Saturday, November 13, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sponsorships and Tickets Now on Sale!
Extending the Health and Safety Protocols Implemented in 2020
This popular annual event on Manasota Key, now in its 13th year, raises valuable funds for the Hermitage’s nationally renowned artist residency program. The Artful Lobster features a lobster feast and a performance by a renowned Hermitage Fellow.
(September 8, 2021) Tickets are now on sale for the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s signature fall fundraising event, The Artful Lobster: An Outdoor Celebration! The 13th Annual Artful Lobster raises valuable funds for the Hermitage’s nationally and internationally renowned artist residency program. The event, which takes place outdoors beneath a large, open-air tent on the Hermitage’s environmentally pristine beachfront campus, is scheduled for Saturday, November 13, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; entrance at 6660 Manasota Key Road, in Englewood, Florida (Sarasota County). Guests will enjoy a luscious lobster feast by Michael’s On East and a performance by a celebrated Hermitage Fellow (to be announced). The 2021 Artful Lobster co-chairs are Sarasota arts champion Charlie Huisking and Hermitage trustee Charlotte Perret. This year’s event will be dedicated to the memory of Susan Brainerd, a great friend and advocate of the Hermitage who passed away in August, shortly after starting her most recent term as a Hermitage trustee.
Sponsorship packages and tables range from $1,000 to $5,000. Single tickets, at $350, are extremely limited due to capacity, and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Bookings may be made online at HermitageArtistRetreat.org or by calling Hermitage Development Director Amy Wallace at (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2.
“This year’s Artful Lobster is an opportunity to celebrate and champion the artistswho are giving us hope and giving us a reason to return to the theaters, concert halls, and museums that we know and love,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Join us in celebrating a year of overcoming obstacles and believing in the power of the arts – and artists – to make a meaningful difference in our lives.”
Sandberg adds that the Hermitage team is continuing to take extra measures surrounding this year’s festivities. “The health and wellbeing of our guests, artists, and staff remain our top priorities. As with last year’s Artful Lobster and all of our live programs over the past twelve months, we are taking extra precautions to ensure a safe and enjoyable outdoor celebration.” All activities will be held outdoors under open-air tenting, and capacity will be limited to accommodate greater social distancing. Additional safety measures for this year’s Artful Lobster can be found at HermitageArtistRetreat.org/Safety.
Sponsors and partners for the 2021 Artful Lobster include Gulf Coast Community Foundation, CHUBB, Key Agency, Herald-Tribune Media Group, and Sarasota Magazine. A full list of this year’s Artful Lobster sponsors, benefactors, and partners can be found at HermitageArtistRetreat.org/ArtfulLobster2021.
The Hermitage also recently announced that its 2021-2022 programming would continue with an expansion of popular live outdoor events, all with socially distanced seating, as well as added virtual offerings.
The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key campus for multi-week residencies. Artists come from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of visual art, theater, music, literature, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows are asked to participate in community programs, affording audiences in our region the unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get a “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These free programs include performances, lectures, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our region each year.
For more information about the Hermitage, the 2021 Artful Lobster, or other upcoming Hermitage programs, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
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, reaching thousands of Gulf Coast residents and visitors each year with unique and inspiring programs. Hermitage Fellows have included 14 Pulitzer Prize winners, Poets Laureate, MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellows, and multiple Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar winners and nominees. Works created at this beachside retreat by a diverse group of Hermitage alumni have gone on to renowned theaters, concert halls, and galleries throughout the world. Each year, the Hermitage awards the $30,000 Hermitage Greenfield Prize for a new work of art, the newly announced $35,000 Hermitage Major Theater Award for an original theater commission, and the Aspen Music Festival’s Hermitage Prize in Composition. For more information, visit 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 Arts and Culture, the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida (Section 286.25 Florida Statutes), as well as the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.