#artscoast

"Seduction of Conspiracy" by Carrie Jadus, PCCA class of 1994.

Weekend Artings is back from its holiday break just in time for a packed weekend of art events in Tampa Bay. This weekend brings Second Saturday ArtWalk, show openings, show closings, a four-day-long comedy fest, and more. Here are the big events.

Comedy takes over Tampa and St. Pete during the inaugural Sunshine Comedy Fest, a four-day comedy fest featuring fifty comics performing across five Tampa Bay area venues. Thurs.-Sun. Jan. 11-14.

Powerstories Theatre stages their first production of 2024 at the Straz Center’s Shimberg Playhouse. Kenneth Jones’ “Alabama Story” takes audiences back to 1959 Montgomery, Alabama, where a librarian’s choice of children’s books attracts the attention of a segregationist senator. Starts Thurs. Jan. 11

American Stage starts their run at St. Pete’s Boyd Hill Nature Preserve with Don Zolidis’ “10 Ways to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse.” Starts Fri. Jan. 12

The Studio@620’s annual celebration of photojournalism returns. “Through Our Eyes” brings fresh perspectives from Tampa Bay area Elementary, Middle, and High School students. Opening reception Fri. Jan. 12, 6-8 p.m. Second Saturday ArtWalk Jan. 13, 5-9 p.m.

Gibbs PCCA alums descend upon the Morean Arts Center during Second Saturday ArtWalk. Sat. Jan. 13, 5-8 p.m.

The Werk hosts a closing reception for John Gascot’s “Category Is” during Second Saturday Art Walk in St. Pete. Sat. Jan. 13, 5-9 p.m.

The Dunedin Fine Art Center’s Winter exhibits open with minis and jewelry. Sun. Jan. 14, 2-4 p.m.

Stop by Creative Pinellas ' website before you dig into all those "Best of 2023" articles floating around the interwebs.

This month, Creative Pinellas' Arts Coast Magazine published two articles on the best Pinellas County art experiences. As you may have guessed, I wrote one of them.

I logged all my Pinellas County art experiences during November, aka ART'n month. I drove past countless murals, saw art and listened to Celtic music in Dunedin's Highlander Park, listened to blues music in Pioneer Park, went to a book signing, visited the Museum of Fine Arts and The Factory in St. Pete, and much more.

I created a postcard for every place I visited and every event I attended. Each card briefly introduces one of the many ways I enjoy Pinellas County's art scene.

I saw (and heard) a lot of art this November, but it's not even half of what Pinellas County has to offer.

Arts Coast Magazine editor Sheila Cowley reached out to Pinellas County artists and Arts Coast Magazine contributors to collect their favorite Pinellas County arts experiences for the Art Coast Magazine feature, "Favorite Arts Experiences in Pinellas County." They wrote about public art projects in Tarpon Springs, Gulfport, and St. Pete; unforgettable performances at The Studio @620, American Stage, and The Palladium; finding inspiration at The Dali and more.

And that's not all. Creative Pinellas' Arts Coast Guide lists even more ways to enjoy Pinellas County's art scene with family and friends in 2024.

Dunedin Fine Art Center and Morean Arts Center holiday shows are still up if you still have Christmas shopping to do.

I don’t know how it’s already Thursday, and you’re probably Christmas shopping this weekend anyway, but in case you need a break from all that…

Here’s what’s happening on the Tampa Bay arts scene this weekend.

Thursday, December 7

Orilla performs holiday songs from Catalonia, Spain and Latin America at The Dali.

Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday returns to The Palladium in St. Pete.

Scrooge MacBeth premieres at The Off-Central.

Dirty Johns brings their band of naughty elves to The Studio@620 to perform “Jingle Balls."

Friday, December 8

Fairgrounds St. Pete hosts Chad Mize at Art After Dark.

Saturday, December 9

The Tour de Clay returns with stops at Ira Burhans Studio and Pottery Boys Studio in Palm Harbor and Wellman and Welsch Pottery in Lutz.

Sheila Cowley’s short play, “Twice as Spectacular” heads to the Gulfport Library. I’ll be there folding paper into rockets if you’d like to join me.

Six-String SongScapes unites art and music at ArtsXchange during Second Saturday ArtWalk in St. Pete.

Tampa Theatre hosts The Florida Orchestra Chamber Concert Holiday Brass before it travels to St. Pete on Sunday.

Sunday, December 10

The Palladium hosts The Florida Orchestra Chamber Concert Holiday Brass.

This week’s #FollowFriday Five is inspired by a new exhibition opening this weekend at Erica Luedtke and Finn Schult’s Heiress Gallery (@heiress.gallery) in The Factory St. Pete (@thefactorystpete). Heiress showcases images from NYC-based photographer Melissa Spitz, Time Magazine’s (@time) Instagram Photographer of the Year in 2017. Spitz’s “You Have Nothing to Worry About” (@nothing_to_worry_about), at Heiress throughDec. 30, features Spitz’s mother, who is mentally ill and struggles with addiction. There’s an opening reception for the exhibition tonight, 6-9 p.m. On Saturday evening, Nov. 17, 6-9 p.m., Heiress pairs an artist discussion with a walkthrough of the Museum of Motherhood next door (@museumofmotherhood).

Further Reading:

To learn more about Spitz and her “You Have Nothing to Worry About” series, check out her 2018 TED talk.

Maggy Duffy introduces the Museum of Motherhood in her May 2023 feature for the Tampa Bay Times.

Duffy introduces Heiress Gallery in this Feb. 2023 Tampa Bay Times feature.

There’s a lot of great opportunities to enjoy the arts in Pinellas County this weekend. So get out there and experience the arts coast.

