Local Art Events

Our charming little island of Anna Maria and surrounding areas have always been big on art. So it should come as no surprise that there is an abundance of local art events taking place throughout the year. Below is a list of art events on Anna Maria Island, Bradenton, and Sarasota.

Anna Maria Island

Springfest:
Springfest is a Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts that takes place in Holmes Beach every March. This weekend event features art, activities, food, drinks and live music! Proceeds will benefit the Anna Maria Island Art League which offers scholarships and other art education programs to local students.
Where: City Hall Field (5901 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, FL, 34217)
When: Second weekend of March (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 10am – 5pm

Holmes Beach Art District Art Walk
Every year, local art galleries and retail businesses participate in the Holmes Beach Art District Art Walk. The locations participating in the event will be featuring local art exhibits, complimentary refreshments, music, and lots of fun! The Art Walk is a wonderful way to explore and view art from local artists we know and love.
Where: There are different Island businesses that participate every year. You can check the Island Chamber of Commerce website to find what locations will participating in the Art Walk, for the year you ill be attending.
When: Begins the second Friday of January, and takes place every SECOND Friday of the month, until the second Friday of April.
Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Bradenton

ArtSlam:
“A Celebration of Youth & Creativity!” is exactly how the Realize Bradenton website describes the event ArtSlam. It is a day where local students and artists get the opportunity to take their art from the classroom/studio, and out on Old Main Street in Downtown Bradenton. It is a chance where the community gets to observe and celebrate Manatee County’s talented and creative youth.
Where: Old Main Street in Downtown Bradenton (400 12th St W, Bradenton, FL, 34205)
When: First Saturday of March
Time: 9am – 4pm

Mixon Farms Antique Arts and Crafts Fair:
Mixon Fruit Farms in Bradenton hosts a arts & crafts fair every 4th Saturday from April, through September. The fair features local vendors, and is sure to be a fun day for the whole family.
Where: Mixon Farms, 2525 27th Street E Bradenton, FL 34208
When: Every fourth Saturday, from April through September
Time: 10am – 3pm

Mainly Art
If you love art and a good ole farmers market, then you should check out Mainly Art in Downtown Bradenton. It is an event where local artists/craftspeople are able to display and sell their work. Aside from the arts & crafts, there is also live music, and food. The best part is that Mainly Art connects with the farmers market on Main Street.
Where: Main Street, Downtown Bradenton, FL
When: Every third Saturday from October to May.
Time: 9am – 2pm

Fine Arts Festival of Manatee County:
A 2 day event full of spectacular works of art in all different forms is exactly what you’ll find at the Fine Arts Festival of Manatee County! Yet another art event taking place in Downtown Bradenton, this event showcases; ceramics, digital media, drawing, glass, jewelry, leather, acrylic, oil, watercolor, photography, and so much more.
Where: Riverwalk, Downtown Bradenton, FL, 34205
When: Last weekend of February (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 10am – 5pm Saturday and 10am – 4pm Sunday

Sarasota

Chalk Festival:
The International Chalk Festival is four day event that takes place typically in Sarasota Florida, or Venice Florida. Watch the largest gathering of extremely talented, and famous pavement artists create masterpieces from start to finish. Other featured activities include food trucks, beer gardens, live music, and interactive art areas.
Where: After six seasons of taking place in Burns Square in downtown Sarasota, the 2017 and 2018 events have taken place at the Venice Airport Fairgrounds. (675 Airport Ave East, Venice, FL 34285)
When: Begins the second Friday of November, and runs until the following Monday.
Time: 8am – 6pm

Sarasota Spring Fine Arts Festival:
If you’ve been needing a new art piece for your home, or enjoy collecting art, you want to visit the Sarasota Spring Fine Arts Festival. The event is hosted by Sarasota Downtown Merchants Association and features; paintings, sculptures, jewelry, photography, glass, ceramics, fiber and wearable art, mixed-media, woodworking, etc.
Where: 33 Gulf Stream, Sarasota, FL 34236
When: Second weekend of March (Saturday and Sunday)
Time: 10am – 5pm

The Galleries of Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island – Anna Maria Island is not only a place to take in the natural beauty, but the man made beauty as well. No need to go to a big city to view many different local artists. A few names you may have even heard of such as Emerson, Sue Lynn Cotton or Barbara Hines. You can either go to one of many local galleries, or gift shops on the island to find local work. Some of our local artists can even be found in many of our vacation rentals. Take a stroll through one of the galleries, and see if you recognize anything.

