Art Snax: Public Art Speaker Series inaugural event, and other art events on local menu

While soaking in all of the public art in Tampa is wonderful, there is something special about getting a backstage pass to some insider information about the works.

As the inaugural educational series PASS: Your Guide to Public Art, join author Jeff Klinkenberg, artist-team Pep Rally (made up of Jay Giroux, Josh Pearson, and Greg Bryon), and Edgar Sanchez Cumbas at the Tampa River Center at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park on August 22nd as they talk about their individual projects that have been inspired by this location.
 
“The City’s Art Programs Division, along with the Public Art Committee and the Public Art Alliance are very excited about initiating this program. We hope that it will provide a platform for discussion with artists, design professionals and community,” says Robin Nigh, manager of the City of Tampa Art Programs Division.
 
The event is free, but make sure to register to reserve your spot as there are a limited number of tickets available.
 
Other upcoming art events:
 

• “Triangulate,” a traveling exhibition project that began with 27 pieces by nine international photographers, begins its inaugural tour at the Dunedin Fine Art Center and will make its way to China and Norway by 2019. On Aug. 10, photographer Robin Perry Dana and curator Nathan Beard will be hosting a discussion at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts about this project, as well as Dana’s project “White Clay.”
• Those who live in Tampa have come to know (and love) our local murals. On Aug. 10, see other artists’ renditions of these murals in the exhibition “To Tampa with Love” at The Bricks in Ybor City. These works will feature the well-known public paintings of Nicole Abbett, the Laundry Project, Pep Rally, Illsol, the Vitale Bros, Boards for Bros, and Scumrag, among others.
• Sultry, sporty, but also sympathetic to humanitarian needs, the 8th Annual Charity Showcase “Pole for a Purpose” is hitting the Straz Center on Aug. 11 with incredible feats of athleticism and acrobatics. Pole for a Purpose has raised over $28,000 for charitable organizations and hopes to continue with your help at this event.
• While the New Tampa Players will be presenting “Annie” between Aug 3-12 at the University Area CDC, a special ASL interpretation by State of the Art Interpreting will be presented on Aug. 11 only at the 2 p.m. performance. 
• Instead of spending your whole lunch break eating on Aug. 16, why not spend half of it for Thirty on Thursday at the Tampa Museum of Art. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., join a 30-minute conversation between artist Patricia Cronin and Seth Pevnick, Chief Curator and Richard E. Perry Curator of Greek and Roman Art, about Cronin’s work in the exhibition “Patricia Cronin: Aphrodite, and the Lure of Antiquity: Conversations with the Collection” that will be on view Aug. 16 through Jan. 6, 2019. But if talking isn’t your thing and you’re more into body language, make sure to check out TMA’s Silent Disco on Aug. 18, because sometimes action speaks louder than words.
• Just as there’s an art to fashioning words together to create a gestalt of language, there’s also an art to reading in itself. On Aug. 19, join renowned “America’s writing coach” Roy Peter Clark in his session “How to Read Like a Writer” held at Oxford Exchange to discover a new side of the process of insightful reading.
• There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of grabbing a few good books for a good deal. On Aug. 21, all the bibliophiles should head over to the August Book Sale Fundraiser at the USF Library hosted by the Student Organizations of Library & Information Science (SOLIS). From fiction, non-fiction, textbooks, vintage texts and more, they will have all sorts of great finds.
• Exploring material dichotomies like soft versus hard, limp versus taut, or fluid versus solid, the work in Casey's show “The world is not what I think” at HCC’s Gallery 3 serves as a way to process the contradictions that surround us. On Aug. 23, an opening reception for this exhibition will be held along with a panel discussion at 6 p.m. with exhibiting artists who have creative work on display in Gallery 221’s exhibition “Making Sense”:  April Hartley, Catherine Joslyn, Carolyn Kossar, Gary Schmitt, and Matthew Wicks.
• In conjunction with Miki Kratsman’s exhibition “People I Met” at USFCAM, join the artist on Aug. 30 in conversation with curator Christian Viveros-Faune at Oxford Exchange. For 30 years, Kratsman was a press photographer for “Hadashot” and “Haaretz” in Israeli-occupied territories, and his portraits seem to ask, “What happened to the people who were photographed?,” in a place of military violence. Tickets are $5, but this can also be applied to the purchase of a book. An additional artist talk will be held on Aug. 31 on USF campus held before the opening reception at USFCAM. 
• If you’re in the mood for a story about love and loss, get your tickets for “Shadowlands” -- a drama about love and loss based on the true story of C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman. Hosted by Florida College Fine Arts Department, there will be three showings between Aug. 31-Sept. 1.