What becomes of the things we leave behind? Sometimes you spot a single, battered shoe on the side of the road, or stumble on a weathered shell tangled in seaweed; items lost to time, each carrying its own silent story.
Artists Barbara Gerdeman and Elizabeth Goodwill dig into these lingering questions in their one-week show, “Lost & Found,” running June 23-28 in the Studio at Art Ovation Hotel. Through photography, writing, installations, and assemblage, they encourage viewers to reconsider often-overlooked items, inviting everyone to discover beauty and significance in the objects that populate our daily lives.
Gerdeman and Goodwill, best friends and co-founders of Creative Liberties, share a fascination with lost things, curious about the lives behind forgotten objects and the power of memory to shape what we see. While each artist has their own style, they connect at the point where memory, imagination, and reimagining overlap.
Gerdeman’s ongoing project, “Lost Soles,” began with a simple question: Why do lone shoes wind up scattered on the roadside? She started snapping photos of these finds and, soon enough, her husband Neal Gerdeman joined in, crafting fictional stories about how each shoe got left behind. Over the years, she went from photographing shoes to actually collecting them. Her collection now includes not only images and stories but also the shoes themselves, some of which will be on display during the show. “This project keeps growing,” says Gerdeman. “I’m still searching, and I hope visitors find themselves drawn in by the mystery of these forgotten items.”
Goodwill’s work builds on a lifelong love for collecting bits and pieces from the world: shells, driftwood, fibers, bones, small stones, treasures tucked away and later built into sculpture, woven pieces, and intricate assemblages. She draws from landscapes, animals, and her own memories, reshaping simple objects into tributes to the delicate beauty of nature. “My art is tightly woven with my memories,” she says. “Those memories—especially the ones that stick with us—work their way into everything I make. Creating with those materials, remembering, is both healing and necessary.”
Together, Gerdeman and Goodwill start a conversation about loss and discovery, about letting go and returning, and about the stubborn power objects hold to preserve our stories, personal and collective alike.
Barbara Gerdeman is a Sarasota-based photographer and artist, and co-founder of Creative Liberties. She captures the overlooked, the small details, forgotten objects, and hidden stories woven into daily life.
Elizabeth Goodwill is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and co-founder of Creative Liberties. Her sculptures, fiber work, and assemblages draw energy and inspiration from the rhythms of nature and memory, exploring the ties that bind us to the natural world and to each other.
Founded in 2021 by Gerdeman and Goodwill, Creative Liberties Artist Studios and Gallery has become a lively collective for working artists in Sarasota. They offer affordable studio spaces, exhibition galleries, residencies, education programs, and distinctive events where artists and the community can meet and grow.
Creative Liberties Co-Founders
Barbara Gerdeman and Elizabeth Goodwill
Present
Lost & Found
June 23-28 at Art Ovation
Lost & Found runs June 23-28, Studio at Art Ovation Hotel, 1255 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Admission is free. The artists will be present in the studio Tuesday through Sunday, 4–8 p.m., with a public reception on Friday, June 26, from 5 to 8 p.m.
You can follow Gerdeman’s ongoing work on Instagram: @bgerdemanart.
Learn more about Goodwill’s art at ElizabethGoodwill.com.
For more details, visit CreativeLiberties.net, call 941-799-6634, or email [email protected].
