Arts & Culture Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 54) Visitors can see artwork during “Backstage and Art Tours” in season it displays at two successive monthly meetings before a final vote by the whole membership. But in this case, the painting was offered as a donation, and because of its size many members used high quality digital photos in order to make up their minds. Visitors can see and experience the newly installed painting during a “Backstage and Art Tour” the first Tuesday of every month in season. Society members act as guides for the art on display, and Van Wezel staff takes visitors behind the scenes of the performance hall. In the process, participants get to learn about the works and their creators, many of whom were quite flamboyant. Julio Diego, for example, who is represented with a self portrait, was married to Gypsy Rose Lee and liked to walk down Main Street in a big black cape with red lining, scaring children along the way. But the Fine Arts Society’s activities reach far beyond the Van Wezel. Since 1969, it has given over $600,000 in grants, awards and scholarships to a number of Sarasota County residents and arts organizations. “We support all the performing arts—music, dance, theater, architecture, literature, and of course visual arts,” says Judy Fiala, a past board president and currently society’s parliamentarian. A good portion of the money goes to students at the Ringling College of Art and Design, but scholarships have supported attendees as far away as the Boston Conservatory of Music. The society has also sponsored a number of “Artists in the Schools” in Sarasota. In 1994, it commissioned a one-act play about Lila Cabbott Perry, the American painter who befriended Monet and helped bring Impressionism to the United States. Local playwright Jenny Aldrich premiered the work at the society’s 25th anniversary luncheon gatherings. This year, the Society is co-producing one of the ballets at the Sarasota Ballet of Florida. For Fiala and many other members, the Fine Arts Society allows them to express their love for art—Fiala was a sculptor in the past and is a collector now—and to keep learning. The monthly meetings often feature guest speakers, artists and slide presentations. “Education for ourselves is a big benefit of membership,” she says, “to make ourselves aware about art and the opportunities to enjoy it.” ‘ ‘ Fine Arts Society Cont. if we can teach people to see with a free eye then we will have achieved our goal. Judy Fiala : : Past Board President and Current Parliamentarian. 54 : : arts and culture magazine fineartssarasota.com www.artsandculturemag.com http://www.artsandculturemag.com http://fineartssarasota.com
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