Sarasota has a colorful history, rich with the stories of pioneers, entrepreneurs, architects, and iconic families. Its landscape has always been in flux. Today, the legacy continues with the transformation of one of the city’s districts into an unexpected hub for urban art.

The visage of Sarasota Chalk Festival founder Denise Kowal is emblazoned on the black-washed wall of the Sarasota Fight and Fitness Club. Will street artist MTO’s latest work be able to hold its own, or will its detractors knock it down for the count and send it the way of Fast Life?

The Sarasota Chalk Festival by night was spectacular. The streets were surprisingly dark but the art just popped with everyone’s camera flashes. The VIP party had plenty of seating and the music could be heard throughout. We enjoyed getting to meet some of the artists still working on their projects, even in the dark. Kumpa Tawornprom took time to chat with us as he was touching up two life-like elephant sculptures, his donation to the festival. We’re impressed! – For more photos, visit and “Like” Instudio E on Facebook.  

The 2012 Sarasota Chalk Festival is scheduled to kick off in Historic Burns Square on Sunday, Oct. 28 and will continue through Tuesday, Nov. 6. In fact, the street art will remain on the streets for 30 days after the completion of the festival. With approximately 200,000 visitors over a seven-day period last year, the 2012 festival is setting up to be even bigger. Now in its fifth season, this year’s theme of “Circus City, USA” pays homage to the circus roots that are an integral part of Sarasota’s heritage. If prior Chalk [...]

With its prime locations diagonally across from the Burns Court Cinema and in the center of Burns Square, Galileo Ristorante and Retropolitan are well-situated for an evening dining crowd. New ownership took control of the restaurants at the end of June and started making small changes  through the summer. I thought it was a good time to meet the new owners to find out what else is being planned. I recently spoke to Chad Weidner, one of the new owners, to learn more. Jack Littman-Quinn: How did you decide on [...]

With origins dating back to the early 1600s, the institution of the local café has served an integral role in communities worldwide. Always used as a meeting or gathering place, the pulse of the café evolved from news and information, to political discussion and dissent, to artistic collaboration and entertainment—and with the ubiquity of Wi-Fi returned back to communication and information. Returning to classical café roots, the Burns Court Café serves as host to a monthly book club, a cinema discussion group and a conversational French group. All details for [...]