Siesta Key Crystal Classic – More than Sand


 
The Annual Siesta Key Crystal Classic will return to Siesta Beach on November 13 – 17, 2015. Come out and see international sand sculptors turn our soft white sand into works of art. And there’s more than sand at this event. Check out this video to see the variety of fun things to do.
See information about this year’s event on the Crystal Classic website.

 
See the winning scuptures from the 2014 event in this video.

 
This is the sixth annual sand sculpting competition held on Siesta Key. To see more videos about the event, visit the Siesta Key Crystal Classic Youtube channel.

Sarasota Towles Court Kite Day Fun

Children and adults had fun making kites at Artists on the Court, a new gallery in Towles Court.  Since things to do in Sarasota slow down during summer, this free community art event was a welcome activity.
Kathleen Johnson invited the community to come and help decorate her gallery by creating kites to decorate the gallery on opening night.

Sarasota Towles Court Artwalk

The third Friday of each month, Towles Court artists open their studios to the public.  From 6-10 pm, you can enjoy free music and refreshments while you stroll through this historic community of old Florida bungalows.  Named one of the top ten artist’s colonies in the country by Coastal Living, Towles Court also includes galleries and open air restaurants.  The artwalk is very popular with tourists during season, and locals know that off season allows for a less crowded visit.  New residents arrive regularly, so if you haven’t been to the artwalk in a while,  mark your calendar for the third Friday next month!

Sarasota Downtown Friday Night

Live Downtown, It’s Friday Night! The 1st Friday night each month, you should be  downtown Sarasota for live music, dancing, gallery shows and shopping. This is a free event that attracts locals and visitors to browse our wonderful art galleries to the accompaniment of a wide range of entertainment.  On this Friday, you could hear an incredible local string duo Bard and Mustache – Erin Murphy (the Equines) and Greg Bortnichak (Sparta Philharmonic).  Just down the street, you could see the Sarasota Ballet’s students at Studio 20.  In the mood for something Latin?  The exciting Duente duo of Joe Matsagos and Dean Johanesen offered flamenco while Wilsons DanceSport dancers entertained the crowd.  And, just for fun, Ollie and the Garbage Men, local teenagers who play instruments made from garbage and recycled materials.  I’d say there was something for everyone!

Siesta Fiesta 2011 in Siesta Key Village Sarasota

Siesta Fiesta is a 2 day event with lots of things to do and see – art, crafts, food, drinks and music.  Saturday and Sunday, the main village street is shut down and filled with brightly colored paintings, sculpture, hand made clothing and jewelry.  It’s a shoppers dream.  Or you can just sit back with a cold drink and your choice of fiesta food and watch the people go by.  This festival draws mainlanders and vacationers to the key in big numbers, so you’ll see island residents walking or riding their bikes to avoid the traffic.  Held each year in April or May, check the date and come on out and enjoy Siesta Fiesta!

Sarasota Film Festival Opening Night 2011

Opening night at the Sarasota Film Festival brought filmmakers, actors and festival sponsors out for the movie Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times.  The red carpet event at the Sarasota Opera House was the place to be for movie lovers on Friday night.

Sarasota Film Festival Student Competition – and the winner is…

Students in the Motion Graphics department at Ringling College in Sarasota Florida  competed to create an opening trailer for the films at this year’s Sarasota Film Festival.  The winners were announced on opening night, and their trailer played before the opening night movie.  The winning students were Natasha Bangert and Minna Choung for Paparazzi.  Congratulations to all the students for their work.  All of the finalists’ trailers will be seen during the festival.

Sarasota Film Festival – Ringling College Student Trailer Competition

Movie lovers eagerly await the annual Sarasota Film Festival.  This year, it runs from April 7-17.  Since the first festival in 1999, the event has grown exponentially.  Attendance this year will be over 45,000!  SFF has expanded to an eleven day event that offers over 200 movie screenings, family activities, educational sessions and panel discussions, student competitions, parties and many other events.  This is the largest event of it’s kind in the Southeast.

This year, there was also a new online competition for Ringling College of Art and Design to select the best trailer for the festival.  Students in the Motion Graphics department created trailers and the public voted online to select the winner.  When I spoke with Tom Hall – Artistic Director at SFF – he said the response was great for this first time competition.

The winning trailer will be announced and played before the opening night film – Page One.  During the festival, each film will open with one of the finalist’s trailers.  A great opportunity for Ringling students to show their stuff!  Here’s an example:

Siesta Key Crystal Classic Sand Sculpting

A new annual event took Sarasota by storm in it’s inaugural year.  The amazingly successful event was inspired and directed by 2 master sand sculptors – Bill Knight and Brian Wigglesworth.  As experienced sand master sculptors,- unlike any other event directors could – they hit a home run first time up!

The Siesta Key Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Competition brought 11 teams of master sand sculptors together to compete for cash prizes.  The proceeds from the first annual event benefited Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program.  In addition to the competition, the event included sand sculpting lessons, an amateur competition, live music, a vendor village and other fun family activities.  We were so happy to be there to videotape the entire event.

If you weren’t there for the first year…make sure you don’t miss this year’s event.  And if you don’t live here, plan a trip!