Lost Sarasota Legacy Returns: Works by Artist Robert Chase Publicly Displayed & Auctioned for the First Time in Over 15 Years at Sarasota Art and Dance Night

Sarasota Art and Dance Night, the city's signature evening of art, live performance, dining and dancing, will this year bring a piece of Sarasota history back into the light. On Sunday, Nov. 15, the event will present The Chase Family Legacy Exhibition, a showcase of selected works and historical pieces by Robert "Bob" Chase — the World War II veteran, watercolorist and teacher who helped shape Sarasota's early art community. The works drawn from the Chase family collection will be and shown publicly for the first time in more than 15 year

(Shown above: Robert Chase (1919-2014) “White Flying Heron - Yellow Sky” 16.5x24 Watercolor” )

Four select pieces by Chase will also be offered at auction during the evening, with proceeds supporting The Creative Bridge Foundation Inc. and its work on behalf of Sarasota's artists and emerging creative talent. The exhibition will be on view in the Art Ovation Hotel's Crescendo Ballroom, 1255 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, during a full evening program from 5 to 9:30 p.m.

A Sarasota original

Born in Champaign, Illinois, in 1919, Chase spent four years in the South Pacific as an aerial reconnaissance photographer with the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. In 1947 he came to Sarasota to study at the Ringling School of Art on the GI Bill, and he never left. He opened The Chase School of Art in 1949 and taught at Ringling from 1950 to 1951.

One of his early painting students was Marie Selby, founder of what is now Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, who helped him acquire property near Sarasota Bay where he built his studio. Chase repaid the friendship for years by volunteering at the Gardens on Sundays. Over a long career, his life and work crossed paths with figures including Cecil B. DeMille, Charlton Heston and circus legend Emmett Kelly.

Primarily a watercolorist, Chase spent some three decades painting Florida — its bridges, boats, fishing docks and landmarks — alongside the circus clowns, horses and carousels so closely tied to Sarasota's identity. His works including The Bird Vendor, appeared on the cover of Ford Times, and exhibited at institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, the Ringling Museum of Art and the High Museum in Atlanta. His paintings are held in collections including the Ford Collection of American Art, the Gilcrease Museum, the DeMille Circus Collection and the University of Florida.

Chase and his wife, artist and teacher Jean Adair Chase, ran the Chase School of Art and Gallery on Bay Road, where their home served as studio, classroom, gallery and gathering place for Sarasota's creative community. Chase continued teaching and exhibiting into the mid-1980s and died in Sarasota in 2014 at age 95, one of Florida's last artist veterans of World War II.

A legacy rediscovered through friendship

The exhibition exists because of an unlikely friendship. After the Chases' daughter, artist Diana Chase Sanders, passed in 2021, her husband, Rick Sanders, took on the responsibility of safeguarding the family's artwork, photographs and stories. A chance meeting at a local event introduced him to Susan Szantosi, founder and producer of Sarasota Art and Dance Night. As the two became friends, Sanders began sharing family pieces — and eventually a video interview with Bob Chase himself — revealing how deeply the collection was woven into Sarasota's early art history.

"Bob and Jean gave so much of their lives to Sarasota's art community. Diana grew up surrounded by that work, and keeping it together has been my way of honoring all three of them. Seeing it back in front of the people of Sarasota after all these years means everything to our family." said Rick Sanders, son-in-law of Robert Chase and steward of the Chase family collection.

"Sometimes history is not found in an archive. Bob Chase helped build the creative Sarasota we all enjoy today, and I'm honored that Rick has trusted us to help share this legacy. Bringing his work home to an evening that celebrates art, music and dance feels exactly right." said Susan Szantosi, founder and producer of Sarasota Art and Dance Night.

(Shown above: Robert Chase (1919-2014) “Yellow Water Color 2 - Boat Dry Dock” 16.5x24 Watercolor” )

Four works offered at auction

Four works by Robert Chase from the family collection will be offered during the evening's auction benefiting The Creative Bridge Foundation Inc. including “White Flying Haron - Yellow Sky,  “Black Cormorant with Pink Moon”, “Blue Horse Head”, and “Yellow Water Color 2 - Boat Dry Dock”. Collectors may preview and bid on silent auction items online in advance through the foundation's Zeffy auction page here.

The evening at a glance

Presented by Vividiance, Sarasota Art and Dance Night brings the visual and performing arts together in a single evening. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a cocktail hour hosted by the Florida Economic Club, as guests take in The Chase Family Legacy Exhibition, browse local vendors and place silent auction bids. Dinner follows at 6 p.m., with live vocals by Suzanne Lucas, who also serves as MC of the Night.

(Shown above: Opera Singers Performing at the Sarasota Art and Dance Night )

At 7:30 p.m., the showcase brings live performances by Sarasota-area artists along with the night's award presentations. From 8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., the ballroom opens for social dancing, with guided opportunities for guests to learn new dances.

Three awards will be presented during the evening, recognizing artists at every stage of their careers. The new Crescendo Rising Star Award, presented with The Creative Bridge Foundation Inc., honors rising talent in Sarasota's arts community. It also launches a program in which performers earn credits toward future awards, creating an ongoing cycle of support for emerging artists. The evening will also present the Larry Dean Award - Honoring a legacy of leadership, dedication, and excellence in the ballroom dance community; and the Luminary Artist Award, honoring artists who illuminate the arts community through their talent, dedication, and impact.

Event Details:

• When: Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, 5:00–9:30 p.m.

• Where: Art Ovation Hotel, Crescendo Ballroom, 1255 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, FL

• 5:00 p.m. — Cocktail hour hosted by the Florida Economic Club

• 6:00 p.m. — Dinner with live vocals by Suzanne Lucas, MC of the Night

• 7:30 p.m. — Performance showcase, including the presentation of the Larry Dean Award

• 8:30 p.m. — Social dancing, with opportunities for guests to learn new dances