Sarasota Shell and Marine Life Festival showcases the science and art of seashells

By Ian Swaby
| 4:40 p.m. February 7, 2026

Sue Hobbs holds the iridescent shell of the green turban sea snail to the light.

Sarasota
Neighbors

While shell art might be a fitting tie with Valentine's Day, Michelle Gowland had ideas involving another holiday.

Gowland, who calls herself "a little bit of a Halloween freak," created "Sherman Shell-A-dillo" using a skeletal armadillo decoration she had on hand and a variety of shells.

"I think there's got to be room for new stuff too, new ways of looking at things, new creativity, artists with different visions, and that's really why I've got such goofy, crazy-looking stuff," she said.

The Sarasota Shell and Marine Life Festival offered her the chance to showcase the piece, alongside artistic and scientific displays by other members of the Sarasota Shell Club, which hosts the event.

Rebranded from the Shell Show, the event, which had been held in the Potter Building at the Sarasota Fairgrounds in recent years, claimed the property's larger Robarts Arena this year due to a cancellation.

Club President Sally Peppitoni said the event, held Feb. 6-7, drew almost as many people on Feb. 6 as it had on both days the previous year, and that she expected another exceptional turnout on Feb. 7.

She said the new venue also allowed for more displays than before.

"We've had so many people saying they love it in here," she said. "They love the wider aisles, being able to move around. Everything's spread out. They can see it better. So very happy about that."

She hopes the club can return to the space next year. The event raises funds for the club, which promotes education and provides scholarships to students.

Peter Maltese talks with Miranda Noto and Barbara Sells.

John and Kerry Jacobs talk with John Jacobs, who is representing the Tampa Bay Fossil Club.

Ronda Ryan, Amanda PIzaroo and Jackson Mitchell of Sarasota Bay Watch put on their shell hats.

Liberty Pence and Dylan Infante have a moment of fun in the section for scientific shells.

The event featured a variety of items from the seas.

Olivia Gartner, 3, and Aaron Gartner work on a the craft project of a beaded shell necklace.

Dawn Deganis said she enjoys creating art pieces with natural materials including wood, bark, ferns, unusual shells and stones. "We have a wealth of experience and knowledge in terms of art, so it's always a great thing to have those kinds of people around us to draw ideas from and collectively, you get ideas from each other as you're looking to see, 'What are you working on?' and that kind of thing, so it just works out," she said.

Amy Bentley poses with the "ClydeSnails' Budweiser Beer Can Wagon she created with her husband Doug Bentley.

When Doug Bentley finished a can of Budweiser beer, it became the inspiration for "ClydeSnails' Budweiser Beer Can Wagon." His wife Amy Bentley loved the idea of "ClydeSnails," after the fashion of the Clydesdale horses known for pulling the Budweiser wagon. The piece incorporated items including the snails, obtained from Amazon.com; zip ties for the snails' harnesses; and a hand-crafted wagon. "I had a lot of fun making it, because I knew it would bring a lot of smiles to people's faces because of the uniqueness of it," Doug Bentley said.

Michelle Gowland created "Sherman Shell-A-dillo."

Scientific collections of shells were among the offerings featured at the event.

Suzanne Skalski and Doris Wall of the Englewood Shell Club enjoy coming to see the show.

Josh Countryman and his son Rogan Countryman, 12, browse shells.

Helena Solomon, Karen Richardson and Hans Hawrysz browse shells with the help of Mark Geiser.

Brenda Werely created the artistic exhibit "Cockle and Seashells."

author

Ian Swaby

Ian Swaby is the Sarasota neighbors writer for the Observer. Ian is a Florida State University graduate of Editing, Writing, and Media and previously worked in the publishing industry in the Cayman Islands.