Celebrating 100 years of suffrage
Preserve the ‘Burg presents Florida Women’s Fight for Suffrage. When it comes to women’s suffrage in Florida, St. Pete has an exceptional story, including the first woman city council member south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Virginia Burnside was elected to the St. Pete City Council in July 1920, almost two months before the 19th Amendment was ratified. Come hear Dr. Peggy Macdonald trace Florida’s suffrage movement from its inception with Ella Chamberlain in 1892, to August 27, 1920, when Fay Gibson Moulton Bridges cast her ballot on the porch of a Jackson County dry goods store, becoming the first Florida woman to vote after the 19th Amendment went into effect.
When: March 4, 6:30-8pm
Where: Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, 2240 9th Ave S, St. Petersburg
Cost: $10 PTB members, $15 nonmembers
More information and to register: preservetheburg.org/event-3701141
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg is hosting Centennial Book Club the second Thursday of the month, 6:30-7:30pm. In 2020, the book club will be dedicated to the centennial anniversary of women’s right to vote. In partnership with Tombolo Books, books will feature topical issues and universal themes — empowerment, artistic and creative excellence, and the push for equality for all — as experienced by women authors, artists and activists. Free with museum admission, which is only $10 after 5pm on Thursdays.
Upcoming books:
• Feb. 13: A Wild and Precious Life, a posthumous memoir by celebrated LGBTQ icon Edie Windsor
• March 13: Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza, the English-language debut of a major Argentinian voice in the art world
Meanwhile, in another part of the museum …
You are standing in a gallery filled with more than 100 original stage, scene, and costume designs, as well as original costumes from dozens of world-famous theater productions. At the same time, you are hearing the music from those productions played live, witnessing the grace of a ballerina in movement, or feeling the emotions from a dramatic monologue—all within the same museum. Experience this extraordinary intersection of visual art with the performing arts in Art of the Stage: Picasso to Hockney, on view at the MFA through May 10. For more information and a schedule of events see mfastpete.org/exh/picasso-to-hockney.
Get your Irish on with Celtic Woman
Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum international music group Celtic Woman celebrates 15 years of music-making by touring 90 North American cities including St. Petersburg. The show is at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater on Sunday, March 1 at 7pm.
The four fantastic Celtic Woman soloists – Tara McNeill on fiddle and Irish harp and vocalists Mairéad Carlin, Éabha McMahon and Megan Walsh – touch the hearts of a global audience with the centuries-old Irish tradition of telling stories through song.
Tickets are $53.50-$100.50 and can be purchased online at TheMahaffey.com, by phone 727-300-2000, or at the box office, 400 1st St. S. in downtown St. Pete.
Later that week …
The all-new Disney Dance Upon a Dream will appear at the Mahaffey Theater on Thursday, March 5 at 7:30pm. The cast takes an electrifying journey to find their own beat in a fast-moving world that features a soundtrack of Disney’s greatest hits remixed and reimagined. The story unfolds around a present-day heroine and steps into the magical world of Disney including video and music from the most beloved films, including Beauty and the Beast, Moana and Cinderella.
Tickets range from $45-$75 and can be purchased online at TheMahaffey.com, by phone 727-300-2000, or at the box office 400 1st St. S., St. Pete. Box Premium VIP seats are $150 and Preferred Seating tickets are $100. For more information, visit DisneyDanceTour.com.
Not your grandma’s quilt
Suncoast Quilting Circle will be hanging over 150 quilts during Q U I L T L O C A L: Celebrating Quilts and Community, its 19th quilt show at the Coliseum in St. Petersburg.
The craft of quilting has exploded into an art form including traditional quilts, modern quilts, and art quilts. Come enjoy the eye candy, including two special exhibits, one in art form, and one in modern interpretation, with St. Petersburg serving as the inspiration. The special exhibits will be judged by John Collins, executive director of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance.
The show also includes a silent auction; presentations to veterans via the national Quilts of Valor program; educational presentations; over 36 vendor spaces; a baby sales boutique, and a special display by the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild. Proceeds from raffle tickets for the Charity Quilt will benefit the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. Certified quilt appraisers will be on hand, if you like, to appraise grandma’s heirloom quilt.
March 20-21
Friday: 10am-6pm; Saturday: 10am-5pm
The Coliseum, 535 4th Ave N. in St. Petersburg
In the “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” department …
As part of its 25th anniversary, The Florida Aquarium is embarking on 14 months of infrastructure expansion, exhibit enhancement, and fun, engaging onsite and community events. One exhibit opening this spring is Washed Ashore – Art to Save the Sea. This world-renowned traveling art exhibition features sculptures made entirely of plastic debris collected from beaches. The exhibit unmasks the impacts of plastic pollution on oceans, waterways, and wildlife. The first time this exhibit will be displayed in the state of Florida, the artist has curated this exhibit specifically for The Florida Aquarium. For more information see flaquarium.org/. The Florida Aquarium is located in Tampa at 701 Channelside Dr.
12th St. Petersburg Jazz Festival is coming Feb 26 – March 1!
You won’t find giant columns of speakers or food trucks at the St. Petersburg Jazz Festival. Ours is an intimate listening experience for true lovers of jazz. Concerts at the Palladium:
Feb. 26 – Brazilian jazz group O Som Do Jazz with guest flutist Jose Valentino Ruiz and Brazilian percussionist Rafael Pereira
Feb. 27 – the amazing jazz/funk fusion group The Conglomerate from Orlando.
Feb. 28 – virtuoso steel pan artist Leon Foster Thomas with Tal Cohen and his quartet
Feb. 29 – vocalist Alexis Cole and the 18-piece Helios Jazz Orchestra
March 1 – tribute to the innovative trumpeter/composer Booker Little, led by Jason Charos and jazz musicians from Miami
For more info, see www.stpetejazzfest.com or www.mypalladium.org.
Full STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) education ahead
Florida State Senator Darryl Rouson and Representative Ben Diamond are calling on the Florida Legislature to recognize the importance of arts education in our state. They filed companion bills for the Florida Seal of Fine Arts program that would encourage students to develop a high level of skill in visual or performing arts and provide recognition for their accomplishments with a gold seal on their high school diploma and on their record. In addition to four years of arts coursework, the program also calls for an arts-related community service “capstone” project.
St. Pete Arts Alliance’s Arts for a Complete Education (ACE) committee assisted the Pinellas County School District in securing the sponsorship of Rouson and Diamond for the bill. ACE is the arts education advocacy arm of the Arts Alliance, promoting arts education in public schools at both the district and state levels. Find out more at stpeteartsalliance.org/ace-pinellas/.
Inside the World of Public Art or How Our Town Got So Artsy
Florida CraftArt presents “Inside the World of Public Art,” a project displaying the spirit and diversity of public art that enhances our community. The exhibit profiles eight artists who use fine craft techniques to create monumental public artwork in the Tampa Bay area. Anyone who would like to understand public art better can take in lectures by artists and a studio tour.
- Feb. 19, 6pm Catherine Woods, who created a sculpture for the new police station, talks on the process and drama of public art.
- Feb. 22, 1-4pm Artist Studio Tours including Mark Aeling and Don Gialanella. Register at FloridaCraftArt.org)=
- March 7, 9am-4pm “Taking the Leap: From Studio Artist to Public Artist” workshop presented by renowned public art professional Elayna Toby Singer. Register at FloridaCraftArt.org.
The project continues throughout the year with educational programs for artists interested in pursuing public art commissions.
Florida CraftArt is located at 501 Central Ave. in St. Pete. For more information, visit FloridaCraftArt.org or call 727-821-7391. Admission is free.
Apply now: Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival 2020
The Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival is unique in the world of piano instruction for pianists ages 18-29. A multi-generational, international, world-class faculty teaches technique and musicianship in a traditional and innovative context while embracing creative and holistic concepts in learning, health, and human potential. RPPF is a tuition-free festival and a piano paradise in a glorious location at the University of South Florida in Tampa. RPPF is supported entirely by Rebecca Penneys Friends of Piano, a non-profit 501(c)(3). All donations are tax-deductible and are the organization’s only source of income.
