It's a big week for events in the Sarasota area art scene, as some of the largest local arts groups debut new shows and seasons.
In fact, Sarasota Art Museum will debut three new exhibitions in one day, including a show featuring some big names in photography and another showcasing the work of a Ringling College alum. Also this week, Sarasota Ballet kicks off its 2026-27 season with its first program.
Sarasota Orchestra will once again perform the music from a "Star Wars" film in concert, while Manatee Performing Arts Center premieres a production of one of the biggest Broadway hits of the past decade. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.
on things to do every Friday
1. Three new exhibitions open at Sarasota Art Museum
"Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder" features about 100 photographs by more than 50 artists including Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon and Gordon Parks. "Chie Fueki: Painting the Floating World" showcases Ringling College of Art & Design alum Fueki's work synthesizing Japanese ukiyo-e atmospheric techniques with Western abstraction, perspectival space, and practices of overlay and juxtaposition.
"Eszter Sziksz: Seeking, I Don’t Know What I’m Looking For (And I Hope I Never Find It)" invites visitors to consider questions from minds such as Plato, Derrida, Camus and Heidegger in an immersive, interactive installation. Oct. 18-April 4; Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $20, free ages 17 and under, museum members, veterans/active military, Ringling College faculty/students/staff/alumni, 941-309-4300; sarasotaartmuseum.org
2. Sarasota Ballet Program One at FSU Center for the Performing Arts
Sarasota Ballet will open its season with this program that includes a company premiere of Gemma Bond's "Manner," which explores inherited and performed behaviors through intimate choreography. Following will be a selection of Sir Frederick Ashton's divertissements such as "Friday’s Child" from "Jazz Calendar," "Méditation from Thaïs," "Awakening Pas de Deux" from "The Sleeping Beauty" and "Pas de Cinq" from "Illuminations." Sarasota Ballet director Iain Webb’s first commissioned work for the company, Dominic Walsh’s "Wolfgang for Webb," blends classical with contemporary and elegance with humor and concludes the program. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24-25; FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $35-$145; 941-359-0099; sarasotaballet.org
3. Sarasota Orchestra 'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi' at Van Wezel
After previously performing concerts centered on "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back," Sarasota Orchestra will complete the original "Star Wars" trilogy with this "Return of the Jedi" Movie Pops concert, where the orchestra plays John Williams' Oscar-nominated score while the 1983 film is shown in its entirety on the big screen. The concerts take place at Van Wezel, which has separate events with a screening and live score planned for "Ghostbusters" (Oct. 29), "Rocky" (Nov. 22) and "Outlander" (Dec. 12). 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23-24; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $52 and up; 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org
4. 'Dear Evan Hansen' at Manatee Performing Arts Center
Manatee Performing Arts Center will debut this area production of the musical, following a high schooler on the sidelines who finds himself at the center of a tragedy, that won six Tony Awards including Best Musical. The production will be held in Stone Hall as part of MPAC's Main Stage Musicals season, while a different high school-set musical — "Carrie: The Musical," based on author and Casey Key resident Stephen King's 1974 debut horror novel — continues to run in the black-box Kiwanis Theater. Oct. 22-Nov. 1; Manatee Performing Arts Center Stone Hall, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton; $35-$43; 941-748-5875; manateeperformingartscenter.com
5. Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota Synchrony Quartet
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota's new season, which recently kicked off with Trio Sinfonia, will continue with fellow 2026 Coltman Chamber Music Competition winners Synchrony Quartet, who won grand prize in the senior division mixed instrumental category. The concert by the Chicago-based saxophone quartet dedicated to the performance of contemporary music will feature a program including works by Caroline Shaw, Anton Webern and Astor Piazzolla. 4 p.m. Oct. 18; First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St., Sarasota; $50, $70 VIP, $10 student tickets available at door; 941-306-1202; artistseriesconcerts.org
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota area arts events include new shows, season starts