Here are the local galleries for you all to enjoy. Please click on the names below which will take you to their web site for phone numbers, hours and what collections are available for viewing throughout the year:

Artists Guild of Anna Maria Island – 5414 Marina Drive Holmes Beach, FL 34217

Anna Maria Island Art League – 5312 Holmes Boulevard Holmes Beach, FL 34217

Anna Maria Island Historical Society – 402 Pine Avenue Anna Maria, FL 34216

Island Gallery West – 5368 Gulf Drive Holmes Beach, FL 34217

Studio at Gulf and Pine – Corner of Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue Anna Maria, FL 34216

Artspace Anna Maria – 101 South Bay Boulevard Anna Maria, FL 34216

Emerson Studio Store – 317 Pine Avenue Anna Maria, FL 34216

Some of these galleries will allow traveling artists to display/sell some of their pieces as well. If you have some great pieces, and will be on the island for a while, this may be the perfect opportunity for you.

Sometimes you just need to slow the pace, enjoy life around you, and even experience it through someone else’s eyes. This is not hard to do when visiting the many fabulous galleries around Anna Maria Island.

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall | Sarasota, FL

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Hosting numerous performances throughout the year, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is a top of the line live entertainment venue. Music, dance, theater, and comedy can all be found within the spacious walls and lush acoustics of the Van Wezel. Remodeled in 2000, the Van Wezel hall can now seat 1736 guests in the concert hall. A 6000 square foot Grand Foyer was also added which can comfortably seat up to 350.

The Van Wezel also has many community outreach programs that teach about the arts. Performances are often held for school children to begin to engage them in the creative thought process of the arts.

Ticket prices vary depending on the event, but you can expect it to be reasonably priced for the quality. Student and teacher tickets are available on the day of the event for $15.00 per person with valid ID. Group discount options start with groups of 20 or more.

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
777 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
Box Office 941-953-3368
Toll Free 1-800-826-9303
Administrative Office 941-955-7676

Want some more local night life choices? Fear not, we have the nightlife information page just for you!

Anna Maria Island’s Winterfest 2010

This year’s Winterfest had over 100 artists, southern style comfort food, live Cajun and Blue Grass music. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day with a bit of winter chill in the air, we showed up at about 11:00 A.M. and were graciously greeted by the volunteers who were selling tickets, water, and soda at the entrance. Winterfest was underway, the band was playing, and people were browsing the art exhibits.

This year’s Winterfest had an amazing showcase of jewelry, pottery, paintings, photography, and sculptures. But my favorite was the Wildlife, Inc Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. They had the most beautiful hawks and owls on display in their booth. I actually had to take a closer look to realize that they were alive.

(Winterfest is no longer an event here on AMI, though Springfest still is!)

Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Tampa Fl

Just a short drive over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge brings you to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. It is the permanent home of the world’s most comprehensive collection of the renowned Spanish artist’s work. With over 2000 pieces compiled by the private collector A. Reynolds Morse and his wife Eleanor Morse over a 45-year period, it is celebrated for its 96 oil paintings. In addition to the 96 oil paintings, the collection includes over 100 watercolors and drawings, 1,300 graphics, photographs, sculptures and objects d’art, and an extensive archival library. Periodic rotations of the collection and special exhibitions allow museum goers to view new work on repeat visits.

Magnificent are the 6 over-sized masterpieces. Free tours explain the artist’s renderings. The Hallucinogenic Toreador (1969-1970) is one of those paintings that Dalí conceived while in an art supply store in 1968. Another well know painting is the The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory(1952-1954).In this work of 1954, Dalí reinterprets his popular 1931 painting entitled The Persistence of Memory in order.

The priceless collection of Dalí’s work, which is the largest outside his home country of Spain, desperately needs protection from the elements and adequate room for display. The new Dalí will overlook Tampa Bay in the beautiful Florida West Coast city of St. Petersburg, just 20 minutes from Tampa International Airport. With a two-year construction timetable, the new museum should be completed in fall of 2010. Grand Opening celebrations will occur in the winter months of 2011. The new Dalí is designed by internationally acclaimed architect Yann Weymouth of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK). He worked alongside architect I.M. Pei on the renovation of the Louvre in Paris. The museum will be a work of art reflective of Dalí’s unique juxtaposition of classical and fantastic elements. A huge glass structure will flow forth from a “treasure box” housing the artwork, and a giant boulder from Dalí’s homeland will appear to support a corner of the building.

In the meantime the Dali exhibition is still displayed in the current museum.

Salvador Dalí Museum
1000 Third Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701-4901
Phone: 727.823.3767
Fax: 727.894.6068

For more things to do visit our Anna Maria Island blog.