By Caron Schwartz
Multidisciplinary artist Babs Reingold brings together imagery of muscular women’s bodybuilding with ancient fertility symbols and the soft, curvilinear female ideals of the past in After Venus. On display through 8/30 at the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts. https://bit.ly/babs-r
Celebrate Independence Day with St. Petersburg Opera at the Mahaffey. The 100-voice chorus & 70-piece orchestra will surprise you with Broadway favorites, Hollywood blockbusters, and patriotic classics. Come for the music, stay for the fireworks. 7/4, 6pm. https://bit.ly/opera-pops
Test your mettle Florida CraftArt invites metalworkers to apply for Formed by Fire, an exhibit that will bring together artists working in traditional metal casting methods and contemporary metal fabrication, emphasizing the transformative role of heat and process. Exhibition dates: 9/19-10/24. Application deadline 7/19. https://bit.ly/formed-by-fire
Tarpon Springs eternal Richard Heipp’s Reliquaries & Artifacts is on view thru 7/26 at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs. Using hand-painted, hyper-realistic techniques, Heipp transforms photographic documentation into images that probe the boundaries between object and image, craft and simulation. https://bit.ly/r-heipp
Talk among yourselves Suite E Sounds hosts the Creatives Support Group, an open meetup of creatives of diverse disciplines facilitated by licensed mental health professionals. Complimentary food and beverages provided by Freeman Sound. 2nd & 4th Mondays, 7-8pm at Suite E in St. Pete’s Warehouse Art District. Sign up for reminders: https://bit.ly/create-mondays
Get ready to jingle all the way… to the Tampa Christmas in July Arts & Craft Show. 7/25-26, 10am-4pm, at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Holiday fun, festive vibes, gifts galore, all in indoor comfort. https://bit.ly/july-xmas
Bring out your art You have until 7/1 to apply to Embracing Our Differences. The 2027 international juried exhibition of 50 billboard-size works of art, each accompanied by a thought-provoking quotation, will be on display at Sarasota’s Bayfront Park and St. Pete’s Poynter Park. Cash prizes awarded! Info and application: https://bit.ly/embrace-differences
Out of Many, Still Many, on exhibit at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, brings together paintings depicting everyday moments of friends, families, and experiences across a wide spectrum of cultures and identities. Created in honor of America’s 250th birthday, the exhibition reflects a “salad bowl” vision of the nation. Thru 8/6. www.dfac.org/exhibit/out-of-many-still-many
Art lovers, we have a problem American museums are literally falling apart. The Government Accountability Office reports that about 85 percent of our museums are dealing with deferred maintenance or major repair needs. Most of the country’s roughly 16,700 museums are small, under-resourced operations, often housed in aging or historic structures that are expensive to maintain and hard to upgrade. https://bit.ly/repair-museums
USA! USA! Creative Pinellas has awarded $60,000 in National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants to six Pinellas County artists as part of America250. Artists are include: Vanessa Cunto (Visual Art), Tyler Gillespie (Arts Education), Dave and Heather Hamar (Music Composition & Performance), Erica Sutherlin (Film), Kirk Ke Wang (Sculptural Art), and Felipe Zamudio (Film). https://bit.ly/250-grants
Coming to America The Dalí Museum presents Dalí in America, an exhibition exploring how Salvador Dalí’s experience in the US reshaped his artistic vision and influenced American art and culture. Thru 10/18. www.thedali.org/exhibit/dali-in-america
Spell your name from space! Using NASA’s Earthly Alphabet of Aerial Images you can use the interactive Your Name in Landsat tool. Just type in any word or name, which is then automatically generated using high-resolution, natural-color satellite imagery of Earth’s landscapes, such as rivers, forests, and desert features that resemble letters. www.go.nasa.gov/4dnfvge
Cross Roads Blues, and more America at the Crossroads: The GUITAR and a Changing Nation, on display at the Tampa Bay History Center, looks at America’s evolution through the lens of its most popular instrument. Thru 8/23. https://bit.ly/america-crossroads
Welcome to the midway
Learn about modern circus history at the Sarasota-based Ringling Museum’s latest exhibition, The Greatest Show On Earth®. The gallery evokes the excitement of a live show while representing the production experience from both front- and back-of-house perspectives. https://bit.ly/greatest-show
Creatives gotta create An exhibition at Art Center Sarasota – Architects Who Art: Designing the Cultural Coast – highlights the creative breadth of individuals who blur the lines between architecture and visual art. Both disciplines demand a deep understanding of space, form, and structure, and rely heavily on imagination. www.artsarasota.org/onview
Step out of the humidity and into the Gilded Age at the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa. Built in 1888 by Henry B. Plant, the hotel served to anchor his railroad and steamship empire and as a seasonal luxury resort for wealthy tourists. https://bit.ly/grand-hotel-plant
Shuffle off to Pride Celebrate Pride Month with shuffleboard, live music by DJ Alex, food from Bellies food truck, a silent auction, and so much more! Hosted by St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, all proceeds benefit PFLAG Safety Harbor/Greater Pinellas. Doors open at 5:30pm. Shuffleboard is free to members and $10 for non-members. 6/12, 5:30pm. Info and RSVP: https://bit.ly/pride-shuffle
Jazzy Juneteenth Jubilee
The Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum’s premier event is back this summer to celebrate Juneteenth – but with a twist! Choose from red, black, green, or yellow during this year’s Juneteenth to honor the emancipation of African Americans in the United States and the ongoing pursuit of true equality for all. 6/21, 5pm at the Coliseum. https://bit.ly/jazzy-juneteenth
Passing thru TIA? Take a moment to check out Through Their Lens: A Journey of Self-Exploration, which showcases the winners of the third annual Student Photography Contest held in memory of Jacob Ari Kamis, a Hillel Academy graduate whose passion for photography continues to inspire others. On display on the ticketing level thru 7/31. https://bit.ly/tpa-student-art
And now for something completely different The Tampa International Fringe Festival featuring 30+ shows, ranging from theatre to dance, stand-up to kids shows, happens 6/10-21 at Kress Contemporary The Commodore on Seventh Ave. in Ybor City. www.festival.tampafringe.org
