Tampa photographer Chip Weiner’s work juxtaposing historic Burgert Brothers pictures of the city with contemporary shots of the same location is the focus of the exhibit “Photo Ybor: Then and Now,” which runs July 18th through Nov. through Nov. 17th at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.
FMoPA Executive Curator Robin O’Dell says Weiner’s “Burgert Brothers: Look Again” books and the FMoPA’s 2023 move to Ybor inspire the exhibit.
“It seemed to me it would be a great idea to do an exhibition on Ybor City since Ybor City is now our home,” O’Dell says.
The exhibit spotlights the work in Weiner’s books, like a 1922 Burgert Brothers shot of the Gutierrez Building on the northeast corner of Seventh Avenue and Sixteenth Street up against a modern-day shot of Centro Ybor.
There’s also a twist -seven additional photographers’ pics of “something that happened in the middle.”
O’Dell says she picked nine Ybor locations Weiner features “and went on the hunt for photos that filled in the middle” between Burgert’s late 19th, early 20th century pictures and the contemporary shots.
For instance, O’Dell says you can’t tell the story of the corner where Hotel Haya now stands - and Las Novedades Cafe once stood - without El Goya and Tracks. She points to photographer Chris Coxwell’s “funky black and white photos of people hanging out” at Blue Chair Music, the 1990s-era record store and music venue on Seventh Ave. near 17th Street. There's a circa 1917 black and white photograph of the Burgert Brothers' Ybor City studio and a 2020 shot of La Faraona Cigar Factory, which stands in the same spot on the 1500 block of Seventh Ave
FMoPA is hosting several special events in connection with “Photo Ybor: Then and Now.” The opening reception is 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 18th. Weiner has an artist talk from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 25th. Author and historian Gary Mormino gives a talk from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 29th.
In a twist on the adage “every picture tells a story,” Weiner says every picture has a story. Researching his books, he discovered quirky characters and historic Tampa events linked to the locations.
“I’ve been in Tampa since the mid-1960s and I’ve always heard it referred to as ‘Cigar City,’” he says. “But I’m not sure that a lot of the people who live here and visit here realize how much the cigar industry was really the beginning on Tampa. In the late 1800s, early 1900s, two things made Tampa grow -the cigar industry and Henry Plant’s railroad. They made us go from a village to a boom town in the course of 20 years. When we look at Ybor City now, I don’t think people understand the history and how it was the heartbeat of Tampa.”
O’Dell says she feels the FMoPA, which opened on the ground floor of the Historic Ybor Kress Building in September 2023, is part of a modern-day resurgence.
“Something new seems to open up every day,” she says. “It’s really exciting to have our museum there. It feels like we’re part of this new renaissance.”
For more information, go to Photo Ybor: Then and Now.
More at FMoPA
“Thomas Sayers Ellis: Paradise/Paradise Layered” is on display through August
During Saint Petersburg’s Month of Photography in May 2023, Ellis, a poet, photographer and bandleader, was named the city’s first Photo Laureate.
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on July 14th and noon to 3 p.m. on July 27th, “A Sit-in the Sit-in in the Margins” offer the chance to meet Ellis as he prepares for “The Lens at the End of the Line Break,” his artist talk poetry reading. That event is 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1st.
For more information, go to The Lens at the End of the Line Break.
The 2024 FMoPA International Photography Competition exhibition is on display at the main terminal of Tampa International Airport through August 25th.
The exhibit features the winners from a competition that attracted 2,557 photographs submitted by 593 photographers from 59 countries.
For more information, go to FMoPA International Photography Competition.
On July 6th and 7th, the Bank of America Museums on Us program offers Bank of America and Merrill Lynch debit and credit cardholders free admission to the FMoPA. That program offers those cardholders free admission to over 225 museums and cultural institutions across the country on the first full weekend of every month.
LAB Theater Project comedy shorts festival
“LAB Laughs,” LABTheater Project’s annual comedy shorts festival, is July 11 through 21st. LAB received 94 submissions for the festival and pared that down to seven scripts. The festival features work by one local Florida playwright, four from other parts of the U.S., and two from Canada.
Two directors, Caroline Jett and Katie Calahan, direct the seven plays with eight actors: Bill DeYoung, Zack Finley, Nathan Juliano, Brice Bailey, Rachel Stidham, Jennette Cronk, Lara Jackson and Erinn Botz.
