By Caron Schwartz
Eckerd accolades
Industry trade publication VenuesNow named Ruth Eckerd Hall the recipient of the 2021 All-Stars Award – Theater and Performing Arts Center. In making their selection, VenuesNow identified and researched venues from across the industry and heard the opinions of those who work in it. It’s far from Eckerd’s only industry recognition. In 2002 and 2008, Ruth Eckerd Hall was nominated by Pollstar for Theatre of the Year. In 2020, Ruth Eckerd Hall was nominated by the Academy of Country Music for Theatre of the Year. In 2020, Pollstar named Ruth Eckerd Hall the #1 venue in Tampa, #4 venue in Florida, #5 venue in the United States, and #5 venue in the world of theatre venues with 2,500 seats or less.
Creative Pinellas
is one of 66 local arts agencies nationwide to receive an American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The $500,000 grant helps artists and nonprofit arts organizations recover from the pandemic. Creative Pinellas will use the funds to provide grants directly to eligible artists and arts organizations; support public participation with individual artists and their work; and support salaries, stipends to artists, marketing, and promotions for arts and cultural organizations.
Why not visit too?
Creative Pinellas’s Arts Annual gallery exhibition is a beautiful collection of artwork and installations made by leading artists from Pinellas County. Spend an afternoon with Creative Pinellas to view the exhibition, on view at 12211 Walsingham Rd. in Largo, through December 19th. The gallery is free and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12-5pm.
Banksy wannabes in action
Have you seen the Pinellas Trail murals completed as part of Pinellas County Transportation’s Graffiti Abatement program? The partnership with Creative Pinellas promotes the use of public art to deter vandalism on infrastructure and has proven to be successful since the program began in 2019. Seven murals have been completed so far including two Palm Harbor murals at the Boot Ranch underpass and the corner of Belcher and Alderman Roads, Largo’s Pinellas Trail overpass on West Bay Drive, and the Pinellas Trail underpass at US19 in Tarpon Springs.
Smoke on the Water redux
Deep Purple returns to Tampa Bay Saturday, Feb. 12, at 8pm at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater. Tickets start at $59.50 and can be purchased online through Ticketmaster, or by calling Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts at 727-300-2000. For more information about this event, visit www.themahaffey.com. Known as one of the hardest working bands ever, Deep Purple has released six studio albums since 1996 alone and has toured nearly nonstop since forming in 1968. Among other accolades, the band – Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Steve Morse and Don Airey – was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
There’s still time to see freeFall Theatre’s all-new holiday offering, The Night Before, Matthew McGee and Michael Raabe’s world-premiere musical comedy. The premise: There’s no place like home for the holidays. It’s snowing in sunny Florida when a group of friends and a surly house cat named Stephen Sondheim gather around the piano for a night of fun, music and games. The Night Before runs through Dec. 24, and tickets range from $45-$55. For more information and to purchase tickets see www.freefalltheatre.com.
24th Annual Florida CraftArt Festival presents $10K in awards
Of the 87 participating artists from 13 states, 12 were awarded a total of $10,000 during the late November festival. Glenn Woods and Keith Herbrand, known as The Pottery Boys, won the show’s top prize of $3,000 for Best of Show. Among the other award winners was Gulfport’s own Alice Pickett-Lewis (Fiber) who won an Award of Merit. For more information about Florida CraftArt see www.floridacraftart.org.
Working on the blockchain
One of only two privately owned first printings of the U.S. Constitution sold at Sotheby’s New York recently for $43.2 million, becoming the most expensive book, manuscript, historical document, or printed text ever to hit the auction block. The winning bidder, who remains anonymous, defeated ConstitutionDAO, a group of cryptocurrency enthusiasts who banded together to fundraise on the blockchain to purchase the document. The final price beats out an auction record that stood for 27 years, when Bill Gates purchased the Codex Leicester by Leonardo da Vinci at Christie’s in 1994 for $30.8 million. The “DAO” in ConstitutionDAO is short for decentralized autonomous organization, a type of community-run business that operates on the blockchain and does not have a central governing body.
The Florida Aquarium named seven new members to its board of directors. Five standing members were also reappointed. Despite the pandemic, the Aquarium continues to grow attendance and revenue, increase research and conservation efforts, and expand educational and community impact. The new board members are David Bevirt of Water Street Tampa; Doreen Caudell of D-Mar General Contracting; Veronica Cintron of Tampa International Airport; Kristin Greco of PAR, Inc.; Marcus Greene of Truist; Jody Haneke of Haneke Design; and Eric Weisberg of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival!
RPPF celebrates its 10th anniversary season June 28-July 18 at USF Tampa. The organization offers each student about a semester of tuition-free lessons, nightly masterclasses, and tons of practice time. Plus beach, dolphins, Chihuly, Yoga, Dalcroze, Special Topic Classes, and performances by all. For more information and to apply see www.rebeccapenneyspianofestival.org.
Hermitage happenings
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County awarded the Hermitage Artist Retreat a $50,000 Strategic Partnership Grant to support the Hermitage’s artist residency program and, for the fifth consecutive season, to serve as “Grand Sponsor” of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner in April. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize comprises a six-week Manasota Key-based Hermitage residency and a $30,000 commission to create an original work. The honor rotates annually between music, theater, and visual art. The 2022 prize will be awarded to a musician. For more information about Hermitage artists, programs, and events, visit online atwww.hermitageartistretreat.org.