Hermitage Artist Retreat Suffers Damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton on Manasota Key
The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced a modified program schedule for October and November following the impact of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Despite the damages to the Hermitage campus on Manasota Key, the planned program with Broadway veteran Britton Smith will be moving ahead this Thursday at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Downtown Sarasota. The Hermitage and Selby Gardens have jointly decided to move forward with this special event to celebrate the resilient spirit of our community in this time of healing.
“Let the Music Set You Free” is scheduled for Thursday, October 17th at 5:30pm. This program kicks off the fifth anniversary of the “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” series and features Broadway veteran, Tony Award winner, and 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalist Britton Smith. The bandleader for the alternative soul band Britton and the Sting, this visionary artist and advocate is a force of nature determined to unite the world through a passion for music and theater. This event is being presented in partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and DreamLarge. (The Hermitage has arranged alternative artist accommodations and studio space due to campus damages.)
“Manasota Key experienced unprecedented devastation in the wake of these two recent hurricanes,” noted Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Despite the challenges ahead of us, we feel it is important to move forward with this Thursday’s program to celebrate our community’s resilient spirit. We are grateful to the extraordinary Britton Smith and our friends at Selby Gardens for wanting to embrace this moment of healing with us.”
Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Running time for most Hermitage programs is 60-70 minutes with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at Hermitage Artist Retreat.
While most Hermitage programs at Selby Gardens’ downtown campus are held on the lawn behind Payne Mansion, this event is expected to take place on the Palm Avenue Promenade while the gardens prepare to reopen. Parking will be available at the main garage at 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL 34236. Registrants will be notified of additional details via email.
The Artful Lobster, the Hermitage fall benefit scheduled for Saturday, November 9th from 11:30am to 2pm, will be relocated from the Hermitage campus to the newly finished outdoor courtyard of the Ora in Sarasota. This outdoor celebration will be the first event to take place in this beautiful open-air venue, and funds will go to support the Hermitage’s core programs and hurricane repair efforts. All sponsors and attendees will receive further details from the Hermitage, and additional sponsorships for this fall fundraiser may be purchased by contacting Development@HermitageArtistRetreat.org or (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2.
With the exception of these two events on October 17th and November 9th, all other Hermitage programs and events through November 17th have been cancelled. Registrants will be contacted by the Hermitage. At this time, all remaining programs in November and December remain open for registration at Hermitage Artist Retreat.
A leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida’s Gulf Coast exclusively committed to supporting the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key campus for multi-week residencies, where diverse and accomplished artists from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, film, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get an authentic “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These innovative programs include performances, conversations, readings, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.
For more information about the Hermitage and upcoming programs, or to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Hermitage’s hurricane repair efforts, please visit: Hermitage Artist Retreat.
Photos from Hermitage Artist Retreat