“Through the seven comedic works, audiences will begin their evening at
BITTER GROUNDS, a simple little coffee shop that doesn’t cater to bougie drinks but rather serves coffee perfect for your personal crappy mood,” a LAB Theater press release says. “Two couples gather to play “
BRIDGE” but very quickly it isn’t about cards but rather a hilarious misunderstanding of “playing” together. Dating is hard enough these days, and there is an app for everyone, imagine if the beloved Wordle became a dating app, they would have to call it
FLIRTLE. In
FULL FRONTAL TRANSPARENCY, two young people, tired of the dating scene, seek to find a quicker way of getting to know each other by getting all the nasty “secrets” out of the way upfront; what could go wrong? Ever wonder if there was a quicker way at the end? HEAVEN CAN’T WAIT, has the answer for you, and you’ll get the service you deserve. We end the night cuddling up to two old familiar friends or are they. In SNOW WHITE WHO? Prince Charming comes home to tell the King of his luck in finding the perfect future Princess, but dear old dad has questions, a lot of questions. And to end the night, we take a look back at the big bad wolf. Ever wonder what he was like as a child?
THE ORIGIN OF ZEKE WOLF explores that question as his parents attend a teacher’s conference to discuss Zeke’s recent behavior.”
Shows are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. LAB Theater is located at 812 E Henderson Ave. in Ybor City.
For more information, go to LAB Theater Project.
Creative Pinellas exhibits
The Creative Pinellas 2024 Emerging Artist Exhibition is on display through July 21st at The Gallery at Creative Pinellas, 12211 Walsingham Rd. in Largo
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Creative PinellasThe Creative Pinellas 2024 Emerging Artist Exhibition is on display through July 21st at The Gallery at Creative PinellasThis eighth annual exhibition features the work of 10 artists who received Emerging Artist grants this year: Kaitlin Crockett, Vanessa Cunto, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Fran Failla, Tyler Gillespie, Antonia Lewandowski, David McCauley, Harriet Monzon-Aguirre, Gaby Rosa and Luci Westphal.
For more information and artist profiles, go to 2024 Emerging Artist Exhibition.
“Threads of Nature: Art Inspired by the Florida Botanical Gardens,” an exhibit featuring the work of Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild members, is on display at The Gallery at Creative Pinellas from July 18th through Oct. 6th. The opening reception is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 18th.
“The vibrant flora and fauna of the Florida Botanical Gardens have been a rich source of inspiration for our creations,” guild member Sarah Butz says in a press release. “It's incredibly rewarding to see the variety of artistic interpretations come to life and be shared with the community in such a prestigious space. This opportunity truly celebrates the essence of surface design and the wonders of nature.”
For more information, go to Threads of Nature.
“Son Sign” at FloridaRAMA
“Son Sign, a new exhibit featuring artist Jabari Reed-Diop (aka iBOMS) is at FloridaRAMA, formerly Fairgrounds St Pete, from July 6th through 28th.
“In Son Sign, Reed-Diop continues his common practice of word play and multiple meanings to delve into the thematic richness of the zodiac, his role as a son within his family and his own walk of faith as a young Black man,” an exhibit description says.
The opening reception is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 6th. In conversation with Jabari Reed-Diop & Raheem Fitzgerald is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 12th. “Son Day: Soulful Food & Art Celebration” is from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 21st.
For more information, go to FloridaRAMA
“Theo Wujcik: Too Big for Tempus” at Tempus Projects
“Theo Wujcik: Too Big for Tempus” is at Tempus Projects in Ybor City from July 17th through September 11th.
The exhibit features selected works by Wujcik, who passed away in 2014.
“One of the Tampa Bay area’s best-known artists, he was prolific, experimental, and completely dedicated to art, producing an exceptional and eclectic body of fine graphic art (drawing and printmaking) and painting,” independent curator Valerie Ann Leeds says in an exhibit description on Tempus’ Facebook page. “There is consensus that Wujcik was just approaching a high point in his career at the time of his passing. His work offers a compelling and relevant narrative of a committed artist of great depth who drew on a boundless creative spirit and whose eclecticism resists and defies categorization.”
The opening exhibit is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 18th. Tempus Projects is inside the Kress Contemporary, 1624 E. Seventh Ave. in Ybor City.
For more information, go to Theo Wujcik: Too Big for Tempus.
Ybor Art Factory at Tempus Volta
The work of Cuban painter Nelson Dominguez is featured in the new exhibit “Marti: Monte De Espuma,” which opens at the Kress Contemporary in Ybor City on Thursday, July 18th.
The show is the first of three exhibits featuring contemporary Cuban art that Ybor Art Factory will put on at Tempus Projects’ Tempus Volta gallery space.
For more information, go to Ybor Art Factory
Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg exhibits
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg’s contribution to the joint exhibit “Skyway 2024: A Contemporary Collaboration” runs from July 13th through November 3rd.
“For the third iteration of Skyway at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, we have invited seven artists to engage with the permanent collection galleries and the very infrastructure of our institution,” a description says “Artists Will Douglas, Kendra Frorup, Emily Martinez, Cynthia Mason, Carola Miles, Anat Pollack, and Emiliano Settecasi will be taking over the MFA from the front façade to the Baroque Gallery. We welcome their interventions as we find new ways to engage with our encyclopedic permanent collection and the Museum’s history while celebrating singular artistic perspectives from the Tampa Bay area.”
