Four members of the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design’s 2023-24 Teen Arts Council (SAM TAC) are set to take the next steps in their arts education. Marley Bean and Simon Orduno will attend Ringling College this fall, while Addy Hurt and Berkeley Maecker will participate in Ringling’s PreCollege program this summer.
SAM TAC is led by Dr. Brooks Tracey, artist and educator, and the Museum’s Community Catalyst for Learning and Engagement Connie Cuadrado. All of the students on the Council were local; Bean attending Booker High School; Orduno, Florida Virtual School and Suncoast Technical College; Hurt, Manatee School for the Arts, and Maecker, Booker High School.
“We’re delighted that these students have decided to continue studying the arts, and to do so while staying right here in Sarasota,” said Virginia Shearer, executive director of the Sarasota Art Museum. “It’s a privilege to be a part of their cultural education, but of course they make valuable contributions to our organization and our community, too. Really, the Teen Arts Council is about forging long-term relationships with the next generation of arts leaders.”
Begun in 2022, the Teen Arts Council is a year-long paid internship program for creative high school students focusing on contemporary art, museum management, arts program development, and community engagement. TAC members receive behind-the-scenes immersion in Sarasota Art Museum operations and assist in planning public programming, among other opportunities.
The Kutya Major Foundation provides funds for TAC and supports its students with great potential who are interested in furthering their artistic education by offering scholarships to Ringling’s PreCollege program. The TAC is the brainchild of Flora Major, president of the Kutya Major Foundation and one of the founders who spearheaded the $22.5 million fundraising effort supporting the creation of the Sarasota Art Museum, a division of Ringling College.
Both Maecker and Hurt will receive financial support from the foundation in order to attend Ringling’s four-week summer PreCollege program, which includes classes and workshops as well as Student and Resident Life activities. First-time students who successfully complete the program receive three college credits.
Learn more about Sarasota Art Museum’s Teen Arts Council.
