ART NEWS
By Caron Schwartz
More at Morean
Have you ever wanted MORE from your studio class? More one-on-one time with the art teacher? More space to spread out your materials? The Morean Art Center has that! Their redesigned studio classes feature your favorite instructors, dedicated and sanitized workspaces, and exciting new opportunities for you to stretch your creative skills. Search by medium at www.moreanartscenter.org/classes-2/.
If you’d rather create in your pajamas or keep the dog company or like to have the catwalk across your canvas, online courses, workshops, and camps abound. See www.moreanartscenter.org/classes-2/online-class-offerings/.
Green green grass
The Morean Center for Clay is celebrating the two-year tenure of artist-in-residence Danny Dobrow with a front gallery solo exhibition titled Green green grass. The gallery, 420 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg, is open Thursday through Saturday 10am-5pm. Dobrow started the work when he was still in art school and during his recent experiences with pandemic-imposed isolation, he turned to thoughts of greener pastures and memories of growing up in Minnesota. This body of work, realized amid a pandemic, reminds us to perhaps carry forward a new focus on simple pleasures.
A Taste of Art
Professional artists Brenda McMahon, Diane Bragg, and Anna Ayres teach their techniques in monthly two-hour sessions with small groups and respectful social distancing guidelines. Learn the art of dimensional clay tiles, the precision of fused glass, and the lyrical brushwork of botanicals and birds. Participants enjoy art workshops with gourmet bites at the Brenda McMahon Gallery, 2901 Beach Blvd S. in Gulfport.
Classes are Wednesdays 4-6pm. $125 per person per session. Cost includes instruction, materials, firings, and framing. Call 518-692-7742 or email to sign up or for more information.
Tile Making with Brenda McMahon: August 12, Sept. 9
Fused Glass with Diane Bragg: August 19, Sept. 16
Birds & Botanicals with Anna Ayres: August 26
WADA in the news
Audrie Cuddy Ranon joins the Warehouse Arts District as its first full-time employee. Ranon will be responsible for facilities and property management at the ArtsXchange, special events, and communications. She comes to WADA with experience in the administrative and creative sides of museum management and civic projects. Among her endeavors, she shepherded the creation of the original Children’s Museum of Tampa and was instrumental in developing and managing stores at the Ybor City State Museum, Tampa Bay History Center, and the St. Pete MFA.
Ya La’Ford is bringing a new mural to the Warehouse Arts District in St. Pete. With “Community Woven,” she will create a visual quilt composed of words, wisdom, and well-wishes collected from the local community. The installation will be located across from La’Ford’s “King’s Dream Unite” mural on the Historic Manhattan Casino. The mural will debut at 515 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg, 5-7pm on August 28, the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Project collaborators include Smith & Associates Real Estate, the Lovelady Family, and Healthy St. Pete.
Art imitates life
Need a break from visiting your family and friends on Zoom? Relief is here: Watch Confinement, a thriller about another family’s experience. Filmed during quarantine in Tampa Bay, Confinement was shot from four different locations
simultaneously, while the filmmakers and actors stayed connected through video conferencing. Confinement is one of the first films shot in this manner, as well as one of the first films including COVID as a backdrop. Directed by Tampa Bay local Curtis Graham of Greyhouse Films, the trailblazing film stars Mary Rachel Quinn (LBJ, Dear John, Fantastic Four), Nicole Abisinio (Prime of Your Life, Broken Flowers), and Josue Gutierrez (Bernie the Dolphin 2, Bloodline). See it on TUBI (tubitv.com/search/confinement).
Follow American Stage FWD apprentices as they operate in a world where the only connection they have is on a Zoom call. They meet up, tell their stories, and share experiences from their lives. This creates an oasis for these young people, as the world they know is changing around them. Join these five artists and creators as they navigate this new world. The show titled “Five Times Around,” launches on the American Stage YouTube channel (youtube.com/americanstage) August 17-21 daily at noon. For more information see americanstage.org/five.
A win for arts funding
Recently, the U.S. House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee rejected the fourth consecutive proposal to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Instead, they increased funding for both to $170 million for FYE 2021. This represents an increase of $7.75 million for each endowment. Additionally, the bill includes language to waive financial matching requirements allows organizations to use this money for general operating support in light of the ongoing pandemic. Learn more about how to support the arts through the Americans for the Arts Action Fund (artsactionfund.org).
History through HerStory
The Tampa Museum of Art has opened a new exhibition, HerStory: Stories of Ancient Heroines and Everyday Women. Sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, the exhibition explores the story of women in the ancient world through depictions of goddesses, heroines, mythological characters, and everyday women in the museum’s collection of
classical antiquities. This exhibition highlights objects that speak to the role of women in the ancient world, their myths and stories, from Aphrodite and Athena to Amazon warriors to women of the everyday. HerStory will be on view through January 9, 2022. Visitors and members can look forward to an accompanying series of educational offerings, both virtual and in-person throughout the exhibition’s 18-month run. CDC pandemic protocols are in effect, so visitors are encouraged to plan their visits by going to TampaMuseum.org.