The 2020 festival is July 6-26. Applications must be received by March 3. For more information and to apply see rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org. For guideline and requirement questions contact: rebeccapenneyspianofestival@gmail.com.
Eco-art at USF
USF Contemporary Art Museum, part of the USF Institute for Research in Art in the College of The Arts, welcomes two new solo exhibitions, Hope Ginsburg’s Sponge Exchange and Anastasia Samoylova’s FloodZone. These exhibitions document vulnerable environments both above and below the sea’s surface to reveal human interventions into our natural ocean ecology and the ocean’s intrusion into our constructed landscape. Submerging viewers within these habitats spotlights the critical issues surrounding our climate crisis, rising temperatures and sea levels, and water quality; their impact on the health, sustainability and resiliency of Florida’s environment; and the social and economic life of the Gulf Coast.
Through March 7 at 3821 USF Holly Drive, Tampa. For more information and hours see cam.usf.edu/ or call 813-974-4133.
Surreal scene
Experience opera at The Dalí, as singers from St. Petersburg Opera Company perform on the helical staircase.
Thursday, Feb. 20, 6-6:30pm
Cost: Free (Parking is free for members, as available; $5 parking for nonmembers after 5pm.)
In conjunction with its special exhibition, Midnight in Paris: Surrealism at the Crossroads, 1929, join The Dalí for a double feature of surrealism’s first films. Germaine Dulac’s The Seashell and the Clergyman and Salvador Dalí’s and Luis Buñuel’s An Andalusian Dog will be shown back to back for a double dose of surrealism.
Thursday, Feb. 27, 6-7:30pm
Cost: Free (Parking is free for members, as available; $5 parking for nonmembers after 5pm.)
Location: The Raymond James Community Room & the Will Raymund Theater
Creative Pinellas Professional Artist Grant applications now open
The Creative Pinellas Professional Artist Grant is designed to support and sustain Pinellas County’s creative community and to enhance the county as an arts and cultural destination. The $5,000 grant provides an unrestricted financial award to Pinellas County artists of outstanding talent and ability who – with a history of increasingly successful work on the local, national, or international stage – bring recognition, awareness and interest to our community, inspire other artists and art lovers, and help make Pinellas County a vibrant arts and cultural community.
Disciplines:
- Dance (choreography/performance)
- Literature
- Interdisciplinary
- Media Arts
- Music (composition/performance)
- Theater/Musical Theater (composition/performance)
- Visual Arts
An additional $5,000 Artist Laureate grant may be presented to one of the grantees who is recognized by Creative Pinellas as being a model partner and collaborator, sharing their skills and expertise and supporting the organization’s mission over the grant period.
Application deadline Feb. 24, 11:59pm. For more information and to apply see creativepinellas.org/.
Bringin’ it all back home
The Independent Business Alliance, Keep Saint Petersburg Local, is proud to bring LOCALTOPIA — “Community Celebration of All Things Local” – to Williams Park for its 7th year.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 22, 10am-5pm (Rain Date: Feb. 29)
WHERE: Williams Park, 330 2nd Ave N, St. Petersburg
COST: Free, plus Free Bike Valet
FEATURING:
- MAKERS & MERCHANTS: Art & handcrafted goods, artisanal & plant-based food & beverages, body/self-care, books, clothing & accessories, decor, jewelry, vintage, vinyl
- VILLAGES: Arts Village, Family Village, Health & Wellness Village, #AllThingsPlants Village
- EAT, DRINK & PLAY LOCAL: Food Truck Rally Alley, Restaurant Row, beer truck, local breweries
- LIVE LOCAL MUSIC
- ENGAGING ACTIVITIES for all ages, free demos & crafts, “Biggest Local Raffle,” live screen printing, photo booth
MORE INFO: localtopia.keepsaintpetersburglocal.org/ or facebook.com/Localtopiastpete/