SarasotaMOD Weekend to Honor Architect Carl Abbott, 

November 6-8

Now in its seventh year, Sarasota Architectural Foundation’s annual three-day architectural festival will feature new tours, new exhibitions and new experiences

Tickets Go on Sale September 28, 2020

SARASOTA, Florida - - The 2020 SarasotaMOD Weekend, presented Nov. 6-8 by the Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF), will honor the art and architecture of Carl Abbott FAIA.  Abbott, the internationally renowned modern architect, also will be celebrated in two exhibitions which open MOD Weekend: “Carl Abbott: Architecture for Nature” at the Sarasota Museum of Art and an exhibit of his sculpture at the Art Center Sarasota.  

“Carl Abbott has been an icon in Sarasota and the worldwide architectural community for more than 50 years. We are thrilled to partner with him in this year’s programming and look forward to welcoming visitors to our latest MOD Weekend,” said SAF Board Chair Anne Essner.  

SarasotaMOD Weekend is known for letting visitors immerse themselves in the architecture of the Sarasota School movement.  With COVID-19 in mind, SAF has redesigned MOD events to meet CDC guidelines.  Safety considerations include timed entries, smaller groups, open-air venues and mandatory face coverings.  This year, MOD will feature a novel array of tour options, including walking, driving and -- new this year – kayaking.  Abbott has personally curated the driving tour itineraries to showcase a range of his residential and commercial projects.  New this year: 10 short videos, premiering during the driving tours, that capture Abbott as he explains his creative process for chosen projects.

“Sarasota in the 1950s was one of the most important places in the world for architectural creativity, where the greatest design movement of the day came together,” said Abbott.  “There’s a reason a handful of communities in the world stand out for architectural innovation.  Sarasota’s one of them.  You really do have to see it to believe it.”

SarasotaMOD Weekend kicks off with a virtual presentation, In/Formed by the Land: Carl Abbott’s Architecture for Nature, online Friday, Nov. 6.  Carl Abbott FAIA speaks about his career, his influences and his projects in a recorded conversation with Anne-Marie Russell, Executive Director of the Sarasota Art Museum and curator of the Museum’s Carl Abbott exhibition.  Access is complimentary to all MOD ticket holders and available for purchase.  An exhibit of Abbott’s iconic blue sculpture will be on display at Art Center Sarasota, with timed entry in small groups.  Carl will meet visitors and offer brief remarks later in the afternoon. artsarasota.org

MOD Weekend continues on Saturday, Nov. 7. Salute the Sun at a “Yoga Under the Umbrella” class to be held around the Umbrella House pool.  Then hit the road with the first of two new self-guided driving tours offering exterior access to some of Abbott’s favorite projects.  “Carl by Car” North will be offered on Saturday; “Carl by Car” South will run on Sunday (each route ticketed separately).  Admission includes a map, descriptive booklet and digital access to project videos that may be viewed on smartphones or tablets with provided Wi-Fi hot spots.

A MOD favorite takes center stage on Saturday and Sunday with a reimagined self-guided walking tour of Sarasota’s mid-century modernist enclave, Lido Shores.  This “Gulf and Gardens” tour features exteriors of renowned Sarasota School homes with gulf, bayou and bay views.  Of note is the Putterman Residence on Pansy Bayou, long considered one of Abbott’s masterpieces.  A special ticket bundle adds an interior tour of Paul Rudolph’s celebrated Umbrella House – “one of the five most remarkable houses of the mid-20th century.”  

MOD’s newest guided tour, “Carl & Co. by Kayak,” will offers paddlers a waterside view of select Abbott houses, along with Paul Rudolph’s “Cocoon House” and some contemporary modernist homes. Tours will run on Saturday and Sunday from Siesta Key.  

Saturday night’s “MidMOD Weekend Party” at the Sarasota Art Museum will give guests a first glimpse of its new Carl Abbott exhibition.  On Sunday, Nov. 8, the Museum will offer exclusive access to the exhibition to MOD ticket holders on a timed entry basis. sarasotaartmuseum.org

For a detailed schedule and to make ticket purchases, go to www.SarasotaMOD.com.

About Sarasota Architectural Foundation 

The Sarasota Architectural Foundation (SAF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that educates, advocates and celebrates the Sarasota School of Architecture movement. For more information, visit www.saf-srq.org.