New creations, global voices, celebrations light up our cultural horizon

Radical softness

Sarasota Art Museum’s “Janet Echelman: Radical Softness” is a sweeping retrospective of the celebrated artist’s four-decade career. Her recent work includes massive, outdoor net sculptures like “Butterfly Rest Stop” and “Remember the Future.” These floating, multicolored webs seem to sculpt the sky. The artist’s latest series of cyanotypes is also on display. Created from 3D digital models and photos of Echelman’s installations, these prints translate her massive, netted forms into evanescent imagery. This show also traces the artist’s first steps in paintings, intimate textile works and sculptural studies. From Echelman’s earliest work to her latest, it connects her love of soft materials with her tough artistic credo. It’s a joyful celebration of interconnectedness, resilience and humanity’s impact on each other and the planet. Through April 26. Visit: SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

Courtesy image

Latinx art in motion

The Ringling’s “Nuestro Vaivén (Our Sway)” is its first major exhibition devoted to contemporary Latinx art. Representing 11 Latin American nations and 11 Florida counties, the show pairs four of Sarasota’s community leaders with exhibiting artists. Their resulting collaboration sparked these socially engaged installations, each informed by shared stories and lived experiences. A companion exhibition also celebrates work by 14 other Latinx artists with a vast range of voices and styles. Both shows offer moving artistic tributes to their artists’ communities and heritage. Through March 8. Visit: Ringling.org.

Keyboard legends

Florida Studio Theatre presents “Three Pianos,” an original musical revue created by Rebecca Hopkins, Richard Hopkins and Sarah Durham, with arrangements by Jim Prosser. Their electrifying cabaret celebrates the keyboard legends who reshaped popular music, including Ray Charles, Alicia Keys, Fats Domino and Freddie Mercury. Iconic hits include “Crocodile Rock,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “I’m Still Standing” and “Beautiful,” performed with FST’s trademark energy and pizzazz. Through March 29 in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret. Visit: FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Photo by Caroline Bittencourt

Nordic virtuosos

The acclaimed Danish String Quartet makes its Sarasota debut as part of Sarasota Concert Association’s Great Performers Series, performing Beethoven’s String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130, and the explosive “Grosse Fuge,” Op. 133. With their signature blend of precision, warmth, and bold interpretive vision, the ensemble also shares its own arrangements of traditional Nordic folk tunes; music that bridges centuries and cultures. February 24 at Riverview Performing Arts Center. Visit: SCASarasota.org.

Swinging into spring

The Sarasota Jazz Festival is coming back to the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, March 9-14. Based on this year’s talent, the return engagement looks like a triumph. The festival’s stellar lineup of jazz greats includes Arturo Sandoval, John Pizzarelli, Terell Stafford, Sammy Figueroa and Danny Sinoff. If you feel like a moving musical feast, there’s also a lively 12-stop Trolley Pub Crawl. It adds up to six days of rhythm, improvisation and world-class artistry. Visit: SarasotaJazzFestival.com.