Sarasota County commissioners have approved a 20-year extension of a lease with the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key, allowing the non-profit arts organization to better plan for growth and preserve the site’s historic buildings.
The amended lease extends the agreement through 2045, with a further extension possible through 2055, assuming that the Hermitage completes planned improvements to its campus on the Gulf of Mexico.
The Hermitage, which traces its history to 1999, hosts about 100 artists each year for multi-week residencies selected by an advisory council of industry experts. Writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers and more stay in one of the historic cottages on the property to work on projects in their different disciplines. It also oversees two major arts commissioning programs, the Hermitage Greenfield Prize and the Hermitage Major Theatre Award.
The artists are required to present public programs in the Sarasota area during their residencies, and those events have expanded from the Hermitage campus to include events at Selby Gardens’ downtown campus and Historic Spanish Point, Bookstore1Sarasota, Booker High School and other venues.
“In the earliest days of the Hermitage, the cabins were not full, and in those days we did a couple of programs a year. Now, we’re doing over 50 a year,” said Andy Sandberg, the CEO and artistic director.
Since taking over the property, the Hermitage has refurbished the cottages that date back 100 years or more.
Alumni include major figures in visual and performing arts, including playwrights, choreographers, musicians, as well as authors.
Two Hermitage alumni, multi-media artist Anne Patterson and sound and music artist Patrick Harlin, were commissioned by Sarasota Art Museum for the current exhibition “The Truth of the Night Sky,” which is on display through Sept. 29. Earlier this summer, the museum hosted the exhibition “Impact,” featuring work by 10 past Hermitage fellows.
The new agreement “paves the way for further improvements” to the property, Sandberg said. “We are exploring future additional cottages and improvements to the Palm House. We’ve been maintaining and improving the property, but we wanted to be sure that we will still be there before we make any more significant investments.”
The agreement also gives the Hermitage more access to land on the Lemon Bay side of Manasota Key for new buildings for residences and artist studios.
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