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Featured Artist
Sabrina Small and David Kinsey
The Hermitage Artist Retreat

(In this edition of AnythingArts.com’s Newsletter, we decided to change the Featured Artist spotlight a little. So, we are featuring artists currently in residence at The Hermitage Artist Retreat and letting you know about upcoming events there. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we have simply copied the press release to share it with you below).

The Hermitage Artist Retreat invites the public to attend two events this month at its Manasota Key campus. Both are free and feature programs being presented by visiting artists-in-residence. On Saturday, February 7 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, there will be an open studio and exhibit by painters David Kinsey and Sabrina Small. The following weekend on February 15 from 3:00 - 6:30 pm, there will be an open house and dedication of the final, restored building, the Tom Dignam Beach Cottage. At around 5:00 pm, visitors will be invited to bring their beach chairs and picnic baskets to the beachfront, where renowned playwright Romulus Linney will read from his work.

"We are very excited to invite everyone to The Hermitage for an opportunity to meet our artists and talk to them about their work," remarked Bruce Rodgers, executive director. "Sabrina and David both have strong followings in Sarasota. Their work is well known but even their collectors may have missed the opportunity to see them in working environments. The next weekend marks an important milestone for our artist retreat with the completion of our final building. Having one of America's most renowned playwrights with us to mark the celebration makes it all the more meaningful."

David Kinsey received his Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in 1997 at Ringling School of Art and Design and his Master's of Fine Arts degree in 1999 at Yale University. Currently. he resides in Sarasota, where he teaches at Ringling College and Manatee Community College. His residency at the Hermitage was a component of a 2008 John Ringling grant from the Sarasota Arts Council.

Sabrina Small, a Philadelphia-born artist, earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore. After working in Berlin for five years, she moved to Florida in 2008. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in Los Angeles, London, Budapest, Berlin, China, and allover Southwest Florida. Small has been featured in the Tampa Tribune, Sarasota Herald-Tribune and other regional and national publications.

Romulus Linney is the author of three novels, many short stories, and five anthologies of plays, staged throughout the United States and abroad, including Florida Studio Theater. He has won two Obie awards, one for sustained excellence in playwriting, two National Critics Awards. three Dramalogue Awards, and many fellowships, including grants from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations. Linney is the founding playwright of Signature Theatre and was recently inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which gave him both its Academy Award in Literature and its Award of Merit Medal for Drama. This residency marks Linney's second visit to the Hermitage.

"Part of our commitment to the community is to provide free programming by our artists," Rodgers continued. "These give-backs , are unique opportunities to interact with some of the most prominent and talented artists working today. We hope everyone will mark their calendars and join us for both of these exciting programs." The Hermitage is a not-for-profit artist retreat located at 6650 Manasota Key Road, in Englewood. It brings mid-career painters, sculptors, writers, playwrights, poets, composers and other artists from all over the world for extended stays on its 8.5 acre campus. Each artist is asked to contribute two services to the community during their stay. So far, Hermitage artists have touched almost 6,000 Sarasota County children and adults with their unique and inspiring programs. For more information about the February events or The Hermitage, call Bruce Rodgers, Executive Director at 941-475-2098.