Be aware the arts of March

CAMPGround 26, a three-day festival of new music from a lineup of international artists and composers, presents five concerts at three eclectic Tampa venues from March 5th through 7th. 

CAMPGround kicks off at 7 p.m. March 5th at Tempus Projects in Ybor City’s Kress Contemporary with the world premiere of three monodramas written by members of the Iranian Female Composers Association and performed by a contingent of musicians. The evening also features a video and light art installation and a music ensemble performance that uses electronics to explore the rhythmic patterns of electromagnetic waves. 

Friday, March 6th has a double bill. A noon concert at Tempus Projects features performances of several compositions, some with a companion visual art display. That evening at 7 p.m., things move to The Disco Dolls Studio in Seminole Heights for performances on viola, flute, cello, and violin. The University of South Florida percussion ensemble also performs. 

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 7th, the festival moves to the Steinway Piano Gallery on West Kennedy Boulevard for several performances. The festival finale, “A Little House Music,” is 6 p.m. that evening at CAMPGround in East Tampa. It features works by five composers and dance performances. 

The annual CAMPGround festival started in 2022. The Contemporary Art Music Project (CAMP), a nonprofit formed in 2021 by three USF music faculty, organizes and runs the festival as part of its mission to showcase innovative new music and multimedia art. CAMP co-founder and President Eunmi Ko, a concert pianist and USF faculty member, says the festival presents innovative new music by local, regional, and international composers in a low-key, relaxing, community-oriented, and entertaining atmosphere. Ko says it also showcases local arts venues like Tempus Projects, The Disco Dolls, and the Steinway Piano Gallery, and promotes collaboration with local artists such as dancers Bailey Grayson and JepStar Jacinto.  

For more information and tickets, go to CAMPGround 26

Gasparilla International Film Festival

The 19th Gasparilla International Film Festival continues through March 8th. Films show at AMC Westshore through Saturday, March 7th. On March 8th, the closing night screening of “Miles Away” is at Centro Asturiano de Tampa.

Wednesday, March 4th includes showings of local Tampa Bay short films. Thursday, March 5th has the documentary “The Murders of Seminole Heights” about the 2017 shootings that killed four people and shook the Tampa neighborhood. The dark comedy “California Schemin,” based on the true story of two aspiring Scottish rappers, is also Thursday.

Friday has “The Blackened Charte; A Search for Buried Treasure,” the drama “Mistake,” sci-fi movie “Unplug,” coming-of-age, fantasy film “Alicia in Wonderland,” drama “A Portrait of a Postman,” and “Billy Knight,” a drama starring Al Pacino, Charlie Heaton, the great Billy Zane, and others. 

Saturday’s loaded lineup includes heartwarming documentary “Silver Screamers,” drama “Gaia,” romantic comedy “Fantasy Life,” documentary “Rolling in Paris with Jim Jarmusch,” “Late Fame,” starring Willem Dafoe as a forgotten poet who gets rediscovered, Florida-set horror “Noseeums,” action flick “Savage,” about an ex-special forces soldier who gets double crossed when he takes a gig as a getaway driver in a Tampa bank heist to raise money for his sick mother’s care, and more.

For more information, tickets, and the industry panel schedule, go to Gasparilla Film Festival 

Tampa Bay Design Week

AIA Tampa Bay and the Center for Architecture & Design Tampa Bay present Tampa Bay Design Week from March 8th through 14th. Throughout the week, tours, presentations, and immersive experiences spotlight how architecture and design shape the region. 

From 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 8th, the Florida Southern College School of Architecture hosts a LEGO build competition and leads walking tours of buildings designed by architects Nils Schweitzer and Robert A.M. Stern. Cost is $10.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 10th, real estate developer KETTLER leads an architectural tour of the 50-acre mixed-use Gasworx district under construction between Ybor City and the Channel District. Cost is $20.

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 11, The Center for Architecture & Design, 1208 N. Howard Ave. in Tampa, hosts artist AGalban, curator Antonio Permuy, and architect Peter Hauerstein for a discussion exploring the intersection of art, faith, and architecture and Galban’s exhibit “Sacred Pilgrimage: Gaudí and Galban,” a collection of work inspired by Barcelona’s Basilica of La Sagrada Família, which was designed by iconic architect Antoni Gaudí and has been under construction since 1882. The event is free.

