A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Beth Arthur
Presented by Arts Advocates
May 2, 1-2 pm | FREE
Arts Advocates Gallery, The Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34239 | ArtsAdvocates.org
Arts Advocates has added two new paintings to their collection by Sarasota artist Beth Arthur, an historic member of the Sarasota Art Colony, who will be celebrating her 100th birthday this year. Arts Advocates will display her two paintings and give a talk about Arthur, who will be in attendance.

Arthur spent six decades working as a Sarasota contemporary artist, holding 30 gallery showings while earning countless honors and awards. The Sarasota Art Colony was a group who defined a post WWII era in which members created art enhanced by the region, often featuring coastal landscapes, influenced by the Ringling Barnum Bailey Circus, while closely collaborating with fellow creatives and local art schools including the Ringling Arts College. The synergy of these influences boosted Sarasota’s arts reputation.

Beth Arthur came to Sarasota in the 1950s with a degree in fine arts from the University of Pittsburgh. She accepted a student scholarship from Hilton Leech, who originally came to Sarasota to organize the Ringling School of Art, and who many remember was a prominent teacher and painter responsible for influencing many artists. Arthur served as a staff artist at the Ringling Barnum Bailey Circus creating props and dazzling displays. She always said that the circus was a key part of her development and that the circus was “an unending source of imagination.” There, she met more fellow artists who became lifelong friends and collaborators. Renowned Sarasota artist Syd Solomon was a close friend of Arthur’s and helpful to her career while she firmly cemented her place within the Sarasota Art Colony.

FREE. Registration is requested but not required at https://www.artsadvocates.org/members/gallery/368-a-celebration-of-the-life-and-legacy-of-beth-arthur