Art & Van Wezel Backstage Tour for

 

SPECIAL Art and Backstage Tour on Thursday, October 14.

 

This Tour is in conjunction with sARTee -- our Sarasota and Manatee Fringe Festival

 

to support the RINGLING INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL in October 2010.

 

 

Date:  Thursday, October 14, 10am

Where:  Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Tickets:  $5.00

 

This very special Tour will begin at 10 am in the Main Lobby of the Van Wezel, tickets are $5 per person, and benefit both the Van Wezel and the Fine Arts Society of Sarasota. Tickets can be purchased at the Van Wezel Box Office or by calling the Charge Line at 941.953.3368. More information about the Tour is below under EVENT.

 

Here is a sample of what you will see on the Tour:

 

 

This is a watercolor by Loren Wilford (1892-1972) entitled "Land's End" painted in 1963. It is a painting of the area where the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall now stands.

 

Loran Wilford began his education at the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. He continued his studies in New York City with Jonas Lie, Robert Henri and George Pierce Ennis. He was a news illustrators prior to the advent of the newspaper photographer. He also illustrated for Colliers, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and other publications. Wilford taught at the Grand Central Art School in New York City, and then came to the Ringling School of Art and Design in 1936 where he taught for over 20 years. In 1967 he was one of three artists from Florida included in a group show:  One Hundred American Watercolorists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The Society purchased this painting in 1975.

 

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The Fine Arts Society of Sarasota provides cultural and educational opportunities for its members and organizes many projects which benefit the entire community and its many visitors.

Each year the Fine Arts Society of Sarasota plans and promotes events to support its community outreach grants, scholarship, cultural and acquisition programs.  The Society’s art collection is on display at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center. The Fine Arts Society of Sarasota is a 501c3 nonprofit, all-volunteer organization.

The Society's tradition of supporting and enriching the cultural experiences of our community is maintained by the efforts and dedication of all our members. The Society remains faithful to its original objectives and mission:

 

 

Our Mission 

 

To promote and stimulate appreciation of the Arts of Sarasota County:  Painting, Sculpture, Literature, Theater, Music, Dance and Architecture.  To establish a permanent collection of qualified works by locally and nationally recognized artists with a Florida connection, which will be placed on public exhibition for the enjoyment of Sarasota residents and visitors.  To provide grants, awards, and scholarships, for talented and qualified residents of Sarasota County for study in the field of Fine Arts.

 

 

Event: Art & Van Wezel Backstage Tours

 

Dates: First Tuesday of the month October through May at 10am.

Location: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Tickets: $5.00

 

Tours of the Society art collection at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall are offered to the public on the first Tuesday of each month, October through May. Tour guides will walk you through the “gallery” of paintings and sculptures of Florida’s most renowned artists. The exhibit covers a wide range of media and styles of art dating from the 1930s to present. The Tour also allows you the rare opportunity to go behind the scenes of the Van Wezel for a look at the workings backstage. Tours begin at 10 am in the Main Lobby of the Van Wezel, tickets are $5 per person, and benefit both the Van Wezel and the Fine Arts Society of Sarasota. Tickets can be purchased at the Van Wezel Box Office or by calling the Charge Line at 941.953.3368.

 

Oscar Lakeman's "Containers #410" on exhibit at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall