Highlights

Art

Selby Gallery. Continuing here through June 3: Community Exhibitions, featuring juried work by Women Contemporary Artists and a tribute to longtime area watercolorist Herbie Rose. 359-7563.

Art Center Sarasota. On view through June 25: Breathless: a dance with ink, paintings by Pamela Sumner, accompanied by performances by Fuzion Dance to a new piece by Sarasota-based composer Francis Schwartz, June 3, 4 and 5. Also on exhibition: Garden: A Collaboration with Nature, through Aug. 1. 365-2032.

Longboat Key Center for the Arts. What you’ll see here through July 21: paintings by longtime Sarasota artist and teacher Fiore Custode in the Durante Gallery and new work by Nathan Skiles in the Cultural Media Room. 383-2345.

Ringling Museum of Art. Continuing through Aug 15: Beyond Bling: Voices of Hip-Hop in Art. Also on view: Crosscurrents of Design: Asian Export Ceramics, and The Art of Jade, both shows continuing through Oct. 30. 359-5700.

Venice Art Center. Plunge into H20, the art center’s all-media show, which focuses on images of water, June 3-24. 485-7136.

Miscellaneous

Savor Sarasota 2011. Sarasota’s
Restaurant Week is back—only this time around, it’s actually two full weeks of opportunities to sample local chefs’ award-winning menus at area eateries, with special deals on tap June 1-14. For full details, head to savorsarasota.com.

World Ocean Day. It’s time to celebrate our oceans with this family festival at Mote Aquarium, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 5. Theme: Dr. Seuss 1-2-3 and the Seas. 388-4441.

Grandma and Friends! More family fun via this circus entertainment offering, featuring acrobatics, juggling, clowning and more. Onstage June 22 through July 31 at the Historic Asolo Theater in a co-presentation by Circus Sarasota and the Ringling Museum. 360-7399.

Music

Sarasota Music Festival. Escape from summer heat to the cool confines of the concert hall, where this annual fest presents a full range of classical music, both orchestral and chamber, with talented students and faculty. Artist Showcases are set for June 2, 9 and 16 at Holley Hall; Festival Concerts June 3, 10 and 17 at the Sarasota Opera House; and Saturday Symphonies June 4, 11 and 18, also at the opera house. 953-3434.

Gershwin & Friends with Bergonzi String Quartet. Get into Gershwin with the sounds of this foursome (plus pianist Tian Yang), playing at 7:30 p.m. June 5 and 7 in an Artist Series of Sarasota presentation at the Historic Asolo Theater. 360-7399.

Blend. This a cappella doo wop group appears at the Manatee Players Riverfront Theatre for two shows, June 11. 748-5875.

Beatlemania. Another show to spice up your summer at the Manatee Players; get your nostalgia groove on with this tribute to the Fab Four, June 29 through July 3. 748-5875.

Sports

Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix. The Grand Prix is back, with a festival kickoff party June 25 and a parade of boats down Main Street June 30. Coming up July 1: the Kilo World Speed Record event in Sarasota Bay, and, of course, the Super Boat race itself July 3. For complete info, call 371-8820 ext. 1800 or go to suncoastoffshore.org.

Theater

George Gershwin Alone. Pianist/actor Hershey Felder continues his one-man Gershwin show through June 5 at the Asolo Rep’s Mertz Theatre. 351-8000.

Laughing Matters: Unconditional Surrender. The latest edition of Florida Studio Theatre’s comedy revue continues through June 12 at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret. 366-9000.

Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein. Hershey Felder again portrays a famous musician/composer, this time the mercurial maestro responsible for the music of West Side Story, Candide and more. Onstage June 8-12 at the Asolo Rep’s Mertz Theatre. 351-8000.

Cowgirls. This musical about three classically trained musicians booked to play a country music hall turned up at Florida Studio Theatre once before, but it’s been years. Now it’s back, opening FST’s summer season June 8 through July 3. 366-9000.

The Foreigner. The Players Theatre tries something new this summer with a rotating rep of three shows, the first this Larry Shue comedy about a very shy man whose silence leads others to think he doesn’t speak English—so they feel free to say just about anything in front of him. Shows June 16-19 (and again July 14-17) at the Players. 365-2494.