Three years ago, the idea of a weeklong festival celebrating Sarasota’s abundant and diverse arts scene spawned. At the helm of the new nonprofit, called “Sarasota Rising” is Jeffery Kin, a lively, charismatic and passionate arts/music/culture lover who serves as Executive Director.
Kin, the former producing artistic director of the Sarasota Players, says the mission of Sarasota Rising is to hold an event that would highlight the dozens of arts organizations in the community, along with individual artists. The event would be an incredible springboard in which to promote the region’s diverse arts scene while expanding its reach across the state – and ultimately nationally and internationally.
It is here that the Living Arts Festival was born.
Scheduled for November 10 – 17 this year, The Living Arts Festival is an area wide Cultural Coast initiative to help elevate and place a great big spotlight on the arts groups that are making a difference in our region every day. Unlike Spoletto and other performance driven festival’s that bring in groups and talent from around the world, The Living Arts Festival is here to celebrate the world of arts right here on our doorstep. Our entire region becomes a stage! In an exclusive Q & A with Jeffery Kin, Sarasota Events Calendar asked the following questions:
- What is the primary focus of the upcoming Living Arts Festival?
All of our area arts organizations are participating in some way and we are celebrating them in their venues (if they have them) or including others in the events we are producing. We are calling this a Festival in 6 acts, so there’s the 5 main events that we are producing: Pre-Festival Fete, Rise & Shine Saturday, The Opening Party-A World of Entertainment, Our Embrace Reimagined , The Closing Party – A Celebration of Youth! The 6th act is showcasing everyone else as they explore and start their seasons.
2.What is your long term vision for Sarasota Rising and the Living Arts Festival? How do you plan to achieve it?
We are starting off as a small, supportive and grass roots festival. Inclusive and supporting the large and small, the professional and non-professional and ALL arts: Fine, Visual, Performing, Circus, Culinary…we rarely say no! In the coming years, we expect our reputation to grow and for people to attend first from our local region, then our state, then our country and who knows…wouldn’t it be great to become internationally known? Festivals are celebrations of a town or region, there’s civic pride is supporting and spotlighting the arts businesses and the area hotels, restaurants and all things touristy. We welcome cultural tourism…and we are rolling out the red carpet for our area supporters and those that may travel.
3. Are there any family-friendly activities during the festival
Our goal is to offer a cornucopia of events and activities that ignites everyone’s passion for the arts. No events at this time are risqué or adult in nature. Everything is family friendly…whatever your family is! The two main events that will make kids of any age happy….(I still think of myself as a kid) The Rise & Shine Saturday and The Closing Party both have spectacular performances that will make any kid smile. One is more interactive and one is more sit in your seat and watch…but both are there for a purpose: To immerse our incredible community in the arts!
4. How do you see the festival contributing to Sarasota’s cultural landscape and economic development?
Festivals can be huge revenue generators. And yes, our initial funding came from the Down Town Improvement District who felt there was a need for an arts type festival…now almost 3 years ago! What we hope will happen is what happened with other similar events around our country. First your locals attend, then you begin getting day trippers and weekenders, then people will want to be here the entire week! Each of them is a win/win as we get people excited and engaged and yes, spending money. We feel that as our audience and attendance grows, that area arts groups may take more chances on their productions as they know they have savvy festival attendees coming in to take up those seats. It all works together, and it just took our organization to pull our area artists together…together we are stronger.
5. What strategies (if any) do you have for engaging diverse communities and ensuring the festival is inclusive?
Our motto from the beginning has always been “Its easier to say YES, than NO”. When organizations and artists reach out about participation? We know its our job to build a bigger table and be inclusive. From our very early Mission Statement, Vision Statement and our Values Statement the words we chose we chose wisely. Check them out on our website…they are the driving force behind everything we do!
6. How do you plan to engage with local businesses and ensure the festival leads to economic uplift for the area?
It’s always a challenge to ‘sell’ a project that hasn’t happened yet. We have been working closely with many area businesses and strive to engage with more as time goes on. We’ve been blessed to have incredible support from some major players in the area, this always helps others see there’s merit in our project. Sometimes the issue is pure fear of the unknown, and there is something to be said that we need to prove ourselves this first festival. All of us at Sarasota Rising understands that we have got to start somewhere. The goal will always be to build off our previous years successes so that economic impact and attendance just keeps rising year after year.
7. Arts Advocacy and Impact: How do you see the role of Sarasota Rising and the festival in advocating for the arts in the community?
I’ve said from the very beginning that this type of collaborative event will make a huge difference in the ‘tone’ of our arts community. It’s just a no brainer that all of us at The Festival promote the very organizations that have aligned themselves with us. Its organic and ‘in our bones” to take the lead in shining a spotlight on ALL of the art in our region. We are stronger together, and if we can work together and show a united front? Then we accept that as a part of who and what we are. Our level of collaboration and arts focus has never been seen in our area before. We gladly accept the challenge of showing a united front in touting our creative strengths and fiscal power to all.
8. What is your experience in the arts world in Sarasota prior to coming onboard with Sarasota Rising?
Well, I am a product of community theater, starting on my hometown stage “The Star Theater” at the age of 13. After dozens of plays and musicals and a BFA in Performance from Otterbein University I took the leap to be a professional actor in New York. It took, though, my moving to Sarasota in the 1990’s to start Directing, Writing, Producing and Teaching. All of that culminated in 15 years as the Artistic Director at The Player Theater, 2 of those years as acting CEO. All of the bumps and bruises from producing mega shows at one of the areas largest theaters has definitely helped in making strong choices in creating this festival. I have YEARS of experience creating plays, musicals and special events from scratch. This opportunity is the perfect culmination of all I’ve learned over the years and I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible work we’re doing on a daily basis.
Key Features of the Festival
- Performing Arts Emphasis: The festival will feature a variety of performances, including theater, dance, and music, with many organizations using this opportunity to premiere new works or present crowd favorites.
- Visual Arts and Family Programming: Alongside performing arts, there will be visual arts exhibitions and family-friendly activities designed to engage audiences of all ages. Events will include art appreciation sessions, art therapy workshops, and performances by local youth
- Community Engagement: The festival encourages local participation from artists, businesses, and volunteers, aiming to foster a sense of community and collaboration within the arts sector. It will also highlight local cultural institutions like the Sarasota Orchestra and The Ringling Museum
- Kick-off Events: The festival will begin with a pre-festival party called Festival Féte on November 8, 2024, at the Municipal Auditorium. This event will provide attendees with insights into the festival’s planning and offer a taste of the culinary arts alongside performances.
If You Go:
November 10-17
~Andrea Martone
