By Caron Schwartz
School is back in session!
Dust off your school uniform and laugh out loud. Jocelyn Bioh’s “School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play” is onstage at American Stage through Feb. 27. Picture it. 1986. An all-girls school in Ghana and there’s a new girl in town, an American, who challenges the reigning queen bee. Hilarious adolescent angst ensues. For showtimes, prices, and to buy tickets click to www.americanstage.org/school-girls. American Stage, 163 3rd St. N, St. Petersburg
There’s no business like art business
Attention emerging creative businesses, artists, musicians, and writers: the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance in collaboration with the St. Petersburg College’s Workforce, Community, & Corporate Partnerships, is presenting the annual Arts Business Academy certificate course that will provide you with the skillsets and confidence to launch or continue an arts business career. The six weekly sessions are held via Zoom Wednesdays, Feb. 9-March 16, 1-2:30pm. Cost: $199. Limited scholarships available. Learn more and register here: www.stpeteartsalliance.org/2022-arts-business-academy
Got the Sunday afternoon blues? Head over to the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design’s free admission day on the second Sunday of every month. “Free Second Sundays @ SAM” includes access to all exhibitions; musical Interludes on the Marcy & Michael Klein Plaza; Mary’s Front Porch storytelling performances; “What’s Your Medium?” – an intergenerational art activity; and Ringling College Studio + Digital Arts Free StudioDay Activities. Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, www.sarasotaartmuseum.org
Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories, on view at The James Museum through March 16, shares the experiences of some of the students who were affected by the US policy of placing Native American children in federally operated boarding schools to eradicate their cultures through forced assimilation. For more information, call 727-892-4200 or visit www.thejamesmuseum.org.
St. Pete Beach’s Spring Concert in the Park Series is back! Grab your friends and family and head to Horan Park for a night of fun live entertainment, food, beer, and wine. This free event takes place from 7-9pm at Horan Park, 7701 Boca Ciega Dr., St. Pete Beach. For more information: www.spbrec.com or call the St. Pete Beach Parks and Rec Department at 727-363-9245.
2022 Lineup:
- Feb. 25: U2.0 The Ultimate U2 Tribute
- March 25: Trezz Hombres ZZ Top Tribute
- April 15: Beatle Beat Beatles Tribute
The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement has added new features for 2022 including short films about Gustav Stickley and Elbert Hubbard, new docent tours, and a Sunday film series. But the most exciting development is the introduction of new cocktails including these Campari-based delights: Americano, Boulevardier, and Classic Negroni at the Arts Cafe. Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, 355 4th St. N, St. Petersburg
The Florida Holocaust Museum presented the Loebenberg Humanitarian Award to Jason Schwartz for his “Fragments: Portraits of Survivors,” which captures the expressions of memories of Holocaust survivors. Each year, the award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the FHM. For additional information, visit www.thefhm.org. The Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 Fifth St. S, St. Petersburg, 727-820-0100
February is St. Petersburg Celebration of the Arts month, highlighting the creative ambiance of this city. This annual festival involves diverse musical and theatrical groups as well as museums united around the exploration of a singular theme. The fourth season centers around “Love,” ranging from Shakespeare to Spitfire Theater’s “3 First Dates” and “POpera: Love & Madness at the Opera.” For a calendar of events see www.artsofstpete.com/calendar.html
Florida CraftArt presents Members’ Show: Contemporary Craft at its Finest, a juried exhibition of original art showcasing the best of handcrafted work by Florida CraftArt members. Thirty-seven artists created 81 pieces from intricate jewelry to glass sculptures.
Winners:
- Best of Show: Nadine Saitlin of Boca Raton
- First Place: Alan Johnson of St. Petersburg
- Second Place: Nick Reale of St. Petersburg
- Third Place: Dawn Waters of Gulfport
The show runs through Feb. 26 when the People’s Choice Award will be presented. Vote for your favorite work of art at Florida CraftArt, 501 Central Ave. in St. Pete, or on Facebook www.facebook.com/FloridaCraftArt.org.
St. Petersburg Arts Alliance’s MUSE Awards is back, honoring local artists and celebrating our City of the Arts at the Morean Center for Clay on March 4. For information and to purchase tickets, visit www.stpeteartsalliance.org/muse.
