ARTS FOR EVERYBODY

For over 30 years, the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation (formerly the Van Wezel Foundation), the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, and the City of Sarasota have partnered to provide artistic experiences that ensure students receive a well-rounded education, teachers have the tools and resources to reach every student, and our community members have access to meaningful arts experiences.

INNOVATING EDUCATION

THROUGH THE ARTS

Our founding commitment to education and community impact enables us to strengthen the voices of tomorrow through immersion in the dramatic arts by providing visceral learning experiences.

Our programs build confidence and self-esteem, challenge and examine social perspectives, foster relationships through artistic collaboration, foster imagination, and create empathy through storytelling.

An instructor stands in a park engaging a small group of children in an outdoor learning activity.

Mr. Stevey & Friends

A free community program geared towards pre-school and elementary school aged children and their families to engage in mindfulness activities and create art in all its various forms!

PARTNERS — NEWTOWN NATION, NEWTOWN FARMERS MARKET, FLORIDA ARTS & CULTURE

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Appleton Awards

These scholarships recognize the achievements and potential of educators using Arts Integration and Education in their classrooms or community.

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A musician with a violin warmly embraces a young girl, capturing a moment of joy and connection at a community event.

Artists in Residence

Bringing nationally recognized artists to our community through partnerships with local arts and social service organizations.

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Wolf Trap

Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation is an affiliate of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, in partnership with Gulf Coast Florida Wolf Trap. This approach uses the arts to create joyful, hands-on learning experiences that enhance academic and emotional development for young children and their educators.

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A group of young adults seated, engaged in a presentation, enjoying a communal learning experience.

ARTSELF

ArtSELF is an initiative designed to connect arts and wellness. Through Performing and Visual Arts, community members explore self reflection, stress management, memory care, and community engagement.

PARTNERS — RESILIENT RETREAT, THE HAVEN

“We look forward to deepening our relationship with artists, the community, and our partners at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall through this innovative and impactful season.”

Two women smiling, with one arm around each other, outdoors at a community event

Arts-integration programs for pre-K through grade 12 include professional development and classroom workshops, Family Arts Nights, and Schooltime performances: Click Clack Moo, It’s Okay to be Different, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Pete’s Big Hollywood Adventure, Momix/Alice, WBTT’s The Alligators and the Flamingos, The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System, and The Gruffalo.

PARTNERS — VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL, JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, APPLETON SCHOLARS AND SARASOTA, MANATEE, CHARLOTTE, AND DESOTO COUNTY SCHOOLS