Above from left, Drayton Saunders, Susan McLeod, Michael Saunders, Tim Jaeger and Andrew Ford.
Michael Saunders & Company has unveiled a new public window installation at its downtown Sarasota headquarters, honoring the formative years that helped establish the city as a nationally recognized center for visual arts and creative culture, according to a release.
Titled “A Legacy in the Making: Sarasota’s Visual Arts History 1945-1965,” the installation spans more than 200 feet of windows at the firm’s headquarters at 1605 Main Street, according to a release. The exhibit explores a pivotal era in Sarasota’s evolution, highlighting the artists, institutions and cultural forces that shaped the Sarasota Artist Colony in the decades following World War II.
The company stated that approximately 100 artists, art supporters, real estate clients and community members attended a January 16 reception marking the installation’s debut. The display combines historical timelines, archival photographs and reproductions of notable works to bring to life the people and movements that defined Sarasota’s postwar arts scene. Featured elements include the influence of GI Bill-funded artists, the postwar art school boom, the Ringling Circus and Ringling School of Art (now Ringling College of Art and Design,) the Petticoat Painters and the Sarasota Art Association.
Company Founder & CEO Michael Saunders shared how her lifelong connection to the arts—instilled by her artist mother and nurtured at her family’s historic Longboat Key home—has influenced both her philanthropic efforts and the culture of her company, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“Created to inspire curiosity and community pride, this installation brings to life the stories, artists and creativity that gave birth to Sarasota’s artistic identity,” says Saunders. “We’re shining a light on an important chapter of our city’s history—one that helped shape the spirit of Sarasota and established it as a destination for extraordinary visual art.”
The company stated that the project was made possible through collaboration among local arts leaders and creative professionals including Tim Jaeger, director and chief curator at Ringling College of Art and Design, who served as exhibit curator; William Hartman Gallery owner Bill Hartman as historian; local artist Susan McLeod as creative muse; Aiham Karahawa as visual designer and director; and Caleb Bish of StoryVox Video Production Company, who produced the accompanying website video. Andrew Ford of Andre Ford Fine art was the special guest, displaying works by influential artists including Emile Gruppe, Stanley Woodward, Helen Sawyer and Louise Farnsworth.
The installation, in development for more than two years, traces how Sarasota’s natural beauty, welcoming creative community and early cultural influencers, such as John Ringling, attracted prominent artists including Hilton Leech, Ben Stahl, Syd Solomon, Craig Rubadoux and John Chamberlain, many of whom developed deep ties to the city, according to a release.
“I hope this exhibit inspires future generations to support and preserve Sarasota’s artistic heritage,” Saunders says. “Art, culture and a sense of place are deeply connected—and we remain committed to celebrating those connections in everything we do.”
The full exhibit, including a video tour, is available online at www.sarasotalegacy.art.
