Local Sarasota Artists Beginning a New Trend

Sarasota County is a diverse destination full of various community activities and events that keep the area alive and active. The arts and culture spread throughout the county are second to none, and many can find themselves experiencing a highly acclaimed art show or getting a chance to gawk at some of the inspirational and breathtaking artwork done at different museums and studios. People come to Sarasota because of its reputation of being an art community, but it's not easy to find all the local artists scattered throughout.

In comes the Sarasota Studio Artists Association.

Sarasota Studio Artists Association (SSAA) is a dynamic community of local artists who enhance the Sarasota arts vibe, by opening their working studios to art-loving visitors. The SSAA has officially launched in early 2022, bringing talented Sarasota artists and their studios together to help grow the local art community. The SSAA has a spirit of inclusivity for all types of art, at every level. Some members are well-established, well-known names, and some are in the process of developing a business that will eventually grow large enough to financially support them. The potential has always been there for a community to come together, collaborate and further expand the local art community’s vision across Sarasota. Now, with the formation of the SSAA, and with the help of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, visitors and locals can be directed to many Sarasota artist studios and galleries.

Art and culture fanatics, or even the simple person looking to scratch that art artist itch can find numerous studios flooding several of Sarasota County’s districts. Many of Sarasota’s local artists and studios have joined SSAA, shedding even more light on their artistic medium. Tourists and locals can check out ZeroEmptySpaces, a rapidly growing and affordable artist studio/vacancy management company that creates affordable artist studios in vacant spaces around the country. They are one of Sarasota’s most popular local studios. Or pop on down to Creative Liberties across the street from The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime. Best friends Elizabeth Goodwill and Barbara Gerdeman launched their business Creative Liberties, with the mission of “ARTISTS HELPING ARTISTS”. This space was dedicated to helping artists of all levels with a plethora of needs including things like organizing work and entering shows. MARA Art Studio + Gallery and SPAACES are a couple other popular studios visitors can check out as well.

For the locals and visitors to Sarasota, open studios are a fascinating experiential opportunity to interact with artists, learn about their creative processes, and support them by buying their art directly. Locals and tourists can meet mixed-media artists, realist painters, portrait painters, photographers, sculptors, abstract artists and much more.

The Sarasota Studio Artists Association was launched to represent the size and scale of the local art community and created a website which details individual artists, their work, along with an interactive map (below) to help locate specific artists, studios and areas. This unification demonstrated that Sarasota is bursting with artists who are dedicated to their creative passions.

Be sure to clear your calendars in February and beyond, as the very first official SSAA Open Studios will happen on Saturday, February 12 from 11am-3pm. After the inaugural open studios event, interested spectators will be able to experience that throughout the year on the second Saturday of each month.

Artists are drawn to Sarasota’s vibrant art culture and the community has been growing rapidly. The SSAA currently holds over 50 local artists with working studios, with the ambition to continue to add and grow more. For more information, head to www.srqartists.com to discover artists, studios and events happening within Sarasota County’s cultural art community.