Sanding Ovations returns — Treasure Island

Head to the sand sculpture capital of Florida for the first weekend of Sanding Ovations, a sand sculpting competition that attracts professional sand sculptors from around the world. This year’s theme is “It’s About Time.”

Fringe comedy comes to the German-American Society — Pinellas Park

Paco Erhard found the perfect venue for an encore performance of his Fringe comedy, “I can make you German.”

It’s third Saturday at Pinewood Cultural Park — Largo

It’s third Saturday this weekend – the most exciting time of the month to visit Pinewood Cultural Park, home to Heritage Village, Creative Pinellas, and Florida Botanical Gardens. All three locations host activities this weekend. There are holiday wreaths to make in the gardens, art to see at Creative Pinellas, and live music at Heritage Village.

Walk on the Wild Side at SHAMc — Safety Harbor

The Safety Harbor Art and Music Center celebrates their seventh anniversary this Sunday with live music and the traditional decorated umbrella parade.

The 26th Annual Florida CraftArt Festival — St. Pete

This weekend’s big juried outdoor arts & crafts festival is in St. Pete.

Tampa Bay Afrofuturism Festival Weekend Three — Clearwater, Largo, St. Pete

The Tampa Bay Afrofuturism Festival concludes this weekend with four big events — a Paint 'n Party at Artz 4 Life in Clearwater on Friday, 6:30 pm - 10 pm.; a staged play reading of Jake-ann Jones’ “Aq&Ree: Brother Fire, Sister Fly” at Creative Pinellas in Largo Saturday afternoon; a jazz and hip-hop showcase at The Catalyst on the Deuces Saturday night; and a Sun Ra/Zora Film festival at The Factory on Sunday.

It’s the final weekend for “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” — St. Pete

Four adventurous actors accept the challenge of acting out Nassim Soleimanpour’s script, sight-unseen, this weekend.

November is Native American Heritage Month and ART’n Month. Here are eight ways to celebrate in Tampa Bay.

1. Watch The Dali’s “Coffee with a Curator: The Cultural Legacy of Native American Artists” on YouTube.

The Dali started November by inviting James Museum curators Emily Kapes and Ernest Gendron to discuss Native American art in the James Museum collection as part of their “Coffee with a Curator” series. In the talk, they share work from contemporary Native American artists Tammy Garcia, Allan Houser, Preston Singletary, and Victoria Standing Bear Conroy, all of whom are represented in the James Museum’s permanent collection.

2. Go see Tammy Garcia, Allan Houser, Preston Singletary, and Victoria Standing Bear Conroy’s work at The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Pete.

I’d be surprised if you didn’t want to see the art in person after hearing about it in the talk (see #1).

While you’re there, don’t miss “From Far East to West: The Chinese American Frontier” which I recently reviewed for Creative Loafing.

3. Experience “Native America: In Translation” via USF CAM.

Wendy Red Star assembled a stellar collection of work from Native American lens-based artists for NYC-based photography magazine Aperture, published in Fall 2020.

Two years later, the collection started traveling the U.S. as “Native America: In Translation.”

Through the end of November, Tampa Bay residents can experience “Native America: In Translation” at the University of South Florida’s Contemporary Art Museum for free (although you will have to drop a couple bucks for parking on ParkMobile).

USF CAM host three special events in conjunction with the exhibition — an indigenous perspectives forum at Barness Hall on Sat. Nov. 4 at 11 a.m., a free film screening of Night Raiders on the lawn Thurs. Nov. 9 and 6:30 p.m., and student led exhibition tours on Thurs. Nov. 30 at 6 and 7 p.m.

4. Attend Creative Pinellas’ Arts Annual Event.

Creative Pinellas’ Arts Annual is ART’n month’s flagship event. This month-long art party + art festival + art exhibition, held at Creative Pinellas in Largo, is the best way to get to know Pinellas County’s arts scene. The party starts Nov. 9, 6-9 p.m.

5. Explore Pinellas County’s arts scene via Creative Pinellas’ ART’n Month scavenger hunt

The second-best way to get to know Pinellas County’s art scene is to participate in Creative Pinellas’ ART’n Month scavenger hunt. The hunt takes participants to art museums, galleries, and public art throughout Pinellas County. All you need do to participate is download the Scavify Scavenger Hunt app on your cell phone, sign up, and start ticking off tasks. I’m documenting the hunt for Creative Pinellas this month, so reach out via social media if you’re participating.

6. Stay in and stream PBS’s Native American & Alaska Native Heritage Month programming. In addition to several documentaries, PBS’s Native American and Alaska Native Month programming leads you into Native American kitchens in “Alter-NATIVE Kitchen” and takes you on a journey of self-discovery with Bezhig Little Bird in the 6-episode series “Little Bird.”

7. Read this month’s issue of Arts Coast Magazine. If you haven’t read Creative Pinellas’ Arts Coast Magazine, now’s a great time to start. It only exists online, but it’s free to read, and it’s organized into categories reflecting the great variety of arts we have in Pinellas County. I wrote stories for the Arts & Education, Literary Arts, and Visual Arts & Film categories this month. But my content is only a small fraction of what’s available to read when you click on the link below.

8. Take a fun online quiz to help you plan your Arts Coast Adventure. If this seems like a lot, that’s probably because it is. There’s always a lot of great art happening in the Tampa Bay area, which is why Creative Pinellas created their Arts Navigator. Click on the link below, take the quiz, and the Arts Navigator will plan a custom Arts Coast Adventure for you. Even if you don’t do the adventure, you should take the quiz. It asks you fun questions like what your spirit animal is.