The first rule of Book Club …
In 2020, the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Art’s Book Club dives into books by or about female authors, artists, and activists, with discussions centered on topical issues and themes universal to all: empowerment, artistic and creative excellence, and the push for equality for all. For August, we are reading Remembering Paradise Park: Tourism and Segregation at Silver Springs by Lu Vickers and Cynthia Wilson-Graham. We will join together on Zoom August 13, 6:30-7:30pm with the co-authors. This event is free, but registration is required. Register on
eventbright here: tinyurl.com/y5mbv5fn.
Watch, listen and learn at the MFA
Museum of Fine Arts Curator of Contemporary Art Katherine Pill tells us a little about one of her favorite pieces at the MFA and how the artwork can change with each installation! Click youtube.com/watch?v=Y7CM8OCVn-o.
Art Break with the MFA! Ready for some messy fun? With a few household items, learn how to create a “marble” painting inspired by the colorful swirls in a piece by William Pachner in the MFA Collection: youtube.com/watch?v=kHjQt_O8IBY.
Then share your masterpiece with us on social media with #MFAfromHome.
Music, like art, is comforting during times of stress. The staff at the MFA has put together a fun playlist of songs to make you smile, dance or relax while you are spending time at home. We hope these songs brighten your day. You can enjoy Playlist 3 on Spotify (open.spotify.com/playlist/6c5dWDidDlYkiRVBuDz2nf) or if you prefer, listen via the links on mfastpete.org/mfa-positive-vibes-playlist-part-3.
When the museum reopens in September, first up will be Derrick Adams: Buoyant, on display Sept. 12-Nov. 29. In his first solo museum exhibition in the Southeast,
contemporary artist Derrick Adams presents a portrait series of large-scale paintings of Black men, women, and children relaxing in playful, colorful floaties. These vibrant images exude simple joy and carefree leisure, but also methodically fill the many voids and omissions of Black culture in American mass media. For more information see
mfastpete.org/exh/derrick-adams.
PHOTO mfa-Derrick_Adams
(Left) Floater 66, 2018, Acrylic paint and collage on paper, Private collection (Right) Floater 36, 2017, Acrylic paint and collage on paper, Private collection
Senior-only hours not just for grocery stores
The Dalí Museum invites visitors 65 and older to enjoy the Museum from 10-11am on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Purchase your advanced timed ticket and bring your ID to the Museum. Seniors purchasing timed tickets during this entry window are welcome to continue their visit beyond the Museum’s opening to the public at 11am. Seniors also save $2 on adult admission to the Museum anytime.
The Arts Alliance has questions, you have answers
The St. Pete Arts Alliance is building its virtual capacity to serve our arts community and would like to know what education/training you want to be offered. That way they can provide innovative opportunities for engagement, education, and equitable arts economic development that may be implemented now and help sustain your creative business long-term.
Previous workshops have included:
Grant writing 101 – Produced for anyone tasked with writing a grant application and focused specifically to help St. Petersburg organizations learn what is necessary to apply for city of St. Petersburg Arts grants.
What will it Take for Audiences to Return – A statewide workshop on what it will take for audiences to return to our museums, theaters, galleries, ArtWalk, etc.
How to Access Funds and Other Community Resources – A countywide collaboration on how to access city and county emergency relief help.
Take the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/JFXNRT8.
Students get Surreal at the Dalí
Student Surrealist Art Exhibit – Irrational Technology: From the Ridiculous to the Sublime Initiated in 1992, this annual art exhibit presents work by middle – and high-school students invited to explore ideas and visions similar to those explored by Salvador Dalí and the surrealists. This year, the theme is “Irrational Technology,” where The Museum challenged students to explore surreal ideas about technology. Students considered the absurdities of technology, the possible benefits and consequences of our fascination for technology, surreal technologies of their own, or an irrational world shaped by its technology. Interpretations may be dystopian or fanciful and humorous. There is no admission charge to view the student exhibition, which is on display now through August 23 in the first-floor Raymond James Community Room. The Raymond James Community Room occasionally closes for private events, in which case the exhibit will not be accessible.
PHOTO Student surrealism
Image credit: Pinellas County student Cassandra Anderson, “All Sales Are Final” from 2018 Student Exhibition.
Groovy like a drive-in movie?
Keeping with the weird and stylish ways of all things St. Pete, our 80+ SHINE murals have been mapped and turned into a Drive-In Theater Art Gallery experience using an app developed by the geniuses at PixelStix (pixelstix.com).
Go to tinyurl.com/y6heeyza to learn about Drive-In Mural Theater and how to use it once you’ve gassed up and gotten your ride ready to roll. All murals are paired together so that you can enjoy two murals at one parking spot before moving on to the next group. Due to the nature of murals and street art, there is no determined entrance or exit point so you can begin wherever you like.
The James is open for business
The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, located at 150 Central Ave. in Saint Petersburg, has reopened to the public with new health and safety precautions to protect the health of its visitors, staff, and community, as well as new experiences for visitors. Museum changes include reduced occupancy, heightened cleaning and disinfecting efforts, face-covering and social-distancing requirements, as well as visitor and employee health screenings. Visitors are encouraged to review all health and safety precautions before their visit on the museum web page (thejamesmuseum.org) devoted to COVID-19 updates. Visitors can also expect new ways to connect with the museum’s collection including themed self-guided tours, private family art workshops, and an interactive family activity guide.