William Pachner, one of the most distinguished artists ever to live in the Tampa Bay area, turned 100 on Friday, April 17. In celebration, the Museum of Fine Arts, located at 255 Beach Drive NE in St. Petersburg, is presenting a select installation, William Pachner: Centenary, in the Lee Malone Gallery from Friday, April 10, through Sunday, July 26. For more info, call 727-896-2667 or visit www.fine-arts.org.
The Warehouse Arts District Association unveiled the new name and logo for its new arts hub project: Arts Xchange. The project includes over 50,000 square feet of warehouse space on a 2.7-acre site located at the corner of 22nd St and 5th Ave South. Plans include affordable artist studio space, galleries, performance spaces, and other attractions. For more info, www.warehouseartsdistrictstpete.com
St. Petersburg City Theatre, located at 4025 31st Street South in St. Petersburg, is pleased to announce the 2nd annual Summer Shorts, their salute to playwrights and the art of one-act play composition. Summer Shorts performances will take place August 14-16. Playwrights, directors, actors, stage managers, backstage crew, and anyone else interested in participating in any way, contact Producer Mary Brophy at mbrophy40@aol.com.
St. Petersburg Preservation hosts Movies in the Park every Thursday in May in North Straub Park! Movies include: Cocoon, To Kill a Mockingbird, Shine, The Blind Side, and Saturday Night Fever. Admission is FREE, music starts at 7pm and the movie starts at dark. For more info, call 727-463-4612, email info@stpetepreservation.org or visit www.stpetepreservation.org.
Witness 44 gifted students from kindergarten through fifth grade as they present their amazing inventions to you, the Tampa Bay Judges Council and the US Patent Office on Saturday, May 16th from 10am to 1pm at the 2nd Annual Invention Convention. The convention will be held at the Armed Forces History Museum, located at 2050 34th Way North in Largo. For more info, please www.armedforcesmuseum.com or call 727-539-8371.
Celebrate American Craft Beer Week at the Armed Forces History Museum’s 4th Annual Red, White and Craft Brews Fest on Saturday, May 16th from 5pm to 9pm! Sample over 75 craft and specialty brews, limited rare beer sampling, cheese and beer pairings, a photo booth, military dress up, a food truck rally, live music by J.T. Brown Band, and more! Get your tickets early by going online to www.armedforcesmuseum.com,by calling 727-539-8371 or in person at the museum.
Mark your calendars for the Armed Forces History Museum’s Build-A-Model Camp on Sunday, May 24th from 12:30pm to 3pm. Children will enjoy building their own take home model along with professionals from the Pelikan Model Club, will receive a free ride on our Virtual Voyager Simulator, receive a customized set of dog tags, and enjoy touring the museum. Reservations are required. Contact Kathy Weed, Sales Coordinator at 727-539-8371 ext. 110 or email Kathy at kathy@armedforcesmuseum.com.
This year’s 7th Annual Memorial Day Family Funfest at the Armed Forces History Museum will take place on Monday, May 25th from 10am to 5pm featuring crocodile wrestling from Croc Encounters, a reptile photo booth, Noah’s Ark petting zoo, rock wall climbing, bungee jumping, face painting, a bounce house, and much more! Tickets are available online at www.armedforcesmuseum.comby calling 727.539.8371, or in person at the museum.
Happy Hour with the Historian – the St. Petersburg Museum of History’s successful lecture series that features an evening of wine, words and wisdom – will be held Wednesday, May 13th at the St. Petersburg Museum of History, located at 335 2nd Ave NE on the approach to The Pier. This month’s Happy Hour will feature Monica Kile and Emily Elwyn: Preserving the ‘Burg. For more info, call727.894.1052 or visitwww.spmoh.org.
Scott Durfee & George Medeiros are the creative team behind the innovative brand called Spathose. Working with sustainable, organic material infused with an industrial edge, these pieces truly unify their vision for a fashion-forward approach to design. Check out their work and get more info at www.spathose.com.
Hear the inside stories of the making of over 30 murals found in the Central Arts District in downtown St. Petersburg. This four block tour starts at Florida CraftArt, located at 501 Central Ave in St. Petersburg, every Saturday morning and runs from 10am-11:30am. Admission cost is $19 for adults, $11 for children ages 6-18, and kids under 5 are free. Book online atwww.FloridaCraftArt.org or by calling 727-821-7391.
Mark your calendars for a monthly class in the fine art of black pot cooking now being offered at Heritage Village, located at 11909 125th St. N. in Largo. The classes, running through October, will teach participants the entire process from creating an amazing meal to cleaning it up. Classes will take place from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, May 2, Monday, June 8, and also on July 11, Aug. 1, Sept. 5 and Oct. 3. For more information about Heritage Village visit www.pinellascounty.org/heritage, or call 727-582-2123.
Following a series of public input sessions, advisory group meetings, and dedicated research, a new proposal for increased countywide arts funding is emerging. Creative Pinellas executive director, Mitzi Gordon, will present the plan during a public meeting of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, May 12 from 9:30am to 11:30am. For more info, please visit www.creativepinellas.org or email director@creativepinellas.org.
The First Place winner of St. Petersburg Opera Guild’s 35th Annual College Student and Young Professional Opera Challenge, which was held on Saturday, April 11, was soprano Sarah Payne from Sunrise, FL. Second Place winner was soprano, Cait Frizzell, and Third Place winner was Amber Rose Romero, soprano, and finally, Honorable Mention prize was awarded to Megan Barrera, soprano.
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, located at 255 Beach Drive N.E., will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an exhibition of stunning, dramatic Japanese woodblock prints. Images of the Floating World and Beyond: Japanese Woodblock Prints extends from the late eighteenth century to an example from the twenty-first. The exhibition opens Saturday, May 9, and continues through Sunday, August 16. For more information, please call 727.896.2667 or visit www.fine-arts.org.
Bloom Art Center, located at 910 5th Ave N. in St. Petersburg, invites everyone to celebrate its one-year anniversary and experience Muralism on Saturday, May 23 from 5pm to midnight. Muralism is a colorful gift of art that aims to delight and inspire people through the transformation of space, exhibiting an entire 20,000-square-foot warehouse blanketed with large-scale painted public works by more than 20 artists, each free to express their own vision. Please visit www.facebook.com/BloomUnderground for more information, or email bloom.oleson.media@gmail.com.