Hermitage To Present Two Greenfield Prize Commission Premieres At The Ringling

The Ringling Museum of Art will host the first public showings of the original commissions resulting from the 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP).

Los Angeles-based visual artist Sandy Rodriguez’s exhibition Currents of Resistance will be presented in the Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art and represents the latest in a series of exhibitions featuring Hermitage Greenfield Prize-winning visual artists at The Ringling, beginning with Sanford Biggers’ 2012 exhibition Codex. Rennie Harris, the first HGP recipient in the field of dance and choreography, will share the first public presentations of his original work Losing My Religion at the Historic Asolo Theater on April 4th and again on April 5th, with his dance company Rennie Harris Puremovement. The premieres of these original Hermitage commissions will coincide with the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Weekend, culminating in the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 6th.

Sandy Rodriguez, a first-generation Chicana who grew up along the US-Mexico border, is an artist who engages with the colonial histories of the Americas, Indigenous knowledge systems, memory, and issues surrounding migration, both past and present, all grounded in the specificity of land. One of the unique aspects of her practice is her engagement with and research into the material aspects of indigenous artistic traditions for the Americas. She is using hand-processed pigments derived from earth, plants, and insects, sourced from specimens collected during her fieldwork and residency at the Hermitage for her watercolors. Her Hermitage Greenfield Prize commission, Currents of Resistance, is a further exploration of a series of exhibitions for which she has been celebrated, mapping the ongoing cycles of violence on communities of color by blending historical and recent events; this will be her first map of the Southeast United States. Rodriguez’s exhibition, curated by Christopher Jones, the Stanton & Nancy Kaplan Curator of Photography & Media, will be on view from April 5th through August 10th, 2025.

Rennie Harris’ HGP commission introduces audiences to a new dance piece titled Losing My Religion, a personal reflection on his own journey that weaves in thoughts on the world’s collective dilemmas. Harris is known for challenging what has come to be expected of street dance and hip-hop culture and the degenerative social norms and beliefs that ground the struggles of our time. As part of the work, he has incorporated a reimagining of his renowned solo piece Endangered Species, an autobiographical work recounting his experience of being chased and shot down in Kingston, Jamaica while touring as a U.S. ambassador for President Reagan’s ‘American Embassy Tour.’ The solo’s inclusion in the work completes a story of systemic racism and revolt, shifting away from what was to what is and what can be. Harris’ Hermitage Greenfield Prize premiere presentation will take place on Friday, April 4th at 7:30pm and Saturday April 5th at 7:30pm at the Historic Asolo Theater. Losing my Religion is part of the Art of Performance Series at the Ringling, curated by Elizabeth Doud, Currie-Kohlmann Curator of Performance. This event will also be presented in partnership with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, a frequent Hermitage collaborator.

“We are excited to continue our long history with The Ringling as a presenting partner for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Sandy Rodriguez and Rennie Harris first met when we celebrated this dual award in 2023 at The Ringling for the 15th anniversary of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner. We’re grateful to be returning two years later to share the work of these extraordinary talents – both visionaries and pioneers in their respective fields.” 

“Since 2012, The Ringling has proudly presented Hermitage Greenfield Prize recipients in the visual arts in our galleries,” added Steven High, Executive Director at The Ringling. “We are once again thrilled to present a significant new work in visual art from HGP recipient Sandy Rodriguez, and – for the first time – a work of performance from HGP recipient Rennie Harris. Congratulations!”  

The 17th annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner will be held on Sunday, April 6th, 2025, starting at 6pm at Michael’s On East in Sarasota. This elegant annual dinner heralds the jury-selected recipient of this prestigious prize, which will be awarded this season in the discipline of music. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) is a distinguished national commission awarded by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation; the $35,000 award rotates annually among music, theater, and visual art. The 2025 winner’s newly commissioned work will have its first public presentation in Sarasota in the spring of 2027. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration is presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as Lead Community Sponsor. This year’s HGP winner, HGP Dinner co-chairs, and sponsorship details will be announced at a later date. For early sponsorship inquiries, call (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2.

Past recipients of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize include Deepa Purohit, playwright (2024); Sandy Rodriguez, visual artist (2023); Rennie Harris, dancer/choreographer (2023); Angélica Negrón, composer (2022); Aleshea Harris, playwright (2021); Helga Davis, composer/performer (2019); Martyna Majok, playwright (2018); David Burnett, photojournalist (2017); Coco Fusco, interdisciplinary artist (2016); Bobby Previte, composer/drummer (2015); Nilo Cruz, playwright (2014); Trenton Doyle Hancock, visual artist (2013); Vijay Iyer, composer/pianist (2012); John Guare, playwright (2011); Sanford Biggers, visual artist (2010); Craig Lucas, playwright (2009); and Eve Beglarian, composer (2009).

Prior to the premiere of these two original commissions, additional Hermitage Fellows will have their work featured at The Ringling. Two Rivers Ensemble, led by Hermitage alum and musician Amir ElSaffar, will perform on February 15 and 16, 2025. Currently, Hermitage Fellow and contemporary artist Jess T. Dugan’s exhibit I Want You to Know My Story is on view at The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art through February 22, 2025. 

A leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida’s Gulf Coast exclusively committed to supporting the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key campus for multi-week residencies, where diverse and accomplished artists from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, film, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get an authentic “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These innovative programs include performances, conversations, readings, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.

For more information about the Hermitage and upcoming programs, visit: HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.