A Dazzling Showcase of Arts and Culture: The Inaugural Living Arts Festival

By Tom Reese | October 2024

Sarasota has so much more to offer than just its world-class beaches and unbelievable tropical weather. The region has also long been cherished by residents and tourists for its expansive and vibrant cultural arts scene. With each arts organization individually promoting its own unique offerings, the stage is set to unite together in a new and extraordinary event. 

Sarasota Rising and its Living Arts Festival, a non-profit organization established in 2021 will bring together the region’s cultural treasures into a dazzling showcase unlike any other. Get ready for a week-long extravaganza celebrating the arts and igniting a wave of tourism and economic vitality. 

Jeffery Kin, Executive Director of Sarasota Rising, began conversations with The Downtown Improvement District and Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, as well as other organizations, and all the participants agreed there should be an annual festival to lift up and support the many wonderful arts organizations in the area. 

“I jumped at the chance to get this off the ground because I felt it was a great opportunity to work with more members of the community,” says Jeffery. “I had been running The Players Centre for Performing Arts for several years and asked myself ‘what’s next?’” So I’ve been spending the last few years basically building this organization and festival from scratch.” 

Jeffery began the process by gathering a group of leaders in the arts scene and brainstorming ideas of what the festival should look like. A survey sent out to all of the organizations in the area provided valuable feedback, indicating the community wanted this festival in the fall and start the season off with a bang. It’s been a long and tedious process, but Jeffery has built an entire team of dedicated individuals to support the launch of this inaugural event—The Living Arts Festival. 

The team at Sarasota Rising has constructed the festival to occur in a “Festival in Six Acts” format. This will feature several exciting parties and events such as opening and closing ceremonies, live music productions, delicious food and beverages, pop-up art exhibits, and more. The “Sixth Act” will be a celebration of community where organizations both big and small produce their own events and productions to showcase their creativity and follow their missions. 

“If you’re going to celebrate your region, then it should be inclusive,” said Jeffery, “Meaning that there’s no difference between a large professional organization, a small professional organization, or a volunteer organization. The arts are the arts whether it’s visual arts, performing arts, culinary arts, or whatever. There’s no reason to exclude anyone in a festival that celebrates our region, which has it all.”

Two pre-festival events will take place November 8 and 9 at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium. The Festival Fete is where attendees can get a glimpse of what to expect during the festival and enjoy small bites and beverages. The second event is Rise & Shine Saturday, a free family-friendly day of arts immersion with performances from youth organizations and exploring various hands-on activities to excite the entire family.

Officially, the festival kicks off November 10 at the Northern Trust building in Downtown Sarasota. That event, titled “A World of Entertainment”, will feature a rooftop experience of art and culture with live music performances, food and drink. This is followed by a collaboration with non-profit organization Embracing Our Differences, entitled “Our Embrace Reimagined,” where attendees gather at Historic Spanish Point November 10 and 11 to stroll through the park and take in large-scale art exhibits about inclusivity while watching live performances at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day. 

Thursday, November 14 is focused specifically on the growing local region of Venice. The event, titled “All Roads Lead to Venice”, features an arts explosion throughout the city of Venice, highlighting theater, symphony, art displays, pop-up exhibits, performances, curated buskers, and more. 

November 15 and 16 will feature less specific events, and will include live street performances, and pop-up art taking place in the downtown area and beyond. There will also be a spin-the-wheel stand where attendees can win tickets to various arts and cultural venues across the area. 

The closing party on November 17 is a day dedicated to supporting local youth initiatives. Taking place at the Circus Arts Conservatory, this party features up-and-coming singers, dancers, musicians, and thrill-seeking circus acts all from the education wings of some of our area’s most treasured arts organizations. During the event, a group of judges who were out in the community throughout the week will adjudicate the many performances in search of the best and the brightest. These awards come with a cash prize and much deserved recognition amongst industry peers and the community.

While Jeffery has been the driving force to get this festival up and running, many organizations and individuals have stepped up in a big way, whether it be financially or through volunteering and promoting. 

“The initial funding from the Downtown Improvement District was monumental for us. They were the ones that said ‘let’s do this’ and stepped up to get us off the ground, especially early on when we needed funding for marketing, creating a website, and registering the organization as a 501(c)(3). A transformative gift from Jonathan and Michelle Mitchell soon followed,” explained Jeffery.  

Additional support came from other regional foundations such as the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County in the form of grants. They also provided classes and educational resources to help Jeffery understand what is needed to create a large-scale festival while dealing with limited resources. 

One individual stood out amongst the crowd and went above and beyond to make sure the inaugural festival actually happens. Pedro Reis, Founder and CEO of the Circus Arts Conservatory, worked closely with Jeffery, and the Sarasota Rising team, from the very beginning. 

“From the very first meeting I had with Pedro, he exclaimed that this type of festival should have begun 30 or 40 years ago,” said Jeffery. “He did everything he could to help us through connections and even offered his space for our closing party. Having someone like Pedro being so selfless from the beginning has made a world of difference for us.” 

Even though the festival is just around the corner, the need for more support is real. There are several different sponsorship levels available to financially support Sarasota Rising. You can also donate directly to the organization on the website, www.SarasotaRising.org. 

Sarasota Rising will also have contests each year where local artists and designers can submit original posters for the Living Arts Festival for a cash prize of $1,000. The winning poster will be used as signature art for the festival and be featured in various marketing campaigns leading up to the week of festivities along with merchandise. More information on this campaign is found on the website.

If you would like to help out the organization and festival in other ways, there are many different volunteer opportunities available as well. Whether it be preparing for the festival, or manning each event throughout the week, the community’s support is crucial for things to run smoothly and successfully in anticipation of next year’s events. Please visit www.SarasotaRising.org/volunteer for more information. 

As our wonderful community comes together to celebrate our incredible arts and culture scene, attendance and word-of-mouth is crucial. With a little love and elbow grease, the Living Arts Festival will become a staple in our town for years to come.