Florida CraftArt presents: Quest: A Celebration of Glass
Curated by Duncan McClellan and Mary Childs
Duncan McClellan pictured left and Mary Childs picture right.
March is Glass Month
Those eye-popping murals may decorate just about every flat surface in town, but we’re also quickly becoming known as “The Glass Coast,” a worldwide destination for glass enthusiasts. St. Petersburg boasts amazing glass collections including Imagine Museum, Morean Arts Center Featuring the Chihuly Collection, and The Dalí Museum, and is also home to many galleries and studios including many that host pop-up exhibitions, events and demos including Zen Glass Studio & Gallery, and Duncan Mclellan Gallery.
Visit St. Pete is sponsoring the 48th Annual Glass Arts Society (GAS) Conference, “Charting a Course: Visions in Glass,” March 28-30. The conference will include events, award ceremonies, featured exhibitions by students and members of GAS, artist demos, panels, lectures and more featuring over 76 glass artists who specialize in coldworking, hot glass and flameworking. There is also a Collectors Tour and visit to Sarasota’s Ringling Museum for an additional fee. Additional community partners will be hosting pop-up exhibitions, satellite events and demos throughout the area.
Membership in GAS, which ranges from $40 for students to $1000 for benefactors, is required to register. Conference fees range from $61 to $385 depending on membership status.
Day passes are also available. For more information see www.glassart.org.
Florida Craft Art
In honor of the Glass Art Society Conference, Duncan McClellan and Mary Childs are curating an exhibition of glass masters at Florida CraftArt. Fourteen renowned artists featured in the exhibition are: John Brekke, Hyunsung Cho, Terri Grant, Jack Gramann, Eric Hilton, Richard Jolley, Richard Logan, Duncan McClellan, Paul J. Nelson, Stephen Pon, Eduardo Prado, Lisabeth Sterling, Alexis Silk and Tim Tate. Several of these artists will present talks about their work.
Florida CraftArt visitors are asked to vote for their favorite work of art. The exhibition will culminate with a closing reception in which the “People’s Choice Award” will be presented.
Opening Reception – March 7, 5:30-7:30pm.
- Writing workshop – Keep St.Pete Lit “Hero’s Journey” March 16, 1-3 pm Duncan McClellan Artist’s Talk March 19, 6 pm
- Jack Gramann Ohio & Stephen Pon Québec Artists’ Talk March 26, 4:30 pm
- Flamework-Melanie Cech (St. Petersburg) Artist’s Talk April 1, 5:30 pm
- SunLit Festival, Ekphrastic writers perform interpretations April 13, 2-4 pm
- Paul J. Nelson Kentucky Talk April 18, 5:30 pm
- Closing Reception & People’s Choice Award – April 20,5:30-7 pm
Florida CraftArt is located at 501 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. For more info, visit www.FloridaCraftArt.org or call (727) 821-7391. Monday – Saturday, 10 am -5:30 pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm.
Florida Glass InvitationalFor everyone else there’s the Florida Glass Invitational, hosted by the Sundial pop-up, My Favorite Art Place, during the entire month of March. Free events include artists demonstrating glassworking techniques like stained, blown, hot sculpting, flamework and more.
- Saturday, March 16, 4-7 PM — Cast Glass
- Saturday, March 23, 4-7 PM — Blown and Hot Sculpting, Mixed Glass Techniques
- Friday, March 29, 4-8:30 PM — Glass Art Society Gallery Hop
- Saturday, March 30, 4-7 PM – Celebrating the Glass Art Society; featured stop on the GAS Gallery Hop
Participating artists include:
- Christopher Reisert – www.reflectivecollections.com
- Susan Gott – https://gottglass.com/
- Rob Stern – http://robsternartglass.com/
- Eli Cecil
- Brian Frus www.BrianFrus.com
- Clint Burbridge – http://clintburbridge.com
- Fahan Sky McDonagh – https://fahanskymcdonagh.com/
- Justin Ferrell
- David Peterson
- Lyn Gentry www.hotsandsglass.com
- David Walker – owner of Zen Glass – www.zenglass.com
- Lucy Bergamini – https://www.vitriesse.com
For more information see https://www.myfavoriteartplace.com/sundial-st-pete-location/.
If glass isn’t your thing, how about clay?
Creative Clay is hosting Spring for the Arts, a celebration of 24 years of making the arts accessible to all! The $75 tickets include:
- Gourmet food & drink
- Free parking
- Open bar
- Live music
- Silent auction
- Door prize of $100 worth of lotto tickets!
- Creative Clay member artist art will be on display and for sale
- Chance to win a Virtual Reality 3D drawing experience during the event!
- Opportunity to upgrade your experience by purchasing a ticket for the Virtual Reality 3D drawing experience!
