(May 15, 2020) The Hermitage Artist Retreat received a $100,000 matching grant from the Manasota Key-based Cook family at the beginning of April. That challenge was met in less than one month. $30,000 of this was received through the 2020 Giving Challenge, including more than $18,000 from individuals and nearly $12,000 from The Patterson Foundation. Now, thanks to a generous additional wave of support, the Hermitage has received a $50,000 pledge from a group of supporters to extend this matching challenge above and beyond the Cooks’ original gift. As a result, all gifts to the Hermitage will continue to be matched through June 30.
“We are truly overwhelmed by the response from our community,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “This generous matching challenge has been met by artists, audiences, volunteers, staff, trustees, and so many more. We are deeply grateful to the Cook family and to all who believe so deeply in the Hermitage. It is wonderful to have such champions in this time of great need, and it is inspiring to see the outpouring of support for artists and the creative process during this critical moment in our cultural history.”
In addition, dozens of celebrated artists have come together to share stories of their experience as Hermitage Fellows. Pulitzer Prize-winners, MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipients, Tony Award-winning playwrights, national arts education leaders, celebrated visual artists and musicians, acclaimed poets and novelists, and past Hermitage Greenfield Prize winners have shared video messages about how the Hermitage has changed their lives. These artist testimonials can be viewed at www.HermitAgeartistRetreat.org/Hermitage-Fellows-Responses/.
“We are hopeful that the overwhelming generosity of our community – and our artists’ extraordinary stories about why the Hermitage’s work is so meaningful – will inspire others to show their support for the Hermitage. We are encouraged to see such commitment to the arts in this uncertain time, and with our fellow arts and cultural institutions, we will continue to rally behind the artists and the new works that fill the stages, the museums, and the concert halls that we all know and love.”
To contribute to the Hermitage Artist Retreat, please visit www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org or call 941-475-2098, Ext. 2.
About the Hermitage Artist Retreat:
The Hermitage is a nonprofit artist retreat located in Manasota Key, Florida, inviting accomplished artists across multiple disciplines for residencies on its beachfront campus, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hermitage artists are invited to interact with the local community, serving thousands of Gulf Coast residents and visitors each year with unique and inspiring programs. Hermitage fellows have included nine Pulitzer Prize winners, along with multiple Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and MacArthur Fellowship award winners. Works created at this beachside retreat by a diverse group of Hermitage alumni have gone on to renowned theatres, concert halls, and galleries throughout the world. Each year, the Hermitage awards the $30,000 Greenfield Prize for a new work of art, and the Aspen Music Festival awards the annual Hermitage Prize in Composition. For more information about The Hermitage Artist Retreat, visit www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
The Hermitage is supported by:
Hermitage programs are supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts; by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues; and by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida (Section 286.25 Florida Statutes).