Tampa International Airport is collaborating with Fairgrounds St. Pete to feature local artist Jabari Reed (aka iBOMS) in a new popup art installation, “Joy For All.” On display through Sept.
Backyard bonanza A geography teacher found a 1,600-year-old rock inscribed with early Irish writing while gardening at home in Coventry, England. The rare artifact offers insight into the Medieval Irish language. It is believed the 4-inch, half-pound stone is inscribed with a person’s name, along with information about where that individual came from.
MoMa mia! The Museum of Motherhood in St. Pete is listed in Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums, Bob Eckstein’s most recent book. MoM is one of 85 places including the Natural History Museum in NY and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
You thought Gulfport was weird Have a “close encounter” at MULTIVERSELAND, an intergalactic mini theme park, in St. Pete. Florida’s newest zany roadside attraction includes 10 immersive, interactive magical “alternate worlds” filled with otherworldly affirmations. https://www.multiverseland.space
PRIDEs month Not only is June Pride Month, it also signifies Juneteenth. The federal holiday commemorates 6/19/1865, the date Black citizens of Galveston, Texas, learned they were no longer enslaved, a full two years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Events:
- The PWRTRC (The Phyllis Wheatley Rise to Read Campaign) Juneteenth Music Festival, 4-9pm 6/15 at Albert Whitted Park. https://bit.ly/tampa-juneteenth
- Black and Gold – Happy Juneteenth! BYO adult beverages to enjoy while painting Juneteenth-themed artwork. South Tampa Painting with a Twist, 6/19 7-9pm. https://bit.ly/black-gold-2024
- The third annual Juneteenth Cultural Celebration at the Tampa Museum of Art. 6/14 10am-5pm. Free admission to its family-friendly programs and the new Vinik Family Education Center. https://bit.ly/tampa-juneteenth
- USF’s Juneteenth! 6/16 11:30am-1:30pm, Yuengling Center in Tampa. Join students for food, entertainment, education and celebration. https://bit.ly/usf-juneteenth
- THE SHOUT! 6/19 6-8pm at the ArtsXchange, a dynamic, immersive introduction to the art, history, and soul of Gospel music. This workshop offers a deep dive into the vibrant traditions and profound expressions that define this powerful genre. https://bit.ly/wada-shout
The Florida Holocaust Museum presents I Say the World Should See Them: The Liberation of Ohrdruf and Buchenwald. See items from the collection of Dr. Rowland Wood, a St. Petersburg native who served in the 168th Medical Battalion of Patton’s Third Army and bore witness to the liberation of Ohrdruf and Buchenwald in April 1945. Now through 7/31. https://bit.ly/see-them-fhm
Tattoo me & you Ink Mania Tattoo & Art Expo inks up 6/24 1-11pm at The Coliseum in St. Pete. Open to newbies and veterans, the convention includes seminars, DJ Battle, performances, an art fusion wall, a graffiti wall, tattoo contests and awards, special guests, and more! https://inkmaniaexpo.com
Get your glitter on Taylor Shines – The Laser Spectacular, sparkles into the Mahaffey 7/20, 7:30pm. Sing along during two hours of non-stop Taylor Swift hits seamlessly blended with the world-famous touring Laser Spectacular & Light show. https://bit.ly/see-them-fhm
SXSP? Cathie Wood envisions a St. Pete version of Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW). The seasoned investor and founder of the ARK Innovation Center in St. Pete’s Innovation District is in talks with the Rays to bring a similar creatives-focused festival to the new Historic Gas Plant District stadium during the off-season. https://bit.ly/tampa-innovation
Flower power Reimagining Nature: Dalí’s Floral Fantasies presents Salvador Dalí’s best-loved botanical print suites featuring three rarely displayed suites he created between 1968 and 1972. At the Dalí Museum through 10/20. https://bit.ly/dali-floral
Their song The St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts presents Never the Same Song, an exhibition of the works of Lizzi Bougatsos and Lonnie Holley. The exhibit spans artworks from the 1990s to the present, including works made by the artists in March at Holley’s studio in Atlanta. Open through 9/15. https://bit.ly/never-the-same-song
American Stage’s 47th season lineup is here. It kicks off with Ring of Fire (9/25–10/20) a musical set to Johnny Cash’s greatest hits, followed by The Mountaintop (11/6–24) focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. Other productions include This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, Hair, and Fat Ham. https://www.americanstage.org
On the job Jobsite, the Straz’s resident theater company, launches another season of shows from wild comedies to dark delights. The 2024-2025 season opens with POTUS Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive 9/4-29, continues with Gorey Stories 10/23-11/17, and winds down with Puffs 7/9-8/3/2025. https://www.jobsitetheater.org/2024-25-season
ARTIST OPPs The Bennett Prize awards $50,000 to a woman artist to create a solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which then travels the country. In 2018, the inaugural year of The Prize, there were 647 entries. In 2020 and 2022, the number of entries continued to grow. Apply through 10/4. https://thebennettprize.org
Last year’s West St. Pete CommUNITY Picnic is returning as the West St. Pete CommUNITY Festival on 9/28. They’re adding live music, beer and wine, craft vendors, and are looking for local artists to do live painting and sell their art! Interested? Reach out to arongbryce@gmail.com. Deadline 7/2.
Flora & Fauna, a juried art show at Art Center Sarasota, invites artists to celebrate the natural world, both real and imagined, living and extinct, peaceful and poisonous. David Berry, curator of Selby Gardens, serves as juror. Exhibition dates 8/15-9-28. Submission deadline 7/14. https://bit.ly/flora-fauna-sarasota
Flora & Fauna for the rest of us Celebrate the magic of nature at Creative Pinellas’s Flora & Fauna. This exhibition of local artists offers a profound and immersive experience, granting visitors the opportunity to marvel at the wonders of flora and fauna while encouraging them to embrace a sense of responsibility for the preservation of our planet’s biodiversity. On display through 7/7. https://bit.ly/flora-fauna-pinellas
PHOTO FINISHES The USF Contemporary Art Museum will offer Breaking Barriers 2024, a six-week cellphone photography workshop series for military veterans and their families. Breaking Barriers is an initiative to expand access to the arts for military personnel, veterans, and their families. Online 7/12–8/16. Register by 6/25. https://bit.ly/flora-fauna-pinellas
The Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement (MAACM) in St. Pete recently acquired Alfred Stieglitz’s 1894 carbon print, The Net Mender, a signature image from the artist’s early career. In a carbon print, the image consists of pigmented gelatin, rather than silver or another metal like typical black-and-white prints. https://www.museumaacm.org
Ybor City’s Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) presents an exhibition chronicling the evolution of Ybor City from its founding in 1886 to the present day. Founded and populated by immigrants from Spain, Cuba, and Italy, this Historic Landmark has undergone many transformations over the years. 7/18-11/17. https://www.fmopa.org/ybor-city-photography-exhibition-fmopa