By Caron Schwartz
Got to get back to the garden
Enjoy 10 beautiful gardens during the Historic Old Northeast’s inaugural Art in the Garden Tour Saturday, April 15 from 1-4pm. The sights and smells will be accompanied by art, music, snacks, and beverages. $30 tickets are available at honna.org, local nurseries, and Sunken Gardens.
American Stage presents Ragtime in the Park at Demens Landing Park in St. Pete. This timeless musical tells an American story of three groups working together at the turn of the 20th century. Tickets start at just $25, and performances run Wednesday through Sunday evenings from April 12-May 14. For more information or tickets: https://bit.ly/ragtime-in-the-park.
Notes on summer camp
There are a ton of summer camp options in Pinellas County this year, but American Stage Summer Camp, June 5-Aug. 4, brings the magic of the stage into your kids’ lives. Each week tackles a different theme, from musical theatre to puppets to improv. Held at First Presbyterian Church in St. Pete, camp runs from 9am-3pm with pre- and after-care available. Learn more at: bit.ly/3n1dUGi.
More interested in a variety of media? Send your child to the Morean Arts Center camp. Each week, June 5-Aug. 4, provides a new artistic adventure where young artists ages 5-16 can explore their creative side. Find out more and register at bit.ly/42gQqxb.
Creative Clay’s premiere fundraiser, Spring for the Arts, returns to NOVA 535 in St. Petersburg, April 21, 6-9pm. The event features live music by Disston Ridge, live painting and portrait drawing by Creative Clay member artists, opportunity drawings for a trip to Ireland or Hawaii; and fabulous silent auction items. Learn more and purchase tickets: bit.ly/3ZSrEll
The USF Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa presents the annual exhibition of master’s thesis work by third-year Master of Fine Arts candidates in the USF School of Art and Art History. The 2023 exhibition, titled Someday You’ll Have To Say It Out Loud, runs through May 6. For gallery hours and schedule of events see bit.ly/3Jq8QTy
Call for artists
ArtOUT 2023: Emergence, an international juried art show, seeks creative expressions of the experiences, representations, identities, and/or politics of LGBTQ+ people. Deadline for art: April 17. Exhibition: June 1-3 at the James Museum in St. Pete and Gulfport Public Library. For more information and to submit your entry go to bit.ly/3TpSS08.
Jazz night at MAACM
Sway to the sounds of the Latin Jazz Knights Band at the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts movement April 15, 7-9:30pm. The galleries will be closed, but refreshments available at the Arts Café. For more information and tickets salsa over to my.museumaacm.org/1714/1716.
Spring at the Straz
The Straz Center’s Patel Conservatory’s Ovation! Performance Group will present its repertoire of Broadway, pop, and holiday songs Thursday, April 27, at 6:30pm. Tickets begin at $18.75. For more information and to buy tickets go to strazcenter.org.
Crowns returns to The Straz on May 20 and 21. One of last season’s most talked-about productions, this version reimagines Crowns as a spoken word and music event, giving a new perspective to the play’s celebration of African American female solidarity and the power of the church in African American culture. For more information and tickets see strazcenter.org.
You say it’s your birthday
Brenda McMahon Gallery and Custom House Decor celebrate their fourth anniversaries at Gulfport’s First Friday ArtWalk on May 5. The gallery and next-door neighbor Custom House were the first two tenants to open at 2901 Beach Blvd. in 2019. There will be artwork galore and music by Gail Tripp Smith and Joey Interrante.
There’s still time to see OUT OF EDEN, a nature-inspired exhibition of works by internationally acclaimed Cuban American artist Yolanda Sánchez. Her artwork is full of lush, vibrant colors that reflect the landscape surrounding the Largo-based Gallery at Creative Pinellas and all of Pinewood Park. The exhibition closes April 16. For more information: bit.ly/3YVVynm.
St. Petersburg Arts Alliance earned a 2022 Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, an information service that reports on US nonprofits. SPAA is one of only four arts nonprofits (among eight overall) out of over 1,600 nonprofits in St. Petersburg to have earned the top Platinum status. guidestar.org
Mize in SPACE
St. Pete artist Chad Mize is up to something in his new SPACE, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s former garage in the Warehouse Arts District. Too busy with his commissions, he shuttered his gallery in Historic Uptown late last year. Besides Mize’s studio, part of SPACE will feature the large-scale work of about 30 local artists with the rest open for artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other creatives to do their thing. Watch out for a popup show in June to coincide with Pride Month.
The 48th Annual Mainsail Art Festival, one of our premier outdoor festivals, will be held in Vinoy Park April 22-23. Each year, more than 100,000 visitors attend, enjoying and purchasing the fine art of over 250 artists while listening to live music. Artists vie for $60,000 in cash awards, including $10,000 Best of Show. mainsailart.org
Worth her weight in gold
With her enigmatic smile, an unidentified woman was dubbed the Mona Lisa of the Deep after her daguerreotype photograph was pulled from the wreckage of the S.S. Central America. Known as the Ship of Gold, the vessel sank in 1857 while carrying 10 tons of gold prospected during the California Gold Rush. Sold at auction, the Mona Lisa of the Deep’s winning bid was $73,200.
Choral Artists of Sarasota
has been invited to be the principal choral ensemble for the 80th D-Day anniversary commemorations in France in June 2024. In addition to participating in commemoration ceremonies at the cemeteries in Normandy and Brittany, the group will perform at Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy and L’église de la Madeleine in Paris.
The St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts named Anne-Marie Russell as executive director and CEO. Russell joined the MFA in Sept. 2022 as interim ED. Russell brings more than 25 years of expertise in cultural production leadership, both institutional and entrepreneurial, to the MFA.
RATical!
Bet you didn’t know April 4 is World Rat Day. To celebrate, pet rat owner and artist Brandy Stark is hosting a month-long rat-themed art show giving these little mischievous creatures their due. Check out the radical rodents at ArtLofts in St. Pete. Sales are direct to artists, though a 20% donation of sales is requested for Florida Rat Rescue. theartlofts.com/brandy-stark-2
