Downtown Sarasota is a place of busy streets, shops, office buildings and parking lots. A typical scene. But the bubbling fountain at the intersection of Pineapple and Lemon avenues is anything but typical. Bas-relief images of a silent mermaid, sly sea creatures and the tree of life fill your eyes by its dancing waters.
Nancy Goodheart Matthews created this joyful fountain of dreams in 1993. Most people call it the “Mermaid Fountain,” but its official title is “L’Aria della Figlia Muta,” which is Italian for “The Song of The Silent Daughter.” Her multicolored realm of magic, imagination and delight is a local favorite — and it’s also received national honors. (Her fountain’s included in the Smithsonian Institution’s public art collection.) The City of Sarasota will celebrate Matthews’ dreamy creation and its inclusion in the Smithsonian collection at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at Paul Thorpe Park, 135 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota.
The city held a rededication ceremon y for the fountain in 2017 in what was renamed Paul Thorpe Park (formerly Pineapple Park. In 2022, the city rejected a proposal to turn the park into a food court .