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 12th at New World Tampa, 810 E. Skagway Ave.,several prominent Bay Area architects give PechaKucha-style 20 by 20 presentations (20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds). Albert Alfonso, Zilsalina Mendieta, Trevor Lamphier, Rick Rowe, John Curran, Peter Hepner, and Jody Beck are part of the program. Registration is $20. 

On March 13th, urban designer Josh Frank and architect Ross Tisdale lead a Tampa urban architecture riverboat tour on a Pirate Taxi traveling along the Hillsborough River downtown. Tours depart at 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $45.

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 14th at the Barack Obama Main Library in St. Petersburg, William Harvard Jr. will give a talk about his father, the prominent late St. Pete architect William Harvard. The free event is put on in conjunction with Preserve the ‘Burg.

For more information, go to Tampa Bay Design Week 

Tampa City Ballet Dance Now festival

Tampa City Ballet’s free multicultural community dance festival, Dance Now, is 4 p.m. March 15th at Water Works Park in downtown Tampa.

 A mix of professional dance companies and community ensembles will perform on multiple stages. The lineup includes Tampa City Ballet, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, University of South Florida, Chinese American Association of Tampa Bay, Rudram Dance Company, Tampa Qipao Team, Scariff Irish Dance, Iroko Dance Academy, Sunstate Orchestral Program, Grupo Folklórico Mahetzi, CreeAtive, Native American dancers and educators, Disfunktionals,  and more. There will also be free dance and wellness classes for all ages, a glow dance party and silent disco, food trucks, and local vendors.

For more information, go to Dance Now

“Women of Resistance”

“Women of Resistance,” a Sarasota Contemporary Dance performance telling the story of eight courageous women who helped the Allies defeat fascism during World War II, is at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, 8550 Hunters Village Rd., at 8 p.m. on March 25th and 26th. 

The performance is a collaboration between Sarasota Contemporary Dance and Sarasota artist Vicski Chelf, the show’s writer and executive producer.  Chelf was inspired to create the show after visiting a Resistance museum in a small French  village several years back. She’s gathered a creative team and formed a nonprofit organization  also named Women of Resistance  to bring performances to the public.

For more information, go to Women of Resistance . For information and tickets, go to New Tampa WOR 

Peace Memorial Concert Series

At 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church in downtown Clearwater presents “Celebrating Song,” a concert featuring renowned tenor Johnnie Felder performing uplifting songs and favorite African American spirituals. Selections will include “If I can Help Somebody,” arranged by Nathan Carter and “Guide my Feet,” arranged by Jacqueline Hairston. Peace Memorial Director of Music Ministries Timothy Belk accompanies Felder on piano. 

There’s no ticket required to attend, and seating is first come, first served. Peace Memorial is asking for donations ($5-$10 minimum suggested) to help cover the costs of future programs. Doors open at 2:30 p.m.

Prior to that, the opening reception for Peace Memorial’s Easter Art Exhibit is 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on March 8th. The exhibit runs through April 12 and is open to the public from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays.

For more information, go to Peace Memorial

“Julius Caesar” at The Studio@620

The Studio @620 celebrates the Ides of March  with an all-female cast production of  “Julius Caesar” running Thursday through Sunday from March 12th-22nd. Evening performances are 7:30 p.m. March 12th-14th  and 19th-21st. Matinees are 3 p.m. on March 14th and 15th  and March 21st and 22nd. March 20th is industry night for artists and arts professionals, with a post-show reception and talk-back discussion with the cast and crew. 

For more information and tickets, go to Studioat620 Julius Caesar

SPIFFS International Folk Fair

The St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society’s (SPIFFS) 50th annual fair is March 7th at England Brothers Park in Pinellas Park. The day is a celebration of cultures from around the world. This year’s event features food, dance, music, drinks, games, beers, and more from two dozen nations.

For more information, go to SPIFFS

Pinellas County K-8 Student Art Exhibition

To celebrate Youth Art Month, the Clearwater Arts Alliance, in partnership with Pinellas County Schools and the City of Clearwater, presents the Pinellas County K-8 Student Art Exhibition, on display in the gallery space of Clearwater Main Library through March 27th. The exhibit is free and open to the public during library hours.