Hermitage Artist Retreat Announces Dates for 2023-2024 Benefit Events

July 31, 2023 – Osprey

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) announced today that its annual Artful Lobster benefit will be held on Saturday, November 11^th, 2023, from 11:30am to 2pm. Now in its 15^th year and coming on the heels of the Hermitage’s 20^th Anniversary season, this signature outdoor event raises valuable funds for the Hermitage’s renowned artist residency program. The Artful Lobster is the only Hermitage benefit to take place on the grounds of the historic Gulf front campus – outdoors beneath a large tent – located at 6660 Manasota Key Road in Englewood. Michael’s On East offers a delicious lobster feast, with performances from renowned Hermitage Fellows. This year’s event will be co-chaired by new Hermitage trustee Terry Brackett and longtime Hermitage supporters Suzette & Tim Flood.

Ticket information and additional details are now available at: HermitageArtistRetreat.org/ArtfulLobster2023

For sponsorship inquiries, call Amy Wallace: (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2

Then in the spring, the 16^th annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner will be held on Sunday, April 14^th, 2024, starting at 6pm at Michael’s On East in Sarasota. This elegant annual dinner heralds the jury-selected recipient of this prestigious prize, which will be awarded this season in the discipline of theater. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) is a distinguished national commission awarded by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation; the award rotates annually among theater, music, and visual art. The 2024 HGP winner’s newly commissioned work will have its first public presentation in Sarasota in the spring of 2026. Ticket information and additional details will be announced later in the year. For sponsorship inquiries, call (941)475-2098, Ext. 2.

Past recipients of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize include: Sandy Rodriguez, visual artist (2023), Rennie Harris, dancer/choreographer (2023);  Angélica Negrón, composer/instrumentalist (2022); Aleshea Harris, playwright (2021); Helga Davis, composer/performer (2019); Martyna Majok, playwright (2018); David Burnett, photojournalist (2017); Coco Fusco, interdisciplinary artist (2016); Bobby Previte, composer/drummer (2015); Nilo Cruz, playwright (2014); Trenton Doyle Hancock, visual artist (2013); Vijay Iyer, composer/pianist (2012); John Guare, playwright (2011); Sanford Biggers, visual artist (2010); Craig Lucas, playwright (2009); and Eve Beglarian, composer (2009).

The Hermitage is a leading national arts incubator and the only major arts organization in Florida’s Gulf Coast region exclusively committed to the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key campus for multi-week residencies, where diverse and accomplished artists from around the world create and develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, film, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get an authentic “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These free and innovative programs include performances, lectures, readings, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.

For more information about the Hermitage and upcoming programs, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.