By Robyn Crosa. Visual artist Robyn Crosa gave an Artist Talk earlier this month at the Largo Public Library, to talk about her Gourdgeous Goddess Gals exhibit, on display at the library through July 29. You can see a video of her talk here, along with a Spanish interpreter. During the presentation she also sings the traditional song, “Follow the Drinking Gourd” and reads a children’s book based on the song…. Read More
By Margo Hammond. While the world outside The Studio@620’s doors has changed in the past 18 years, not much has changed inside The Studio. Events still carry a spirit that makes everyone feel welcome — and invariably there is something good to eat. The staff has stayed small – Bob Devin Jones, managing director Marcus Wehby and marketing and administrative director Coralette Damme – aided by an impressive posse of volunteers and Jones’ trademark “the answer is always yes.” … Read More
By Robin O’Dell. Each year the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts empowers students and teaches critical thinking through photography. They celebrates the work done by these students with an exhibition of almost 500 photographs in the Community Gallery at the Museum, with highlights available online. This allows us a thrilling insight into the mind and experiences of a child…. Read More
By Gabrielle Reeder. St. Pete City Theatre hosts junior summer productions to promote the passion for live theatre and introduce children to the importance of the arts. On July 15, the organization graced the stage with a group of talented kids between the ages of seven and 14 for Seussical Jr. – illuminating Dr. Seuss’s work and entertaining an audience of over 200…. Read More
Tampa’s 6th annual Fringe Festival gathers 23 bold companies from Tampa Bay and beyond, plus a family-friendly Kids Fringe. “We want to make the indie performing arts popular and accessible for everyone.” Our artists and audiences mingle with those from elsewhere, so we can all benefit from expanded perspectives and artistic developments. We are also one of the few platforms in Tampa Bay where local artists can affordably experiment and take artistic risks…. Read More
By Kurt Loft. The famed French sculptor Rodin, who created the iconic “The Thinker,” takes center stage through the end of October at the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. The free exhibition, Rodin: Contemplation and Dreams, includes 40 works from the acclaimed B. Gerald Cantor Collections. It marks the largest installation of sculptures in the museum’s history…. Read More
By Jake-ann Jones. Celeste Davis became executive director of Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts (TBBCA) in February of 2021, bringing decades of professional design experience along with an insightful curatorial eye. She points to the growing appreciation of both established and contemporary Black artists and their work coming to area museums as “a natural experience for curators, for visitors, for everyone to think more broadly, more diversely, more inclusively…. Read More
By Laura Kepner. “We bring people together,” says Jennifer Malin of Community Foundation Tampa Bay. “We work with philanthropists who invest their money with us and we match them with a community need.” CFTB’s newest space at 110 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete is dedicated to showcasing local art. Right now their space hosts paintings by Nathan Beard, works by Nick Davis and a permanent mural by Ya La’Ford…. Read More
By Margo Hammond. The Cultured Books Literacy Foundation is a nonprofit, book-promoting organization with an unusual mission. Unlike most literacy programs which look to the needs of individual children, CBLF is interested in fostering literacy throughout an entire community — the Black community of south St. Pete. “It’s not just about focusing on the children,” the foundation says on its website, “It’s about supporting and involving parents as well.” For CBLF, literacy is a lifestyle…. Read More
By Jake-ann Jones. A dynamic display of contemporary Black women artists, including Shannon Elyse Curry, Kendra Frorup, Nneka Jones, Jodi Minnis and Princess Smith, is currently on view at the Tampa Museum of Art (TMA) in Verde: Poetics of Shade. Taking its title from contemplation on the color green and its various emotions and feelings, the exhibit considers several shades and symbolic messages evoked from the color through the mediums of painting, sculpture, ceramics, and embroidery on canvas…. Read More