Creative Clay asks that you “wear what makes you happy” to the adults-only event, Wednesday, March 20, 6 – 9 PM at Imagine Museum, 1901 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg.
Dali Discount
For those who like to do as well as look, Dali Museum members can enjoy a $10 discount at any public class during the month of March at Painting with a Twist St. Petersburg, 2527 Central Ave. The March calendar includes themes ranging from “Painting with a Purpose” to “Paint Your Pet!” and “Vinoy at Sunset” and the popular “Wednesday Wood” workshops.
To book your class, please call 727-327-4488 with Promo Code: 10OFFDALI. Painting with a Twist® painting sessions are fun, not fine, art. Invite your friends, sip your favorite beverage and enjoy step-by-step instruction. For more information go to https://www.paintingwithatwist.com/studio/stpetersburg
PIX ID: Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues perform March 23 at The Palladium
Don’t just sit there, STOMP!
The 10th Annual Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp comes to the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg on Saturday, March 23 at 8 PM with headliner Bob Seeley celebrating his 90th birthday on stage. Seeley is considered the last living performer link to the originators of boogie-woogie piano. Critically acclaimed as one of the world’s premier boogie piano players and a Boogie Woogie Piano Hall of Famer, Detroit-born Seeley is a classically trained pianist who learned boogie, stride and ragtime at an early age and began performing at age 13. One of his great influences was boogie master Meade Lux Lewis whom he met when, after a performance, Lewis invited Seeley and a few friends to a party where Lux was planning to play. They became friends and remained close into the 1960s. Seeley also played piano with Art Tatum, worked with and was a longtime friend of Eubie Blake and served as an accompanist to the great blues vocalist Sippie Wallace.
Joining Seeley is Eden Brent, known for her signature boogie-woogie juke-joint blues holler, with Ricky Nye on piano, organ and accordion.
Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues co-founded the Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp with Palladium Executive Director Paul Wilborn and have hosted and played the show every year since its inception. Ohio natives, Liz & Doc joined Johnnie Johnson, Pinetop Perkins, Bob Seeley, Albert Ammons, and Rob Rio as inductees into the Boogie Woogie Piano Hall of Fame in 2008.
Reserved tickets are $28 & $38. More information contact Liz Pennock at 727-321-0332 (no texting), lizpennock@yahoo.com, https://lizpennock.com/ or https://www.mypalladium.org/boogie-woogie-blues-piano-stomp.
After all that stomping you might want to set a spell on a one-of-a-kind Adirondack chair Best Seat in the House Chair-ity Auction takes place 7:30–8:30 PM Saturday, March 16. A fundraiser benefiting the Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center Foundation, the live auction at Gulfport’s Art Village Courtyard features 10 Adirondack chairs hand decorated by local artists. Chairs will be displayed in advance of the auction at various Gulfport locations March 2 – 16. More information see https://www.facebook.com/events/2207789512616455/.
Get inspired at the St. Petersburg Women’s Chamber of Commerce Annual Fundraiser The theme at this year’s fundraiser is “The Arts in St. Petersburg.” The March 21 event features special guests from freeFall Theatre, The Florida Orchestra, St. Petersburg Opera, and the West Coast Dance Company. Each will present a brief performance and share about their organizations. Proceeds from the annual fundraising luncheon benefit this year the Downtown Waterfront Parks Foundation; The Kind Mouse, which provides weekend food bags to children; and Women with Purpose, which aids cancer families with nonmedical financial assistance. A variety of local boutiques will be on hand with items to purchase, and the WCC will have its always successful and popular silent auction baskets. The event takes place at 11 AM at The Club at Treasure Island, 400 Treasure Island Causeway.
Tickets are $75. For further information, contact Sara Galiger at 727-460-1038 or Phyllis Powell at 727-744-9114.
Sirata Second Saturdays
Sirata Beach Resort, in partnership with LocalShops1, is set to launch a monthly “Locals We Love Saturday Market,” an on-site market offering guests and locals a unique shopping experience, showcasing a curated selection of local artists, crafters and local business owners. Taking place on the second Saturday of every month, the market will be hosted in the resort’s Promenade area and include local shops and activities as well as beer and cocktail specials at Rum Runners Bar & Grille.
Resort guests and locals will be able to buy products including hand-crafted soaps and lotions, jewelry and accessories, artisanal food products such as jams, jellies and sauces, vintage treasures, home décor and much more. A selection of local vendors will be tailored for hotel guests to enjoy during their stay, as an opportunity to shop for souvenirs to bring back for themselves or gifts for friends and family. Following the shopping experience, guests can enjoy live entertainment from local favorites at the newly renovated Rum Runners Bar & Grille and taste the new menu of beachside bites and specially crafted beers and cocktails.
Sirata Beach Resort & Rum Runners Bar & Grille, 5300 Gulf Blvd, St. Pete Beach, 727-363-5100.
