The Hermitage Artist Retreat

Theater… Music… Visual Art… Literature… Dance… 

…where it all begins.

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The Hermitage is a leading national arts incubator and multidisciplinary artist retreat dedicated to championing bold and impactful new work, supporting the creative process, elevating the artist experience, and enriching the lives of audiences and arts appreciators around the world. The mission of the Hermitage is to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time.

An incubator for original works across all artistic mediums – theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, and more – the Hermitage aims to inspire creative minds to achieve their greatest potential. Beyond the unique and invaluable experience we provide to artists and our audiences, we take pride in our commitment to historic preservation, ecological restoration, and dynamic community engagement. 

Hermitage Fellows have included eighteen Pulitzer Prize winners, multiple Tony, Oscar, Emmy, Grammy nominees and winners, Poets Laureate, MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellows, and hundreds of extraordinary artists from around the world. The award-winning original works created at the Hermitage are presented in renowned concert halls, theaters, museums, and galleries throughout our region and across the globe. Works created at the Hermitage have been shown at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, The Museum of Modern Art, The Vienna Opera, Roundabout Theatre Company, Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Broadway and Off-Broadway stages, Mass MoCA, The Kennedy Center, The Aspen Music Festival, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art… to name a few.

As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get an authentic “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to acclaimed stages, screens, and exhibitions throughout the world. 

Take advantage of the opportunity to see and interact with great artists and their work. Check out our website for upcoming events and programs.

Hermitage Artist Retreat, Weekly Sunset Artist Programs, Year-Round, 5:30pm, 6pm, or 6:30pm 

Award-winning Hermitage Fellows offer a unique glimpse into their creative process, sharing original works in process with our Gulf Coast audiences. These free hour-long programs take the shape of musical performances, play readings, concerts, visual art demonstrations, panel discussions, master classes, exhibitions, open studios, and more. The presentations are often works in process, giving Hermitage audiences a look into the creative process before these works go on to leading theaters, concert halls, and museums around the world. Hermitage community programs are presented throughout the year, either on our beachfront Manasota Key campus or at a partner venue throughout the greater Sarasota area. Thousands attend our programs annually, and millions more experience the work created at the Hermitage years later – works by 1​8 Pulitzer Prize winners, dozens of Grammy, Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winners, and celebrated performing and literary artists. These free community programs are open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee). To register or learn more about the Hermitage, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

“Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” Series, Downtown Sarasota Campus and Historic Spanish Point Campus (Sarasota/Osprey)

Dates for 2025-2026 (all at sunset): Thursday, October 23, 2025; Thursday, November 20, 2025; Thursday, January 29, 2026; Thursday, February 19, 2026; Thursday, March 5, 2026; and Thursday, May 7, 2026 

Enjoy music, theater, literature, dance, and more as part of the "Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens" series. Each hour-long program features selections of work as well as candid and engaging conversations with the world-class artists who come to the Hermitage to create art in an inspirational environment. This sunset series continues ​its 6th year on Thursday, October, 23, 2025 at Selby Gardens Downtown. Additional series dates are as follows: Thursday, November, 20, 2025 at Historic Spanish Point; Thursday, January 29, 2026 at Selby Gardens Downtown; Thursday, February 19, 2026 at at Historic Spanish Point; Thursday, March 5, 2026 Selby Gardens Downtown; and Thursday, May 7, 2026 Selby Gardens Downtown. Start times vary with sunset. To register or learn more, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Fall Gala – Hermitage Artful Lobster: An Outdoor Celebration (Manasota Key)

The 17th annual Hermitage Artful Lobster will be held on the Hermitage's historic beachfront campus on Saturday, November 8, 2025,11:30am - 2:00pm. This popular afternoon luncheon on Manasota Key raises valuable funds for the Hermitage's nationally renowned artist residency program. The Artful Lobster is the only Hermitage benefit to take place on the grounds of the historic Gulf-front campus – outdoors beneath a large tent – located at 6660 Manasota Key Road in Englewood. Michael's On East offers a delicious lobster feast, with performances from renowned Hermitage Fellows. For sponsorship inquiries, call (941)475-2098, Ext. 2. Sponsorships and tables for this fundraiser range from $1,500 to $10,000. For more information, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org/ArtfulLobster2025/

“Hermitage Sunsets @​ Benderson Park” Series, ​Nathan Benderson Park (Sarasota/Bradenton)

Enjoy music, theater, literature, and more as part of the "Hermitage Sunsets @ ​B​enderson Park" series. Each hour-long program features selections of work, as well as candid and engaging conversations with the world-class artists who come to the Hermitage to create art in an inspirational environment. The first event in this series will be the “2025 Hermitage Cross Arts Collaborative” ​on Wednesday, December 3, 2026 at 5pm, featuring Shawn Allison (ensembleNew SRQ) and Tom Lubben (Key Chorale). The second event in the series will take place on Thursday, February 5 (artists to be announced). To register or learn more, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Spring Gala – 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner: A Celebration of Visual Art

The 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner will be held on Sunday, April 12th, 2026, starting at 6pm. This popular gala evening will take place at Michael's On East in Sarasota, as a part of a weekend of events and programs surrounding this distinguished national prize. This elegant dinner heralds the jury-selected recipient of this prestigious recognition, which will be awarded in the discipline of visual art. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) is a nationally renowned commission awarded by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation; the $35,000 award rotates annually between visual art, theater, and music. The 2026 HGP winner's newly commissioned work will have its first public exhibition in Sarasota in the spring of 2028. Sponsorships and tables for this fundraiser range from $1,500 to $25,000. For more information, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org/HGPDinner2026/.

HermitageArtistRetreat.org