By Nanette Wiser
FILM FESTIVALS Tampa Bay is a hot destination for movie making on both sides of the bay, including our share of Hallmark specials. For cinephiles, there are dozens of viewing pleasures. In addition to arthouse Green Light Cinema in downtown St. Pete, Screen Door Microcinema has opened in Ybor City’s historic Kress building that will show student, indie and foreign films. The region is known for dozens of film festivals, including the Gasparilla Film Festival 3/23-3/26, Dunedin International Film Festival 1/12-15, Sunscreen Film Festival 4/27-30, Tampa Bay Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (showing films during the year at local venues), the prestigious Sarasota Film Festival 3/24-4/2 and others. The Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival hosts films at Bryan Glazer Family JCC and Green Light Cinema in December including The Man in the Basement, Rose and Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas. For a spirited movie, check out documentary maker James Blankenfeld’s Tampa Beer: Crafting The Bay on streaming outlets.
ARTS MUSE x 2
Celeste Davis 
Zora Carrier, PhD
Two new arts leaders will help shape St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay’s cultural landscape. Celeste Davis has joined St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch’s team as Director of Arts, Culture and Tourism. The St. Petersburg native brings more than 20 years of experience in arts-related positions, including most recently as executive director for Tampa Bay Business for Culture and the Arts (TBCCA). She also serves as the creator, producer and host of “The Curious Collector: A Conversation Cafe,” a virtual monthly art discussion with the Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum. Celeste earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Spelman College in Atlanta and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA), from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. In her new role, she will focus on elevating arts visibility and impact through cultural tourism, building relationships with creative community partners and positioning St. Pete’s cultural assets as destinations. Celeste will also expand corporate and business sponsorships to increase arts education to under-served communities.
Replacing Davis at TBCCA as executive director is Zora Carrier, Ph.D. who came to TBBCA from the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA), where she was executive director. Before her tenure at FMoPA, Carrier was the executive director of the Open Concept Gallery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a position she also held at the Gallery Art Factory in Prague, Czech Republic. “I am excited to continue the important work this organization has been doing for over 30 years. I believe a direct line can be drawn from TBBCA’s philosophy that ‘the arts are good for business and business is good for the arts’ to Tampa Bay’s meteoric rise,” said Carrier. “It’s an exciting time to lead this organization.”
RODIN ROCKS Through March 26, the Museum of Fine Arts presents True Nature: Rodin and the Age of Impressionism showcasing his best-known sculptures together with other rare masterworks by leading Impressionist painters. This masterful exhibition features dozens of sculptures, paintings, photographs, and works on paper from fin-de-siècle Paris. Rodin (1840–1917) created dramatic works that are instantly recognizable and pervade our collective cultural consciousness. This exhibition offers a remarkably comprehensive look at Rodin, placing him within the context of the profound artistic, cultural, and social changes occurring at the end of the 19th century in France. True Nature also explores Rodin’s desire for academic
recognition, even as he remained at the forefront of the avant-garde alongside the Impressionists.