Attention nonprofits
The Gulfport Merchants Chamber (GMC) has announced a call for applicants for its 2019/2020 community support grant program. Local nonprofit organizations that target or include Gulfport in their activities are invited to apply. Applicants must be certified tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, government entities requesting funds for public purposes, or schools and colleges at any level.
For more details and to apply, go to www.VisitGulfportFlorida.com and click on “Community Grant.” For more information, contact GMC Board Member John Haugen, GeckoWorldGrant@GulfportMA.com.
Check out the SPF on the 14th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival,presented by the St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission, features films with Jim Gaffigan, Ed Asner, Anna Paquin, Melissa Leo, Cynthia Nixon, and more.
It takes place April 25-28 at the AMC Sundial Theaters and other venues in downtown St. Petersburg.
Some highlights include the Martin Scorsese-produced film Tomorrow, about a war veteran struggling to find a reason to live until he is befriended by a man who lives every day as though it’s his last. Tomorrow was the Best Feature Film Winner at the Savannah Film Festival.
The Parting Glass, directed by Stephen Moyer of True Blood fame, is an intimate family drama with Cynthia Nixon, Anna Paquin, Ed Asner, Denis O’Hare and Melissa Leo.
The Jim Gaffigan comedy, You Can Choose Your Family, is about how a normal father’s family life is turned upside down when his son discovers he has another family.
The 2019 Festival will feature 128 films across a broad spectrum of genres, themes and topics including #MeToo, transgender, aging, autism, Alzheimer’s, immigration, and sex trafficking. These dramatic themes play alongside popular broad comedies, sci-fi, action and more. For more information click to http://sunscreenfilmfestival.com/.
Plumb Preservation
Preserve the ‘Burg’s 2019 Preservation Awards Celebration will be held 6:30 – 8:30 PM March 19 at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, one of the city’s locally designated landmarks, dating to 1898. It will be an evening with art, music, food and drink, honoring the homeowners, business owners, and organizations whose dedicated work keeps St. Pete special. From Central Avenue to the Deuces and all over St. Pete, the event celebrates people who have invested in restoring properties and reusing the past.
The event is extra-special because preservation awards are only given every other year. A reception with cash bar (by donation), hors d’oeuvres and music will precede the award presentations. For more information and to register see https://preserve theburg.org/event-3198910.
Don’t mothball your Gasparilla outfit just yet
You might want to wear it to the Bay Area Renaissance Festival, which runs through March 31 at 11315 N. 46th St. in Tampa.
Special events include theme weekends:
- Mar. 16 & 17 – Shamrocks & Shenanigans Tampa’s Largest FREE St. Patty’s Party Irish Heavy Games
- Mar. 23 & 24 – High Seas Adventure
- Deaf Awareness
- Tattoo Competition
- Pirate Costume Contest
- Knights on Bikes Discount $5 off
- Mar. 29 Festival Friday – Mask Ball
- School Day
- Ladies Shopping Day
- Military, Vets & 1st Responders receive FREE ADMISSION
- Mar. 30 & 31 Wonders of the World
- Belly Dance Competition
- Steampunk Invasion
- Time Travelers Party
For more information and to buy tickets go to https://www.bayarearenfest.com/,
5th Annual SunLit FestivalApril 11 – 28, 2019
SunLit Festival is a confederation of like-minded literary, cultural, and civic organizations coordinating their individual efforts for the common goal of advancing the enjoyment of books, reading, writing, and the classic art of letterpress printing. Literary and other arts & cultural circles intersect during the fourth annual SunLit Festival, a springtime celebration of the written word.
SunLit Festival 2019 brings together over 35 various organizations and arts disciplines to celebrate literacy, literature, reading, and writing for days of intoxicating “Litertainment” and just plain fun.
Literature represents a moment in time. It is an exploration of our history, an expression of our experiences and of the life that surrounds us. It is a discussion of who we are, how we got that way and what choices we can make to shape our future. Tickets to the kick-off party: Thursday, April 11, 7pm to 9pm, $35/pp, Donation Bar, Kid Friendly!
Contact: Keep St Pete Lit, 727.798.4530, keepstpetelit@gmail.com
Location: Chihuly Gallery, 720 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Chalk-Lit Fair Saturday March 30, 2019, from 10 am – 2 pm
Free family friendly event that celebrates the art community with a twist! Register to participate in the book themed sidewalk chalk contest and visit with local artists, watch live performances, enjoy carnival games, food, beer and wine! Spaces are approximately 5×5 with limited spots available so register early!
Cash prizes will be awarded for each age category, $100 1st place, $50 2nd place and $25 for peoples choice! For more information call the Community Center at (727) 363-9245 or visit our website at www.spbrec.com.
PN