Skyway is a joining exhibit put on by some of the region’s leading museums and art institutions: the MFA, Tampa Museum of Art, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, and the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum.
For more information, go to MFA Skyway 2024
“New to View” features works the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg has added to its permanent collection over the last four years.
"These objects range from the 17th century to the present, representing cultures from Japan, India, France, West Africa, and the United States,” a museum description of
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Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg"You Before Me," by American painter Robert Peterson, is part of the exhibit "New to View" at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. the exhibit says. “Media is varied—including famed Hungarian Zsolnay stoneware and a collage of found materials by the late Washington, D.C.-based artist Carroll Sockwell. As the MFA nears its sixtieth anniversary, this display of these new acquisitions offers a chance to reflect upon the importance of maintaining and building a collection that celebrates and illuminates a multiplicity of creative practices, cultural backgrounds, and human experiences.”
“New to View” is on exhibit through Nov. 10th.
For more information, go to New to View.
“Gravity Mural Project,” on display through Aug. 18th, features the work of acclaimed St. Pete-based artist Ya La’ford and a group of students from Mount Zion Christian Academy and highlights the style of influential Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock.
“The four canvases in this gallery emulate his iconic drip painting technique that engages movement, energy, motion, and spontaneity,” a museum description says. “To create these works, La’ford explored Pollock’s painting process with the students. She then worked with them to use paint to express themselves through motion, gesture, and rhythmic movement. This creative experience allowed them to understand how gravity relates to the drop, flow, and splatter of paint when creating spontaneous compositions. La’ford added geometric patterns symbolizing the students’ resilience, identity, and belonging to complete the mural. These intricate shapes also infuse the mural with layers of perspective, reflecting the complex narratives of our community and the interconnectedness of individual and collective histories.”
For more information, go to Gravity Mural Project.
Jobsite’s “Rocky Horror Show” at Straz’s Jaeb Theater
Jobsite Theater presents its unique version of the cult stage musical “The Rocky Horror Show” from July 10th through August 4th at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts Jaeb Theater.
Except for a Wednesday, July 10th preview, shows are Thursday through Sunday. David M. Jenkins directs. Jeremy Douglass is the music director.
For more information, including details on costumes, allowable props and tickets, go to The Rocky Horror Show .
New Tampa Performing Arts Center events
On Saturday, July 6th at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival Satellite Concert features performances by some award-winning collegiate pianists who have participated in the prestigious annual festival at the University of South Florida.
The concert starts is 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. It’s free, but seats are limited, so register in advance.
For more information, go to Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival Satellite Concert.
Classic Rock Legacy performs “Dark Side of the Moon: a Pink Floyd Tribute Concert” from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, July 12th.
“The classic album has resonated with audiences across generations and examines themes like greed, conflict, time, and sanity,” an event description says.
For more information, go to “Dark Side of the Moon: a Pink Floyd Tribute Concert”.
The New Tampa Players presentation of “Singin’ in the Rain” is July 19th through 21st and 26th through 28th.
“Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue and a hit-parade score of Hollywood standards make Singin' in the Rain the perfect entertainment for any fan of the golden age of movie musicals,” an event description says.
For more information and tickets, go to New Tampa Players
Eleanor Blair “Final Florida Reflections” at Michael Murphy Gallery
“Final Florida Reflections,” beloved Florida artist Eleanor Blair’s final exhibit before she moves to Texas, opens at the Michael Murphy Gallery in Tampa on July 19th. Meet-the-artist events are 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 19th and noon to 4 p.m. on July 20th.
"Eleanor Blair’s journey began with her graduation from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City in 1969,” an exhibit description says. “She moved to Gainesville in 1971, where she has since been a vital part of the local art community. Her paintings, celebrated for their vibrant colors and masterful use of light, capture the serene and dynamic beauty of Florida’s landscapes. Blair's art is more than just visual; it’s an emotional narrative that transforms everyday scenes into profound reflections of beauty.”
For more information, go to Final Florida Reflections
Westshore Alliance photography contest
The Westshore Alliance celebrates World Photography Day with a “favorite place in Westshore” photography contest.
The Westshore Alliance Public Art Committee is accepting entries through August 5th. Photographers of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels are invited to enter (up to 5 entries per person).
For more information and to enter, go to Westshore Alliance photography contest
“Anything Goes” at Stirling Art Studios & Gallery
“Anything Goes,” an exhibit featuring a variety of work by local artists, is at Stirling Art Studios & Gallery in Dunedin from July 5th through Sept. 1. There is an artist reception with an awards presentation from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 13th. A second artist reception is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10th.
For more information, go to Stirling Art Studios