Sarasota ranked 5th in the nation (and 1st in Florida) in the Top 25 Small Cities for Art in the May 2011 issue of American Style magazine. This distinction is the result of a determined effort by community members. Thousands of votes were cast via online and mail-in ballots to determine these top arts destinations.
As an example of art in Sarasota, the innkeepers recommend this great exhibit that just opened at The Ringling Museum.
EXHIBIT: Beyond Bling: Voices of Hip Hop in Art, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, May 21–Aug. 15, 10am–5pm
Over the past 30 years hip hop culture has expanded from an almost exclusively African-American and Latino phenomenon to one that has been appropriated by other social and ethnic groups. In the first decade of the 21st century, hip hop and the street culture from which it sprang have exerted a powerful influence on all aspects of culture. Beyond Bling: Voices of Hip Hop in Art brings together artists who have provocatively incorporated signifiers of hip hop and street culture into their work. It is an exhibition that incites further questions and expands our ideas of what it means to speak with a historically urban voice in this age of advanced globalization.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, 941-359-5700.