteerism there are now 5?
Time | Treasure | Talent | Testimony | Ties
Look at all the ways you can help us and your entire community! Your Festival needs your assistance to make thisinaugural event a success so reach out to me, or Erin, our NEW Director of Operations on how YOU can get involved!
Info@SarasotaRising.org
