The concept of “Community” is so important to us, it holds a prominent position in our mission statement. We deeply believe in the power of art to transform lives. And we believe with equal ardor that we live in an extraordinary community willing to support a very high level of art and culture. Therefore, it’s our responsibility to offer community access to the artists fortunate enough to receive a Hermitage residency. Each artist nominated as a Hermitage Fellow is asked to perform two interactions with our community.

Hermitage interactions take many different forms. Fellows may conduct a master class, work with the Sarasota County School System, perform readings and concerts, hold open studios, public exhibitions, college classes, workshops, and performances. Hermitage staff, intimately familiar with the county’s cultural resources, design partnerships with such organizations as the Sarasota County School System, Sarasota Season of Sculpture, Sarasota County Library System, The Asolo Theatre Company, the Florida West Coast Symphony, the Sarasota Film Society, the Englewood Art Center, The Venice Art Center, and many, many more of our cultural treasures.

It is a simple joy to watch our community discover how incredible our artists are, and then to see our artists discover the community that has made the west coast of Florida so special.