Realize Bradenton to Offer Free Docent Tours Of Embracing Our Differences

BRADENTON – Realize Bradenton has partnered with Embracing Our Differences to offer a series of four free, guided tours of the Embracing Our Differences' exhibit at downtown Bradenton’s Riverwalk. Since 2004, Embracing Our Differences' annual art exhibit has allowed artists, writers and students from around the world to reflect their interpretation of the message, “enriching lives through diversity.”

The tours take place Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.; Sunday, May 11, 1 p.m.; Tuesday, May 13, 6 p.m.; and Thursday, May 15, 10 a.m. The tours last 45 minutes to one hour; participants are asked to arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled tour time at the Riverwalk Pavilion, 452 3rd Avenue West in downtown Bradenton. The Embracing Our Differences exhibit remains on display through May 22.

Embracing Our Differences has historically been limited to the Sarasota bayfront. However, last year, a grant from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation enabled the organization to mark its tenth anniversary with an expansion of the exhibit to Bradenton.

"The stories behind these works of art are captivating," says Johnette Isham, executive director of Realize Bradenton. "Organizing these tours was an obvious and logical next step in the growth of this exhibit in Bradenton."

To prepare for their roles as docents, volunteers from Realize Bradenton took a crash course on the exhibit and its history from Michael Shelton, the executive director of Embracing Our Differences.

"Michael has had a hands-on involvement with every aspect of this exhibit since its inception in 2004," explains Isham. "He shared 11 years of poignant stories about the exhibits and the organization’s mission and message. We're thrilled to pass this on to our visitors."