By Caron Schwartz
Felt-astic treasure A new convenience store is open in St. Pete, but don’t show up hungry. The whimsical FloridaRAMA installation by British artist Lucy Sparrow features felt merchandise. In fact, everything from the shelves to the cash register is felt. And everything is for sale. www.floridarama.art
Feeling gifty Share a Florida ARTventure with FloridaRAMA’s 2025 Gift Boxes, pairing local art with a one-of-a-kind immersive experience. Or for a lasting gift, give a year of ARTventures with a FloridaRAMA membership. www.shop.floridarama.art
Support your local artisan The GCAA Artsy Indie Market is open Saturdays in December in front of the gallery at 5546 First Ave. N in St. Pete. Check out paintings, drawings, jewelry, pottery, yard art, photographs, prints, stickers, magnets, cards, ornaments, and more. While there, take in the group exhibition by GCAA members, now through 12/27. www.gcaa-artworks.com
Hi again Matteo Lane: We Gotta Catch Up! Tour is coming to town. A Variety “10 Comics to Watch,” Lane tackles a wide range of topics from his experiences as a gay man to hilarious insights into everyday life. 3/7/2026, 8pm, at the Mahaffey. https://bit.ly/matteo-lane
Now that’s funny Side Splitters Comedy Club, one of Tampa’s longest-running comedy clubs, is expanding to downtown St. Pete with a new 250-seat club at the Sundial shopping center. The St. Pete space is expected to debut by summer 2026. www.sidesplitterscomedy.com
So many murals, so little time Immerse yourself in St. Pete’s world-class street art scene with a guided mural tour led by former SHINE director Jenée Priebe.
Private tours: https://bit.ly/ngda-contact
Florida CraftArt walking tours: every Saturday, 10am. https://bit.ly/fca-mural
Star Trolley trolley tours: every second & fourth Sunday. https://bit.ly/star-murals
Celebrate! 30 years of Creative Clay at Retrospective 30: A Folk Art Holiday at Creative Clay’s Good Folk Gallery, 1846 First Ave. S, during St. Pete’s Second Saturday ArtWalk, 12/13 5-9pm. The exhibit presents recent paintings, sculptures, and ceramics made for the exhibit alongside older works. www.creativeclay.org
Dinner & a movie Green Light Cinema, home of St. Pete’s only art house movie theater, is adding the Green Light Lounge, a restaurant right next door, where you can have a drink and a bite before or after the show. Events, improv, comedy, and music are also on the menu. 221 Second Ave. N. www.greenlightstpete.com
Don’t just watch, act Learn a new skill or hone an old one at Green Light’s acting and improv classes. Winter semester’s eight-week classes start the week of 1/10//2026. https://bit.ly/station-12
Alternative sense Discover niche and indie scents inside Super Memory, an intimate fragrance boutique. Relish the nostalgia of a meadow, an old book, single-malt whiskey, or discover something new. A record player spinning vinyl will add to the shop’s immersive atmosphere. 600 First Ave. N. www.supermemory.us
Talking Heads quiet for now You’re just going to have to wait for the Capitol Theatre’s presentation of Stop Making Sense: Live Event. The screening, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of Jonathan Demme’s ground-breaking film’s release, has been rescheduled from 11/22 to 1/21/2026. And it’s hosted by founding band member Jerry Harrison, who will provide opening remarks and a talk-back session. https://bit.ly/jerry-sense
Ethnophotographic memory The James Museum presents Edward S. Curtis: Photographer of His Time. Best known for his extensive photographic record of Native American cultures, this landmark exhibition offers a look at Curtis’s body of work, tracing his three-decade photographic career alongside broader shifts in American art. Now thru 3/29/2026. https://bit.ly/curtis-2025
Making beautiful music together The USF College of Design, Art & Performance and The Florida Orchestra have formed a new partnership to elevate music education. TFO Music Director Michael Francis and Resident Conductor Chelsea Gallo will serve as artists-in-residence at USF, providing students professional-level experiences to help shape them as musicians and prepare them for future success. Free performances 3/5 and 4/30/2026. https://bit.ly/usf-arts
Behind the scenes See what the gallery gaffers are up to during the staff exhibition at the Duncan McClellan Gallery. More than just the friendly faces you see during your visits, team members are skilled artists – designing, sculpting, and shaping glass with creativity and craftsmanship. 12/13-1/17/2026, Duncan McClellan Gallery, 2342 Emerson Ave. S, St. Pete. https://bit.ly/gallery-gaffers
Bungalow bonanza Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement presents Preserving St. Pete’s Historic Bungalow Neighborhoods as part of its Speaker Series. Explore how bungalows shaped St. Pete’s early identity. Architectural historian Emily Elwyn discusses Historic Kenwood, Lang’s Bungalow Court, and Roser Park to show how their craftsmanship, affordability, and charm helped define St. Pete’s character. 12/13, 11am. https://bit.ly/maacm-1125
Make a creative New Year’s resolution Morean Arts Center winter classes run 1/5-2/14 and 2/23-4/4/2026. Try your hand at clay, printmaking, mosaics, and more. 719 Central Ave., St. Pete. www.moreanartscenter.org/classes
Look at her now. Overlooked for centuries, 17th-century Flemish painter Michaelina Wautier is finally being recognized as an “Old Master” alongside her male contemporaries, such as Rubens and Vermeer. In an era when women artists were often confined to small-scale portraits or still lifes, Wautier’s monumental works are extraordinary. A major exhibition of her work is on display thru 2/2026 at Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum. www.khm.at/en
Show & tell Show off your amazing artwork at the Suntan Art Center for a couple of hours of sharing. Every Thursday, 10am-noon. Feel inspired? Stay for open studios noon-3pm. 411 19th St. S, St. Pete. www.suntanart.org/art-classes
Dying to dye Learn the thrill of revealing the amazing colors created by ice-dyeing.The technique involves pre-soaking fabric in a soda ash solution, scrunching it, covering it with ice, then sprinkling with fiber-reactive dye. Amazing! 1/17 10am-1pm and 1/18 10am-noon at the Suntan Art Center, 411 19th St. S, St. Pete. https://bit.ly/ice-dyeing
Holiday high jinxThe Beach Theatre’s Holiday Cabaret brings together local performers for a festive performance of timeless holiday classics, from beloved carols to jazzy winter favorites. 12/6-7, shows at 10:30am, noon, and 1:30pm. 315 Corey Ave., St. Pete Beach. www.thebeachtheatre.org
Opium in the land of the lotus eaters While analyzing organic residue left in a 2,500-year-old Egyptian vessel, Yale researchers found well-known biomarkers for opium. While this and similar objects have long had aesthetic appeal, the team focuses on what they actually contained, discovering that ancient Egyptians had a taste for opium.