Sarasota's 'Rooted in Community' exhibition highlights artwork from 2 historically Black neighborhoods

SARASOTA, Fla. - "Rooted in Community" shines light on the artistic contributions from artists tied to the Newtown area, a historically Black neighborhood that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2024. 

"History and art are almost synonymous to a community's culture," Co-Curator of "Rooted in Community" Paul Toliver said. "This exhibition is to show Newtown's contribution to the artistic landscape of Sarasota."

Dig deeper:

The exhibition features a wide range of artists, some who have passed away, long-time creators and emerging artists. The one requirement of the show was that the artist must have lived or worked in Newtown. 

"The books we read, it excites our intellectual capacity. We read and absorb it that way," Toliver said. "Art is all about emotion. It makes you feel."

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Emotion is the prime component of Nevtar Navi's work. The emerging artist has three paintings in the show. He shared his thoughts about his piece titled "A Moment of Becoming."

"Sharing an experience as a young Black artist and a young Black man, what we go through in regards to fitting in, finding our place and path within the world, but through that is breaking out of your own shell, your own mind," Navi said. 

Photographer and filmmaker Michael Kinsey has three photographs from a future collection he is working on called "Typecast: Black Icons in the American Imagination." 

"These represent how America has seen or represented us through characters," Toliver said. 

Big picture view:

Everyone involved with the exhibition hopes the artwork will help spark meaningful conversations. 

"In order for us to really get a reflection of what Blackness means, there has to be some conversation. I think when we look at some of these images and even some of the images from the full show, you're going to cause some discomfort," Kinsey said. "Some people will see something and go, ‘Oh wow, I remember that. This is awesome.’ Other people go, ‘What are you talking about? That's horrible.’ That's the idea. You want a conversation."

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Toliver also hopes the show inspires curiosity about local history. 

"They understand the history of this country, the founding of our country, but you also have history of your local community that is critical," Toliver said. "We hope that you are inspired to learn your local history, your local and regional history as well."

What's next:

The center is hosting an artist talk event on Thursday at 5 p.m. Tickets are $5. The exhibition will be on display until April 18. 

For more information about the exhibition, click here.