By Caron Schwartz
Good golly Mrs. Dalí
Join the Dalí for a special evening as we toast Salvador Dalí and his muse, Gala. Following the toast, enjoy a curated gallery experience to discover Gala’s role in Dalí’s life and Surrealism. Then you’ll proceed to the theater for a screening of the short film, Breton and the Muse: A Midnight in Paris. Event entry includes one complimentary drink from Café Gala, a curated gallery experience, film screening, Q&A with special guests, a discounted drink at Cassis, and more.
When: Aug. 5, 6-8pm
Location: The Dalí Museum Raymond James Community Room
Cost: $40 museum members, $50 non-members
American Stage has announced that Helen R. Murray has been hired as the theater’s new producing artistic director. Murray, the outgoing executive director of the Aurora Fox Theatre in Aurora, Colo., also served as artistic director of the Hub Theatre in Virginia. See more at www.americanstage.org/
American Stage also named José Avilés as the new director of education, bringing 30 years of experience in arts education and administration to the storied nonprofit. In his interview with Eden Lane, Avilés said, “When I saw the education director job at the American Stage I really was impressed by what they have sort of communicated out to the world in terms of equity, diversity, inclusion, and access.”
The SHINE-ing
The St. Pete Arts Alliance wants you to put the eighth SHINE® St. Petersburg Mural Festival on your calendar. From Oct. 14 through 23 the internationally recognized street art festival will bring 17 new murals to the art districts and surrounding neighborhoods of downtown St. Pete. See www.stpeteartsalliance.org/experience-arts/shine-mural-festival for info updates.
Speaking of murals Creative Pinellas is partnering with St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (PIE) on a mural project at 14700 Terminal Blvd. #221 in Clearwater. This project will consist of two murals over three walls at Gate 12. The project’s goal is to have a Pinellas County artist create a welcoming art experience for visitors as they arrive at PIE. These murals are scheduled to begin in October and are slated for completion by late fall 2022.
Besides outdoors installations, Creative Pinellas’s newest gallery exhibition is DARKMATTER, an immersive exhibition of works by internationally acclaimed sculptor, painter and multi-disciplinary artist Jason Hackenwerth. The exhibition takes visitors through “turbulence and drama to transcendence and joy,” said Hackenwerth. Two massive sculptures made in Hackenwerth’s signature vocabulary of latex balloons anchor the show accompanied by a retrospective of the artist’s body of work including large-scale paintings and more than 50 drawings and images created over the past 20 years.
Where: Creative Pinellas, 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo
When: Noon to 5pm Wednesday through Sunday, now through Oct. 6
Cost: Free
Learn more: www.creativepinellas.org/event/darkmatter-exhibition/
You don’t have to be internationally known to be recognized for your talent. Applications are now open for Creative Pinellas’s Emerging Artist Grant Program, which is designed to celebrate and support artists in the upward trend of their career. As a grantee you will develop and expand your audience with a $2,000 financial award, mentorship, engagement events, and an exhibition. Up to 10 grants will be awarded for original work in the disciplines of Dance & Choreography, Literature, Media Arts, Music Performance & Composition, Acting, Theater Creation, Visual Arts, and Interdisciplinary Arts. Learn more and apply at www.creativepinellas.org/opportunity/emerging-artist-grant-23 by September 6.
Embracing Our Differences is seeking submissions for an outdoor juried art exhibit featuring 50 billboard-size images and quotations created by local, national and international artists reflecting the theme “enriching lives through diversity.” The exhibit will be on display from Jan. 18 through May 29, 2023, in three locations throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties. Cash prizes totaling $6,000 will be awarded. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 5. For more information and to apply: www.bit.ly/3AYjnCB
Hidden figure
Conservators at the National Galleries of Scotland recently experienced quite a surprise after they X-rayed a painting by Vincent van Gogh. Hidden on the reverse side of the painting “Head of a Peasant Woman,” was a previously unknown self-portrait that been obscured by layers of glue and cardboard on the back of the canvas. The museum is currently investigating how to remove the protective materials without harming the painting.
“Head of a Peasant Woman” viewed alongside an X-ray image of the hidden Van Gogh self-portrait. (Image credit: Neil Hanna)
Atelier de SoSi shout-out
Atelier de SoSi’s newest art show, “An Artful Home at Atelier,” demonstrates that art can be both functional and beautiful. The gallery will be transformed to represent a living space displaying functional art such as handmade table settings, glassware, lighting, textiles, furniture, and more.
Where: 2380 6th Ave S, St. Pete
When: Aug. 12 – Sept. 22
Gallery hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 1-5pm
Opening night: Aug. 12, 7-10pm
Atelier de Sosi invites artists to submit original work that represents the theme: “Día de los Muertos, A Continued Celebration of Life.” The national juried call to artists is curated by St. Pete-based artists Mark Noll and Danyell Bauer and will be on display Oct. 7 – Nov. 18. Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead features gatherings of family and friends to remember those who have passed on, and help support their spiritual journey. The show is about celebration of the lives and the joyful remembrance of the departed. Deadline: Sept. 9. More info: www.bit.ly/3Pj2C9w
Days of Art and Roses
Two new exhibits of the Two Red Roses Foundation are coming this fall to the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement: an outstanding collection of Arthur Wesley Dow’s eclectic artwork including color woodblock prints, paintings, and original cyanotypes and a vibrant collection of color woodblock prints featuring master artists such as Blanche Lazzell, Eliza Draper Gardiner, Frances Gearhart, Edna Boles Hopkins, BJO Nordfeldt, Margaret Jordan Patterson, and many more. Stay tuned and check www.museumaacm.org.
Arthur Wesley Dow, Clam Houses (aka The Old Warehouse, Ipswich), c. 1893-1895.
Stars at the Straz
The Straz Center for the Performing Arts has added additional shows to the 2022-2023 season. Performers range from Rufus Wainwright to Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana with shows including Treasure Island and Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical. Visit www.strazcenter.org for a complete lineup.
Coffee Talk is back
Nan Colton returns with Harriet Beecher Stowe, Words of Wisdom at the Museum of Fine Arts, 10-11:30am on Aug. 10. Stowe published more than 30 books, but it was her best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin that catapulted her to international celebrity and secured her place in history. Free for MFA members; Not-yet members are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors. For more information and tickets go to www.bit.ly/3PlySck
The Sarasota Opera Food and Wine Festival returns after a two-year hiatus. During the event (formerly Taste of Downtown) local restaurants will serve tasty bites, wine, and other treats as a benefit for Sarasota Youth Opera. Visitors will enjoy performances by the Youth Opera chorus and Sarasota Opera artists, as well as raffles and other activities.
When: 1-4pm Saturday, Sept. 17
Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N Pineapple Ave., Sarasota
Tickets in advance: $75 and can be purchased at www.sarasotaopera.org/foodandwinefest, at the box office at 941-328-1300.
Tickets at the door: $85
Countdown to improv
The Countdown Improv Festival, Tampa’s annual celebration of trio, duo, and solo improv comedy, will feature 120 performers this year including comedy legend Joe Bill, co-founder of the renowned Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, and Tampa Bay favorite Scott Swenson. The weekend-long event takes place August 11-13 at the HCC Performing Arts Building in Ybor City. To purchase tickets, which range from $20 to $60, visit www.bit.ly/3PoNzv4.