Hermitage to host five educators as part of 2023 State Teachers Artist Residency program

Special to the Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
The Hermitage's 2023 teaching artists will present a showcase of their work on July 14 at the Hermitage’s beachfront campus on Manasota Key, 6660 Manasota Key Road, in Englewood.
The Hermitage's 2023 teaching artists will present a showcase of their work on July 14 at the Hermitage’s beachfront campus on Manasota Key, 6660 Manasota Key Road, in Englewood.

The Hermitage Artist Retreat, in partnership with the Florida Alliance for Arts Education, will host five Florida public school arts teachers on Manasota Key as winners of the 2023 State Teachers Artist Residency program (STARs).

The teaching artists will present a showcase of their work on July 14 at 1 p.m. The event will be at the Hermitage’s beachfront campus on Manasota Key, 6660 Manasota Key Road, in Englewood. The program is presented in partnership with the Englewood YMCA.

Now in its 13th year, this year's recipients are Jeffrey Brown, a keyboard instructor at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando; James Finch, a visual arts instructor at West Shore Jr/Sr High School in Melbourne; Katherine Gebhart, an art instructor at Jerry Thomas Elementary School in Jupiter; Omar Otero, a photography and painting instructor at Hagerty High School in Oviedo; and Rachael Pongetti, a visual art instructor at the Escambia High School in Pensacola.

The July program will be open to the public with a $5 registration fee. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

"Over the years, the STARs have created some truly stunning works of art, music, theater, dance, and literature during their time at the Hermitage," said Andy Sandberg, Hermitage artistic director and CEO. "Many Hermitage teaching artist alumni have shared that this program enables them to return to their students with a new fire and passion for arts education.”

Since the start of the Hermitage STARs program in 2011, 62 teachers have represented over 30 Florida counties.

The STARs program is one of the only Hermitage residency programs open to application; arts educators from schools throughout Florida are eligible, including music, theater, visual art, dance, and creative writing teachers. For more information about the Hermitage STARs program, visit FAAE.org. For more information on the Hermitage and upcoming programs, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Submitted by The Hermitage

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hermitage to host five Florida arts teachers as part of STAR program