Artist Talk: Rooted In Community

Doors Open at 5:00pm for mingling & refreshments, Artist Talk begins promptly at 5:30pm.

Join us for an intimate conversation with artists from the group show, Rooted in Community, moderated by Renee Gilmore. Rooted in Community honors the artistic legacy and ongoing creative leadership of Sarasota’s historically Black Newtown neighborhood — a community whose cultural contributions have profoundly shaped the city’s identity for generations.

Spanning generations and disciplines, the exhibition features Arthur Dillard, Clifford McDonald, Michael Kinsey, James King Jr. (“JRU”), Gregory Rumph and Nevtar Navi. Their work reflects innovation, cultural memory, and lived experience deeply rooted in place.

Creativity has always been central to Newtown’s strength. It lives in music and worship, in storytelling passed between generations, in the design of homes and storefronts, and in art that honors both struggle and joy. Creative expression has been a tool for survival, resistance, and pride—shaping identity and preserving memory. Today, supporting creativity in Newtown means sustaining a living legacy and investing in futures rooted in culture, equity, and community leadership.