Welcome to Arts Advocates
Arts Advocates is a membership organization dedicated to inspiring creativity, advancing education, and connecting the community to the arts. We do this through sponsoring creative educational and cultural programs, and awarding scholarships to students pursuing careers in the arts.
We own a renowned collection of paintings and sculptures from the Sarasota Colony of artists who migrated to Sarasota from the 1930s to the 1970s. We also own five Highwaymen paintings. The Highwaymen were a group of 26 African-American landscape artists, mostly self-taught from the Fort Pierce, Florida area, active from the mid-1950s into the 1980s. The members have been recognized for their contributions to mid-twentieth century Florida culture and history. The collection is on display in the Arts Advocates Gallery and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
There are many non-profit groups that support a single art form. Arts Advocates is a member organization that supports all art forms: fine arts, music, theater, dance, and architecture.
As a nonprofit, philanthropic organization, Arts Advocates awards annual scholarships to talented students studying for careers in the arts and invites the public to attend programs with speakers from local arts organizations as well as nationally and internationally known artists.
Arts Advocates emphasizes transparency and inclusivity and welcomes all new members who enjoy sharing their passion for the arts.
November 1969: Emily Holmes, Adrienne Robbins, Annamae Sandegren, Marion Storm, and M. Winnifred Clarke
Highlights
Organized and chartered in 1969, the Fine Arts Society of Sarasota, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization originally dedicated to “supporting and stimulating the arts in Sarasota County.”
In 2019, the organization's purpose was expanded to include all of the state of Florida, the mission was restated, “to inspire creativity, advance education and connect the community to the arts.” Because the members support all forms of art, the designation “Arts Advocates” is frequently used in informational and marketing materials.
Over the years, Arts Advocates has acquired a collection of works of art. Until 2021, the over 50 pieces of art have been on display at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. In June 2021, the organization opened its first art gallery featuring a selection of paintings and sculptures by artists of the Sarasota Colony. The collection includes works dating back to the 1930s. Also in 2021, Arts Advocates was the beneficiary of five Highwaymen paintings, now on exhibit in the gallery. From the mid-1950s to 1970, these celebrated African-American painters created an estimated 200,000 works and have surpassed that number in the subsequent decades. Docent tours of the collection are available to residents and visitors.
In late 2001, the Fine Arts Society organized and presented “An American Legacy: The Sarasota School of Architecture Symposium,” a five-day event including lectures by eminent architects and tours of Mid-Century Modern buildings. Over one thousand design professionals, scholars and individuals from around the world attended. The Sarasota Architectural Foundation was developed largely as a result of this symposium.
Traditionally, the Society organized and sponsored the popular “Creators and Collectors Tour.” The public was invited to visit local artists in their studios, and a “Celebrate the Arts” luncheon was held to honor outstanding individuals from Sarasota's art community.
Luminaire Awards have been presented to Howard Tibbals (miniature circus creator), Howard Millman (Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe), Iain Webb and Margaret Barbieri (Sarasota Ballet), Victor DeRenzi (Sarasota Opera) and Richard and Rebecca Hopkins (Florida Studio Theatre).
Scholarships are awarded annually to talented students pursuing a career in the arts. Arts Advocates' scholars attend prestigious institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University, Pratt Institute, Berklee School of Music, Columbia University and The Ringling College of Art and Design.
In the past, more than 50 community outreach grants have been made to support local art-related organizations including:
- Any Given Child
- Art Center Sarasota
- Asolo Repertory Theatre
- Education Foundation of Sarasota County
- Face Autism
- Hermitage Artist Retreat
- Jazz Club of Sarasota
- The Sarasota Ballet's Dance - The Next Generation
- The Sarasota Film Festival
- Sarasota Art Museum
- Sarasota Orchestra
- Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
- WEDU Public Television
- Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
FOUNDERS
Winnifred Clarke, Emily Holmes, Adrienne Robbins, Annamae Sandgren and Marion Storm
CHARTER MEMBERS
Althea Blake, Winnifred Clarke, Emily Holmes, Paula Schmidt, Marion Storm and Rusty Truog
PAST PRESIDENTS
1969 - 1972 Marion Storm
1972 - 1974 Annamae Sandgren
1974 - 1976 Virginia Dunn
1976 - 1977 Alice Hammond
1977 - 1979 Betty Larsen
1979 - 1980 Jane J. Johnson
1980 - 1982 Elsie Woodruff
1982 - 1984 Fran Roach
1984 - 1986 M. Winnifred Clarke
1986 - 1987 Ellen Nantz
1987 - 1988 Ann Davidson
1989 - 1991 Carol Kopeck
1991 - 1992 Helen Learned
1992 - 1994 Judy Fiala
1994 - 1996 Barbara Diehlman
1996 - 1997 Rhea Andrews
1997 - 1999 Rhea Betzel
1999 - 2000 Connie Moore
2000 - 2002 Martie Lieberman
2002 - 2004 Barbara Sanandres /Dorothy Thomas
2004 - 2006 Marcia Soundground /Nancy Zeman
2006 - 2008 Joan Endrizzi /Nancy Skukenbert
2008 - 2010 Alice Allen
2010 - 2011 Reva Van der Heym/Ellie Schweigaard-Olsen
2011 - 2012 Reva Van der Heym
2012 - 2014 Kathleen France
2014 - 2015 Nancy Andrews
2015 - 2016 Nancy Andrews/Carole Crosby
2016 - 2017 Carole Crosby
2017 - 2019 Vern Weitz
2019 - 2021 Donna Maytham
