By Caron Schwartz
Tampa’s Great White Way Season tickets for the 24-25 Broadway at the Straz are now on sale. Shows begin in October with The Boy Who Loved Batman, followed by How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, Some Like It Hot, The Cher Show, A Beautiful Noise, MJ, The Lion King, Mystic Pizza, and Shucked. https://bit.ly/straz-broadway
What, no Pinball Wizard? Step away from the console and step into a new sensory take on video games during Heroes: A Video Game Symphony featuring a live orchestra performing music from epic video games such as Castlevania, Starfield, The Elder Scrolls, and loads more with scenes from the games projected onto a huge screen. 5/11, 7:30pm at the Straz. https://bit.ly/heroes-straz
Arts Summer Camp Grants return! Creative Pinellas offers them to young people (5-18) who attend Title I schools, receive a reduced or free lunch, live in designated neighborhoods, or meet other requirements. Applications are open through 8/9. https://bit.ly/creative-pinellas-camps
Muraltopia Creative Pinellas and the city of Largo have selected artist Emily Tayman for the Largo Central Park Crosswalk Mural Project. Her beautified crosswalk will support pedestrian and vehicle safety while promoting the city’s focus areas of sustainability, public health & safety, and community pride. https://bit.ly/largo-mural-project
The city of South Pasadena and Creative Pinellas’s mural project continues! Selected artists and their locations are Cecilia Lueza (South Pasadena Shopping Center), Sydney Prusso (Pasadena Bar and Grill), and Ximena Sousa (Kimberly Nails). This project brings color and vibrancy to the community of South Pasadena. https://bit.ly/pasadena-mural
Plasticity “Plastic Undone,” an exhibition of plastic jewelry, is on display throughout April at St. Pete ArtWorks. Each artist upcycles plastic waste including bottles, food containers, and other detritus diverted from the waste stream. Opening reception 4/13 from 5-9pm. https://bit.ly/gcaa-artworks
Deuces wild Explore the vibrant world of art at St. Pete’s Five Deuces Green Building during a special Artist Meet & Greet and Open Studio Event. 4/26, 6-8pm. https://bit.ly/five-deuces
All’s fair Jeff and Penny Vinik are sponsoring “Art for All” at Fairgrounds St. Pete. The new program provides 2,000 free tickets for Tampa Bay public schools and nonprofits each month for one year. Their mission is to nurture a love for the arts and innovative technology among local youth while also introducing underserved community members to the joys of creativity. www.fairgrounds.art
Lauren Ireland is April’s In Plein Sight Artist of the Month on display at the Brenda McMahon Gallery in Gulfport. Meet the two-time winner of Gulfport’s plein air painting competition on 4/20, 6-9pm during Gulfport’s Third Saturday IndieFaire. Come for the art, stay for the music by Cerulean Songbird. https://bit.ly/lauren-ireland
I’ll be watching him The Florida Orchestra benefit concert featuring iconic artist Sting sold out so fast that a second show has been added 5/10 at the Mahaffey. Better hurry to snag tix to “An Intimate Evening with Sting” at https://bit.ly/tfo-sting
Want to have a say in the future of Pinellas County arts and culture? The Current Arts Coast Cultural Plan is a plan to strengthen the cultural vitality of the entire Pinellas County community and will create a blueprint for continued growth and access to the arts – for everyone – over the next 10 years. Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/coast-arts-survey
Photo finish In 1977 photographer Gary Monroe, a native of Miami Beach, embarked on a decade-long project to photograph the aging community of South Beach. Vastly different than the glitzy beach community of today, the area was home to primarily Jewish retirees who embraced the sun, sand, and cheap rent. Relive the past at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) through 5/19. https://bit.ly/gary-monroe
FMoPA 2024 International Photography Competition is open to anyone 18 or older. Best in Show wins a cash prize of $1000 and the seven Best in Category winners get $100 in goods or services. Winners will be exhibited in a group exhibition at Tampa International Airport. Deadline 5/5. https://bit.ly/fmopa-call-for-entries
Artists wanted The Warehouse Arts District has studio space available for rent in the ArtsXchange. One-year lease, includes utilities. https://bit.ly/arts-xchange
The original selfie? The National Museum of Cardiff, Wales has placed a Van Gogh oil painting as the centerpiece of an exhibition that poses the question: “Is a self-portrait the original selfie?” The portrait, hung alongside other self-portraits, is expected to attract fans who will be allowed to take their own selfies alongside it. Van Gogh may not have agreed with the show’s thesis, once writing, “I am looking for a deeper likeness than that obtained by a photographer.”
The Morean offers Memory Mornings, a free program for those living with dementia and their care partners. Participants enjoy a 45-minute private tour of the Chihuly Collection before opening hours, followed by a 45-minute guided art activity inspired by one of the glass pieces in the Collection. Memory tours meet every other Wednesday at the Chihuly from 9-10:30am. https://bit.ly/morean-memories
Glorious Glazers St. Pete Arts Alliance presents its third annual “Arts Advocate of the Year” Award to Bryan & Shanna Glazer at the Garden Party Brunch – Hats Off to the Arts. The Glazers have supported the arts throughout the Tampa Bay area, including the Glazer Children’s Museum, SHINE Mural Festival, and more. Hats appreciated, and prizes will be awarded to the “Most Beautiful,” “Most Creative,” and “Most Humorous” hats. 5/5, 11am-2pm. https://bit.ly/hats-off-to-the-arts
Got imagination? Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education wants you for its Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Contest. High school students are invited to submit original, unpublished short stories on the theme of “Alternate Florida.” Deadline 5/31. The Grand Prize Winner receives $200 and has their story published on the contest website. Runners-up receive $25. Award certificates will be given to the winner and runners-up. Award ceremony at Tombolo Books 9/24. https://bit.ly/tbt-writing-contest
Clean slate See art conservation as it happens. The St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts is hosting the restoration of a gilded, painted, and carved 17th-century Spanish tabernacle. Now through 6/23 Luis Seixas, an alumnus of the Universidade Nova, Lisbon conservation program, will meticulously clean, consolidate, and restore this precious artifact. https://bit.ly/mfa-conservation
But not during a hurricane The Skyway Bridge came in second when 3,000 commuters were asked, “If you could select any one of America’s iconic bridges to be part of your daily commute, which one would you pick?” First choice? Admiral Clarey Bridge in Hawaii. Source: Gunther Volkswagen in Fort Lauderdale. https://bit.ly/100-iconic-bridges