Hermitage Artist Retreat Presents Fridays @ 5

SARASOTA, FL -- Gifted creators of all artistic disciplines are invited to live and work at the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood.

During their residencies, they share their talents with the community. Fridays @ 5 is the latest iteration of this outreach. These free programs encompass artist talks and readings, glimpses of the creation of works-in-progress, and live performances of music, theater, poetry and more.

All programs take place at 5 p.m. Three are on the beach; and three are in the Palm House. Whether the program is indoors or outdoors, attendees are invited to stay and enjoy the beach afterward. The Hermitage Artist Retreat is located at 6630 Manasota Key Road in Englewood. Reservations for these programs are required and can be requested by clicking here.

Bruce Rodgers, the Hermitage’s executive director, said these cultural gatherings exist to give the community the rare opportunity to interact with celebrated authors, poets, artists, composers and performers from around the world.

“Artists who are invited to be at the Hermitage are asked to give free programs for the community during their stay with us," he said.

Upcoming Programs

Oct. 12

Word and Image: The Many Worlds of Regina Scully and Roberto Bentivegna: New Orleans-based artist Regina Scully will discuss the micro-universes she creates in her paintings and showcase some of her works in an exhibit titled “Small Paintings and Works on Paper.” (This exhibit runs through December in the Palm House at the Hermitage; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.)

Italian screenwriter Roberto Bentivegna will read from his witty, challenging screenplays. Bentivegna is a director and screenwriter whose short films have received acclaim at film festivals in the United States and around the world. His screenplays include “Shella,” written for celebrated photographer Albert Watson; “The Eel,” starring Sam Rockwell and Jon Bernthal; and “A Hard Day.” Bentivegna was awarded the Carla Kuhn fellowship, the Hollywood Foreign Press Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Screenwriting Award, and was a finalist in the academy’s Nicholl Fellowship.

Regina Scully lives and paints in the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the recipient of the 2017 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant Award. Scully’s artwork is showcased in a host of private and public collections, including the Microsoft Art Collection, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation Collection and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Oct. 26

I Am A Camera: A Photography Workshop with Ken Papagan: This participatory workshop will investigate the essential elements of creating aesthetically pleasing photography, both in color and black and white. His topics will include composition, light and shadow, exposure and practical techniques.

In 1973, Los Angeles-based photographer Papagan had his first exhibit in the lobby of Polaroid’s corporate headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1975, he was awarded a fellowship to pursue his master’s degree in photography and cinema at Ohio State University, where he subsequently taught photography. In 1977, Papagan began a successful, 30-year career in television as a writer, director and producer. In 2010, he left his career in mass media to return to his first love—photography. Today, he continues his work with documentary, experimental and abstract landscape photography.

Nov. 30

Write Your Story for the “Modern Love” Column of the New York Times with Lisa Schlesinger: Author and playwright Lisa Schlesinger will lead a workshop on how to get your love story in print in The New York Times. At the end of the workshop, participants will send in the stories and see who gets published. (Read her “Modern Love” essay, “A Choice Not as Easy as It Looked.”)

Schlesinger is a recipient of the NEA/TCG Playwrights Residency Award, a winner of the BBC International Playwriting Competition, and a nominee for a USA Artist Fellowship. Her plays include “In the Wake of the Graybow Riots,” “Celestial Bodies,” “Wal-Martyrs” and “The Bones of Danny Winston.” Her work has been published in The New York Times, American Theater and Performing Arts Journal.

Dec. 7

Sublime Ridiculous at Sunset with Geoff Sobelle: Theater artist Geoff Sobelle will offer the first glimpse of the performance piece he is working on at the Hermitage. He uses mime, illusion, movement and even clown-like physical comedy to act out his unusual and evocative stories. Be prepared. There is sure to be some audience interaction. No experience required.

Sobelle is a theater artist dedicated to the “sublime ridiculous.” He is the co-artistic director of rainpan 43, a “renegade absurdist outfit” devoted to creating original actor-driven performance works. Using illusion, film and outdated mechanics, R43 creates surreal, poetic pieces that look for humanity where you least expect it and find grace where no one is looking. R43’s shows have won the Innovative Theatre Award, Drama Desk nomination and the OBIE award. He has won the Edinburgh Fringe First Award, Carol Tambor Award, Total Theatre Award and New York Times Critics Pick. Sobelle is a 2006 Pew Fellow and is a 2009 Creative Capital grantee.

Dec. 14

Sunset Performance Art and Poetry with Sheena Rose and Caryl Pagel: The dynamic Caribbean multimedia artist Sheena Rose and poet Caryl Pagel will offer a glimpse of their works-in-progress and discuss their artistry and creative process.

Rose is a contemporary artist from Barbados. In 2016, she received her master’s in fine arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a Fulbright Scholarship. Rose’s multimedia creations include hand-drawn animations, drawings, paintings, mixed-media, new media and performance art.

Pagel is the author of two poetry collections: “Twice Told,” and “Experiments I Should Like Tried at My Own Death.” Her essays have appeared in AGNI, The Collagist, Entropy, Essay Press, Wave Composition and The Mississippi Review. Pagel is the co-founder and editor of Rescue Press and the director of the Cleveland State University Poetry Center. She is an assistant professor at Cleveland State University where she teaches poetry and nonfiction in the NEOMFA program.

Dec. 28

Song and Story on the Beach with Mark Ari: Ari will celebrate the anniversary edition of his novel, “The Shoemaker’s Tale,” with a beachfront reading from the book, as well a performance of new stories and songs.

Hailed “a true original” by Kirkus Review, Ari is a writer, painter and musician. 2018 saw the publication of his critically acclaimed novel, “The Shoemaker’s Tale,” in an electronic anniversary edition funded by the National Endowment of the Arts. “The Shoemaker’s Tale” “seamlessly blends Jewish folktales and mysticism with the universal quest for life’s meaning” (New York Times). According to the Jerusalem Post, “The shoemaker’s adventures are portrayed with an artist’s sensitivity and we get an exquisite and humorous portrait of life in 18th-century Poland … rich with the ironic wisdom of the great Yiddish folklorists” (Miami Herald).

All programs are subject to change. Check the Hermitage website or Facebook page for program status.

Photos: Regina Scully, Robert Bentivegna, Ken Papagan, Lisa Schlesinger, Geoff Sobelle, Sheena Rose, Caryl Pagel, Mark Ari