Sarasota Review

Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design has announced the launch of After Hours, a new monthly live music event series. The program will take place on the last Tuesday of each month at the Marcy & Michael Klein Plaza. Each event will feature a different musical genre, including jazz, Motown, rock and roll, classical holiday music, and more. Some evenings will also include a 30-minute introductory dance lesson related to the night's theme.

Tickets for After Hours are priced at $25 for museum members and $30 in advance or $35 at the door for non-members. Tickets are available through SarasotaArtMuseum.org/After-Hours.

“Live music is such a wonderful way to bring people together,” said Virginia Shearer, executive director of Sarasota Art Museum. “We see this each month at our popular Jazz Thursdays program, hosted by the Jazz Club of Sarasota, which has brought thousands of attendees out to the Museum over the years. We wanted to expand on the success of that program by giving our community even more opportunities to connect through the power of live music and dance, while also giving attendees the chance to take in our world-class exhibitions after normal Museum hours.”

In addition to live performances and dancing, guests can visit museum exhibitions during extended gallery hours, dine at Bistro—the museum’s on-site restaurant—and shop in the museum store throughout the evening.

The schedule for After Hours includes themed nights such as country line dancing with The Derek Lersch Band (October 28), Motown hits with Soul Sensations (November 25), classical holiday music with Strings of the Season (December 30), 1920s jazz and swing with The Jazz Phools (January 27), traditional Irish music with The Band Trinity (February 24), 1950s rock and roll with Chrome ’57 (March 31), Latin and salsa dancing with Bemba Sessions (April 28), and sea shanty folk music with Old Time Sailors (May 26). Costume contests will be held on January 27 and March 31; winners receive a free year-long membership.

Doors open at 5 p.m., followed by dance lessons at 5:30 p.m. on select nights. Music and social dancing run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Admission prices include access to all museum galleries.

Other upcoming public programs include an opening day talk and book signing featuring artist Joe Fig in conversation with Senior Curator Rangsook Yoon on November 16 from 1-3 p.m., which is free for members or $20 for non-members.

Sarasota Art Museum serves as Ringling College’s center for contemporary art exploration. Since opening in historic Sarasota High School in 2019, it has offered exhibitions across its indoor galleries and outdoor spaces while providing educational programs like The Studios at SAM and courses through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for adult learners.