Art News By Caron Schwartz
Blue Star Museums
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, active-duty military members, National Guard and Reserve soldiers, and their immediate families can enjoy free admission to many museums across the U.S. The military family member will be required to present a valid active-duty photo ID upon arrival.
Area museums include:
- Florida Holocaust Museum
- Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
- John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
- MOSI — Museum of Science and Industry
- Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
- Sarasota Art Museum
- Tampa Bay History Center
- Tampa Museum of Art
Charge your car while seeing a show
The Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater and Duke Energy are celebrating the arts and the installation of five new electric vehicle charging ports at the theater. The charging station, located in the theater’s parking garage, is distinguished by a recently completed original mural painted by the Vitale Brothers, well-known muralists from St. Petersburg.
Painted in shades of blues and greens with splashes of purple and gold, the mural is a nod to St. Petersburg’s location on the Gulf of Mexico. The cool tones of the colorful mural splash across the gray concrete of the parking structure, stretching 20 feet high and 80 feet wide, and surrounding five functional level-2 electric vehicle charging ports.
Bula Barua invites us to enjoy her bold and beautiful artwork, The Dance. In this work, four women dance together in a joyous celebration. This artwork is so vibrant and conveys so much emotion, life, and beauty; it is a statement piece for any living or working space.
The artist also painted and epoxied the frame with iridescent silver and metallics. The pigments in this artwork glow in the dark and dramatically change as the sun sets, creating a different painting by night. Made with blown glass, pigment, acrylic, ink, iridescent glitter, and resin. For more information: 727-900-1063 or bulagallery@gmail.com.
The Bula Barua Gallery, 212 2nd St. N, St. Pete
Volunteer for history!
Applications are being accepted for a position on the Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board. Responsibilities include recommending the designation of historic districts and landmarks, nominating historic resources for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, reviewing and approving applications for impacts to properties in a historic district or a landmark and landmark site, and producing educational materials, programs and publications. Apply at www.pinellascounty.org/boards by June 11.
Van Gogh with the flow
In conjunction with its current Van Gogh Alive exhibition and back by popular demand, The Dalí invites you to enjoy an evening of musical homage to Van Gogh. The event begins with a playlist of songs inspired by Van Gogh followed by a Zoom chat hosted by curator of education and part-time WMNF DJ, Peter Tush. For this event, you are first encouraged to check out the curated playlist of songs inspired by the art and life of Vincent Van Gogh.
After listening, we invite you to follow up with Peter Tush, who will facilitate a discussion about the music, prompting you to consider Van Gogh’s enduring inspiration for artists everywhere. When: June 17, 6-7pm Cost: Free; registration is required online at www.thedali.org
Tom Segura: I’m Coming Everywhere – World Tour
Actor/comedian/writer Tom Segura, one of the biggest names in the comedy business, is coming to the Straz. Best known for his Netflix specials including 2020’s Ballhog, Segura has been described by Paste Magazine as “… having a natural and capable storytelling ability, one that lifts his narratives out of average anecdote fare and plants them firmly in hilarious ground.”
When: Saturday, Oct. 2, at 7pm Where: Morsani Hall at The Straz
Cost: $45 to $99. Purchase at www.strazcenter.org, in person at the Straz Center Ticket
Sales Office, or by calling 813-229-7827.
Bob Dylan Revisited
This fall a major retrospective of Bob Dylan’s art will make its U.S. debut in Miami. Retrospectrum, as the exhibition is called, is set to open at Florida International University’s Frost Art Museum on Nov. 30, just in time for Miami Art Week. A multi-day symposium on Dylan’s cultural legacy will kick off the occasion. Some 120 paintings, drawings, and sculptures from the past six decades of Dylan’s life will make up the Florida exhibition, including never-before-seen works from a new series of paintings titled “American Pastoral.” Dylan’s paintings have graced the cover of several albums, including his Self Portrait (1970) and Planet Waves (1974), as well as The Band’s Music From Big Pink (1968).
And if that’s not enough Dylan for you, the Bob Dylan Center is coming to Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 10, 2022. The museum will house more than 100,000 photographs, rare recordings, handwritten lyric sheets, letters, and other pieces of ephemera – many of them never-before-seen – from the storied, 80-year-old singer-songwriter’s life. This includes the Bob Dylan Archive, a famously mysterious collection of personal objects some believe are a key to unlocking the singer’s oeuvre. The center also promises a curated display of objects from the archive, an immersive film experience, and a recreated studio environment so fans can feel what it was like to be at one of Dylan’s recording sessions. The three-story brick venue will be in the downtown Tulsa arts district, just feet from the Woody Guthrie Center, which is fitting since Guthrie proved to be a major influence on Dylan early on in the latter artist’s career. For more information see www.bobdylancenter.com.
freeFall Theatre returns to its indoor space on June 25 with Francesca Lia Block’s The Rose and The Beast, an interactive walk-through experience. The show turns familiar fairy tales inside out. Escaping the poisoned apple, Snow frees herself from possession to find the truth of love in an unexpected place.
A club girl from L.A., awakening from a long sleep to the memories of her past, finally finds release from its curse. And Beauty learns that Beasts can understand more than men. Through a series of nine spaces, audiences will interact with the environments in surprising ways. For more information and tickets see www.freefalltheatre.com.
When: June 25 – Aug. 8
Where: freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., St. Pete
Cost: $39
Good news for artists! Vast Art Magazine is excited to announce the international open call for ISSUE N°03. See your work in print and published alongside new, emerging, and established practices from around the world. Thirty artists will be selected and profiled in a full-color print spread showcasing their work, biography, and artist statement. Featured artists will receive a complimentary print issue along with an online feature and digital download for their archives. Vast Art Magazine is a new international visual art print and online publication featuring artists and photographers from around the world. Learn more and apply here: www.vast.art/pages/submit.
The Suntan Art Center is open for members! Join your creative friends for an open studio from 1-4pm in the Jones Room. Only $5. It will be a good place to start thinking about the next members’ show, Oct. 1. The theme for the show is MUSIC in honor of the second Saturday of the month being Music Universal Day.