Grants support Hermitage Artist Retreat artist programs and community initiatives
The Hermitage Artist Retreat has been awarded nearly a dozen grants totaling over $238,000 that will support a variety of programs and initiatives, including residencies for Hermitage Fellows, arts education support, and program accessibility.
A leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida’s Gulf Coast exclusively committed to supporting the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get sneak peeks into projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world.
Free programs include performances, conversations, readings, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.
Grants were awarded by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Amphion Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Exchange, Koski Family Foundation, Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program, National Endowment for the Arts, and Plantation Community Foundation.
“As our programs and collaborations continue to evolve and expand, we are excited to see the impact on audiences throughout our region and beyond,” Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg said. “We are deeply appreciative for these generous grants from both new and longtime supporters.”
Engine for tourism industry
The Sarasota County Commission recently approved a Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program grant in excess of $52,000 for the Hermitage to facilitate artist residencies and programming that supports tourism to Sarasota County.
The Welles Murphey Fund at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation provided a $50,000 Empowering Arts Grant in support of the Hermitage’s mission to inspire and foster influential and culturally consequential art and artists. The Hermitage became one of Gulf Coast’s “Arts Appreciation” grantees in 2021, and this year’s grant marks a $10,000 increase.
The Hermitage was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to once again serve as the lead sponsor for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Weekend. This will be the eighth year of the foundation’s support for the annual celebration.
The Koski Family Foundation again awarded a $50,000 grant to support residencies for teaching artists in addition to the continued support of the Hermitage’s Sarasota Cross Arts Collaborative initiative. The grant allows the Hermitage to foster the development of new work for teaching artists while providing local schools the benefit of these extraordinary artists’ insight and instruction.
The National Endowment for the Arts renewed its support for the Hermitage this year with a $15,000 grant to support the Hermitage’s artist residency program.
Additional community program support came from The Exchange, which awarded $10,000 to support “Hermitage North” programming such as “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” and “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park.” In addition, The Exchange awarded a $5,000 Elizabeth Lindsay Arts in Education grant to support the Hermitage's “A Gift of Education to Sarasota County Schools” project that brings the world's leading artists to Sarasota County public schools.
Grants from the Amphion Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Plantation Community Foundation will provide support for the organization’s music-focused initiatives.
For more information about the Hermitage and upcoming programs, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
Submitted by the Hermitage
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hermitage gains support for artist programs, community initiatives
