Two Andy Warhol tributes open in Sarasota galleries

If you’re an Andy Warhol fan, there are a couple of area exhibits you’ll probably want to check out in the coming weeks. Neither of the exhibits centers around Warhol’s work. They’re tributes to the man, who died 30 years ago this month.

“Fifteen Minutes” is at the Willis Smith Gallery at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota through March 18. It features silkscreen prints and original recordings, ranging from spoken word to music and sound, created by writers and performers who had a connection to Warhol. Included are Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Ivan Karp, Billy Name, Ultra Violet, Lawrence Weiner, Carter Ratcliff, John Giorno and others.

The exhibition juxtaposes artists’ 12-by-12 inch visual image with an audio work created in homage to Warhol. For example, Gordon’s screen print modifies one of Warhol’s Brillo Box sculptures as a visual analogy to his sound piece, which loops excerpts from a Warhol interview.

At the Allstad Gallery, “Remembering Warhol: Thirty Years Ago” opens March 4 and runs through April 1, the 20th anniversary of the memorial service. It features a collection of historic photographs of Warhol’s 1987 memorial service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, taken by photographer Christophe von Hohenberg on assignment for Vanity Fair. Lots of the most important people in New York’s art, music, fashion and pop culture scenes were in attendance.

The archival photographs and silver gelatin prints are exhibited with celebrity remembrances and anecdotes that von Hohenberg received from the attendees. Some, such as designer Diane von Furstenberg, sent back handwritten notes, others wrote on personal stationery. The exhibition closes with a special event the evening of April 1. Von Hohenberg will be there to sign copies of his book, “Andy Warhol: The Day the Factory Died.”

Willis Smith Gallery is in the Larry R. Thompson Academic Center at 2363 Old Bradenton Road, Sarasota, on the Ringling College campus. You can get more information at www.ringling.edu/galleries.

The Allstad Gallery (alfstadand.com) is at 1419 Fifth St., Sarasota.

Sinbad subs for Schneider

Rob Schneider, the “Saturday Night Live” alumnus and the “genius” behind the “Deuce Bigalow” movie franchise (and the father of singer Elle King “Exes and Oh’s” fame), was supposed to perform at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater in March. If you’ve been counting the days until you get to see him, though, you’re going to have to count a little higher.

Schneider, whose “SNL” characters included “copy machine guy” and the “put your weed in there guy,” won’t be coming until May 12-13. McCurdy’s announced the rescheduling but didn’t give any reason. (Coincidentally, Schneider’s show at McCurdy’s will now be the weekend immediately following an appearance by another “SNL” alum, Chris Kattan. He’ll be at McCurdy’s May 5-6.)

The guy taking the March slow is no slouch. Sinbad, who was ranked among the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central, will be at McCurdy’s March 24-26.

Contact McCurdy’s at 941-925-3869 or mccurdyscomedy.com to buy tickets to the shows, or to change or return your Schneider tickets.

Coming soon to a theater near you

This should be your last update on the progress of the parking lot at the Manatee Performing Arts Center.

After a few delays, the parking lot, directly across the street from the center, is getting close to completion. It was originally supposed to open about three months ago. Now center officials are saying it will open “at the end of this month (crossing fingers).”

That mean you should be able to park there very soon, maybe even the next time you go to a show at MPAC. The lot will have more than 200 spaces, and should be enough to handle crowds even when there are sold-out shows in both theaters.

Extra Yardij

A band called Yardij got the chance to open for Bon Jovi in Sunrise last week, and an alumnus of the Manatee School for the Arts helped them get the gig.

Jon Williams studied photography and guitar performance in high school, and now he’s majoring in commercial music at Florida Atlantic University. He worked with Yardij to produced a video. Bon Jovi is holding contests all over the country to find local bands to open the shows on their current tour, and the video that Williams worked on was the winning entry for the Sunrise contest.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Two Andy Warhol tributes open in Sarasota galleries."