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Sarasota News Leader October 4, 2013 Page 66 CONVERSATIONS AT THE CROCKER BEGIN AGAIN ON OCT. 8 Anyone interested in historic preservation, nature, the culture of Florida or "beautiful and forgotten parts of the state" is encouraged to attend the first of this season's Conversations at the Crocker, the Historical Society of Sarasota County (HSOSC) has announced. The new season will begin on Oct. 8 with Florida in Context, an art photography show, sale and in-depth conversation among award-winning photographers Virginia Hoffman and Matt Allison and historian and naturalist John McCarthy, a news release says. upcoming Conversation will be exhibited in Crocker Memorial Church, the release adds. Hoffman has worked as a sculptor, furniture designer and expert in architectural glass works, but "photography is nothing new for Virginia," the release points out: She set up her first darkroom in the family bathroom when she was 14. Hoffman employs various methods in her photography, ranging from classic black-and-white work to alternative processing techniques and mixed media using mostly the process of encaustic (painting with wax), the release continues. "A lover of nature, hiking and camping, Virginia began to explore hidden places in Florida a few years ago and started documenting buildings, landscapes [and] even deserted communities," the release says. All Conversations at The Crocker begin at 7 p.m. and are held in the historic Crocker Memorial Church, located at 1260 12th St. (Pioneer Park) in Sarasota. HSOSC members may attend for free, while admission "Perhaps I can stimulate an interest in prefor guests is $10. Photography for sale at this serving Florida places that now sit quietly in John McCarthy (center) accepts plaudits from then County Commission Chairwoman Christine Robinson (far left) and Commissioners Carolyn Mason and Jon Thaxton upon his retirement from county government in August 2012. With him is his wife, Michelle. Photo by Norman Schimmel