Our cultural calendars are quite different this Fall. Performances under the bright lights of theater stages now dazzle us from screens we are accessing with clicks and fire sticks. The creativity of our regional performing arts groups has been sparked as their teams have worked furiously this past summer to imagine new opportunities for connection in ways we couldn’t have possibly anticipated when the curtains closed last March.
The show certainly must go on in our community, where cultural pursuits add to our quality of life, as do the personal economies of so many working musicians, artists and performers. Fortunately, philanthropy, too, has been given creative latitude to support these new efforts of our arts groups. Over the past 40 years, donors who had a vision for a brighter future have chosen the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to steward their hopes, dreams, and passions into lasting charitable legacies, even when they knew they would no longer be with us when that urgent call for support came like it has this year.
As long as the human spirit thrives on the experiences that bring us together, the stage – virtual or otherwise – will be set for audiences to experience thanks to legacies of those with hopes for our future. That deserves a standing ovation.
As always, I want to hear from you. In what ways have you reimagined how you connect with others? I welcome you to share any thoughts or feelings in a personal message. Let me know. We’re listening.