Congratulations to these MUSE Award Honorees!
- Visual Arts: ZuluPainter (Carlos Culbertson), multi-media artist
- Performance Arts: Matthew McGee, actor and drag artist
- Literary Arts: Gloria Muñoz, author, translator, musician
- Patron of the Arts: David and Becky Ramsey, avid art collectors and arts volunteers
- Arts Ambassador: Chad Mize, multimedia artist, designer, muralist
- New this year, Art and Technology: Matthew Walker, developer of PixelStix
And you think the Sunshine Skyway is shaky now …
See “Mayday: Captain Lerro and the Skyway Bridge.” In an 80-minute one-man tour-de-force, Michael Horn plays John Lerro, the Tampa Bay harbor pilot who was at the helm of the freighter Summit Venture when it crashed into the Sunshine Skyway Bridge during a freak storm in 1980. Thirty-five people, in seven cars and a passenger bus, died. In the memories of many, Lerro is the reckless perpetrator of the world’s worst ship/bridge disaster. Now through Feb. 27 at Studio Grand Central, 2260 1st Ave S. (entrance on 23rd St.) For more information and to buy tickets: www.studiograndcentral.com
Fairgrounds St. Pete, Tampa Bay’s first and only immersive art and technology experience, welcomes a new installation titled Myriad Loops by internationally acclaimed South Florida artist Francesco Lo Castro. Located just inside the main entrance, Lo Castro’s artwork transports visitors to the Fairgrounds universe with a 360-degree projection-mapped animation and soundtrack. Timed tickets can be purchased in advance at www.fairgrounds.art. Fairgrounds St. Pete is located in the heart of our Warehouse Arts District, 800 28th St. S.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance was awarded a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the Shine On Unity Project. This project will expand the Arts Alliance’s annual SHINE Mural Festival by creating two new projects focused on celebrating diversity, inclusion, and unity. One project will consist of four murals celebrating the history and cultural identity of Saint
Petersburg’s historically Black neighborhoods, the other will celebrate St. Pete Pride’s 20th anniversary.
Sunset Lecture Series
Sit back and relax as the Warehouse Arts District Director of Arts Education, Danielle Garcia, takes you on a refreshing journey through the history of art. In-person. bi-weekly lecture with refreshments, every other Thursday, 6:30 to 7:30pm. One-day/virtual options available. WADA members: $89, non-members: $99. The series already started, but jump in now for:
- Feb. 10: Knights, Crosses, and Plague (Oh My!)
- Feb. 24: Thee Original Renaissance Faire
- March 10: If it Ain’t Baroque…
- March 24: Roco-Rococo, Want Your Bad Romance
Calling all artists! Imagine Museum is seeking glass artists in Florida to submit works to our third Call to Artist exhibition titled Florida: In TRANSFORMATION. Florida has been transforming since its earliest recorded occupation in 12,000 BCE. We have Everglades, NASA, Disneyworld. We have exotic birds, alligators, dolphins, and manatees. We have national sports teams and hurricanes. Plus, our average of 280 days of sunshine and mild temperatures attract people from all over the world. Diversity, eccentricity, and retirees – that’s us. Please submit glass art that communicates your personal narrative or influences on our state by Feb. 19 at www.imaginemuseum.com/information
How about the Morean Arts Center? Morean arranges exhibitions by a broad spectrum of artists, including emerging, mid-career, and established, as well as work by children. Its education department offers additional programming including gallery talks, panel discussions, special tours, master artist workshops, and hands-on activities for children, and welcomes artists’ programming ideas. Most of the works in the center’s exhibitions are for sale, with proceeds going to the exhibiting artists and programs at the Morean Arts Center. To learn more and submit your artwork and/or ideas see online at www.moreanartscenter.org/morean-arts-center-location/opportunities/
The 5th annual ReadOut Festival of Lesbian Literature will once again showcase literature by, for, and about lesbians in a hybrid event of live-streamed interactive presentations and prerecorded author readings. With the magic of Zoom, participants can attend this free event Feb. 18-20 from anywhere in the world. For more information and to register: https://mygulfport.us/readout/. ReadOut is a program of the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Library.