{"id":216122,"date":"2026-04-02T14:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/216122\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T14:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:56:16","slug":"embracing-our-differences-connects-communities-in-st-petersburg-and-sarasota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/216122\/","title":{"rendered":"Embracing Our Differences connects communities in St. Petersburg and Sarasota"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Most Beautiful Song.\u201d (Photo courtesy Embracing Our Differences)<\/p>\n

Embracing Our Differences has celebrated individuality and inclusivity since 2004, when the nonprofit launched its annual art exhibit in Sarasota. More than 5.2 million people have experienced it since.<\/p>\n

The exhibition is taking place in Sarasota\u2019s Bayfront Park through April 19 with a simultaneous showing at St. Petersburg\u2019s Poynter Park through April 12. Its St. Petersburg opening celebrated \u201cconnection, creativity and compassion,\u201d Embracing Our Differences President and CEO Sarah Wertheimer shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis exhibition reminds us that art has the power to bring people together in ways that feel both hopeful and deeply human,\u201d she said before it opened. \u201cIn a world that can feel divided, standing side by side and experiencing these stories matters more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The juried exhibition features 50 billboard-sized works of art along with thought-provoking quotations. Entries are paired to \u201ccombine a deep understanding of both medium and message.\u201d The prose and art are blindly judged by separate volunteer committees beforehand.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s exhibition received nearly 15,000 entries from 125 countries and 48 states, with over 60% of entries coming from students across 574 schools worldwide. Awards are given for \u201cBest-in-Show Adult\u201d and \u201cBest-in-Show Student,\u201d while exhibit attendees determine \u201cPeople\u2019s Choice.\u201d Adults receive $2,000 while students receive the same to split with their school\u2019s art or writing programs.<\/p>\n

The Best-in-Show Adult Artwork Award went to Istanbul\u2019s Eda Uzuno\u011flu for \u201cThe Power of Love.\u201d It \u201cdepicts two hands forming a radiant heart, symbolizing love\u2019s ability to illuminate and unite our shared humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe image suggests that even in challenging times, love has the power to illuminate, to heal and to reveal the full spectrum of our shared humanity,\u201d Embracing Our Differences explains. Its student counterpart was awarded to \u201cEqual Booths,\u201d an entry from Siwon Jung. The 11th-grade student attends the Seoul Scholars International Art & Design in Seoul, Republic of Korea.<\/p>\n

His piece \u201cportrays a diverse line of voters stepping into identical polling booths to highlight the profound equality of the democratic act.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this thoughtful watercolor, only the lower halves of voters are visible \u2014 a person with a cane, someone in a wheelchair, a professional, a parent, a person in heels \u2014 while the word \u2018VOTE,\u2019 repeated in shifting colors, unites them,\u201d Embracing<\/p>\n

Our Differences notes. \u201cBy focusing on silhouettes instead of faces, Jung captures the rare democratic moment when differences fall away and everyone stands, or rolls, on equal ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

The piece was included in the exhibit\u2019s LGBTQ+-focused tours this month, guided by St. Petersburg LGBTQ+ Liaison Nathan Bruemmer<\/a>. They highlighted a subset of the work exploring identity, gender expression, belonging, equality, love, family and standing against discrimination.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Embracing Our Differences, our guided tours are about more than viewing art, they\u2019re about creating space for dialogue,\u201d says Patrick Arthur Jackson, Vice President of Learning & Engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncluding an LGBTQ+ themed tour this season allowed us to intentionally highlight works that explore identity, belonging, love and the courage it takes to live authentically,\u201d he continues. \u201cThese pieces invite visitors to reflect on the ways our differences shape who we are and how empathy can deepen when we listen to stories that may be different from our own.<\/p>\n

Our hope is that the exhibition is opportunity for some to see themselves reflected in the artwork and for others, it opens the door to greater understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also included in the tour were \u201cBoth and Neither\u201d by Kimberley Hnanguie, an 11th grade student from Kyrgyzstan; \u201cTie Together with a Smile\u201d by 10th-grade student Mikaela Li of California, \u201cTrue American\u201d by Yolanda Hoskey of New York,<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Bones Carry Our Differences\u201d by Larissa Lauret of France; \u201cLike Sardines\u201d by Sara Salazar of Tennessee; \u201cThe Most Beautiful Song\u201d by Maytegpon Kapao of Thailand; \u201cMisfit\u201d by 11th-grade student Lucas Chung of New York and \u201cSame __, Different Colors.\u201d Zdravko Barisic\u2019s piece featuring rainbow-colored toilets is from Serbia.<\/p>\n

View the pieces below, courtesy of Embracing Our Differences:<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cBoth and Neither\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cEqual Booths\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cLike Sardines\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cMisfit\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cOur Bones Carry Our Differences\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cSame ___ Different Colors\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThe Most Beautiful Song\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cTie Together with A Smile\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cTrue American\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruemmer was thankful to lead the LGBTQ+ tour \u2014 especially as \u201cconversations around inclusion, diversity and equity\u201d become \u201cincreasingly complex here in Florida.\u201d The state legislature passed its \u201cAnti-Diversity in Local Government\u201d bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpportunities like the Embracing Our Differences LGBTQ+-themed tour are more important than ever,\u201d Bruemmer explains. \u201cI see this exhibition as a powerful, community-centered space where visibility, storytelling and respect come together. Through public art, and as part of an international competition that brings diverse perspectives from around the world, we are reminded that belonging is not a policy trend, but a shared human value.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s awards for prose have also been announced. Poland\u2019s Yuliya Mitskevich won for the adult entries with \u201cKindness is the language we all understand, even when our stories are written in different alphabets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Its student counterpart was submitted by 10th grader Ingrid Cushman of Pine View School in Osprey. \u201cDulling someone else\u2019s pencil will not make yours any sharper,\u201d the winning quotation reads.<\/p>\n

While the exhibition is \u201cat the heart\u201d of the nonprofit\u2019s work, education initiatives also play a vital role for Embracing Our Differences. Programming includes workshops and retreats for local educators, free bus transportation for students and teachers to visit cultural venues and student docent programs in high schools. More than 694,000 students have participated since 2004.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese programs are where the heart of our mission lives,\u201d Wertheimer advises. \u201cWhen students and teachers engage with these lessons \u2014 whether in Sarasota, St. Pete or halfway across the world \u2014 they\u2019re practicing empathy, respect and curiosity. When students learn to think with compassion, it doesn\u2019t just change classrooms, it changes communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s exhibition is working to do the same. Art enthusiasts can visit Sarasota\u2019s Bayfront Park daily from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. and St. Petersburg\u2019s Poynter Park each day from 30 minutes before sunrise to 11 p.m. Entry is free.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Embracing Our Differences exhibit runs through April 12 at Poynter Park at 3rd St. S. and 9th Ave. S. in St. Petersburg and April 19 at Bayfront Park at 5 Bayfront Dr. in Sarasota. For more information, visit EmbracingOurDifferences.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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