Let’s get straight to the good-ish: I have some news for you, Star Wars fanatics. Star Wars and the Power of Costume is coming to the MFA St. Pete on Nov. 11. (I’ll wait while the screaming subsides.) Ahem. In this traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian, you can get up close and personal with the iconic handmade costumes of the characters you all know and love. And yes, the Princess Leia bikini will be there. http://www.mfastpete.org
Now you’ll have to wait while I try to curb my enthusiasm about Mernet Larsen exhibiting a survey of her paintings and works on paper at the Tampa Museum of Art Oct.11-Feb. 11. Tender and carefully crafted, the block-like figures in her works in Mernet Larsen: Getting Measured, 1957-2017 reference historical paintings which make them even more interesting to linger on. (And if this isn't enough to get you really stoked, keep your eyes peeled for Made in Tampa: Permanent Collection of Artworks from the 1970s to Now at the TMA early November.) http://www.tampamuseum.org
Halloween is coming around, so if you’re thinking about doing the ol’ mask routine, Jack Bond is definitely your man. Creating heavily layered collages composed of magazine clippings, he explores the concept of concealment as a defense mechanism — what we’re willing to show vs. what we hide — in Jack Bond: Multiple Layers, Aug. 21-Sept. 28 at Gallery 221 at HCC. While his artist statement sounds quite serious, there’s some humor to be found in his work (I mean, c’mon, one guy is holding a mask over his crotch in one collage). https://www.hccfl.edu/gallery221
Opposing the narrative, Robert Ross’s paintings of urban geometry are paired with Nin McQuillen’s sculptures, which evoke metropolitan environment through construction materials like aluminum and steel, in TEKTONIC at Leslie Curran Gallery, opening Sept. 2. The pairing will provide an eye tongue-twister (pretty sure that’s a thing) of geometric relationships. https://www.facebook.com/lesliecurrangallery
Feelin' wordy? Check out under-the-radar local talents like Meaghan Scalise, Jeff Williams and Mega Supremo alongside international artists in Illsol’s Letterheads Typefest opening on Aug. 26. Even though most of us have lost the knack for good handwriting thanks to the iPhone, these sign painters and letterpress studios will have work for sale and trade to make up for our loss. https://www.facebook.com/illsol
If you got to know him from his sensuous installation at the MFA St. Pete during Skyway, it left you wanting more. Neil Bender’s figurative-based works never disappoint, and neither does his response regarding his upcoming solo show at Head Cream at Tempus Projects opening Nov. 18 — an assortment of the sensory and tactile, folding in more installation with drawings and paintings. In his words, “Let the mystery be.” http://www.tempus-projects.com
Belgian artist David Claerbout has mastered film and photography to record the interfolding passage of time while also questioning the nature of these mediums. Dealing with such a rolling timeline, you’ll want to make sure to give yourself plenty of time to immerse yourself in his works. Catch him Aug. 21-Oct. 28 at USF CAM. http://www.usfcam.usf.edu/CAM/cam_exhibitions.html
Feeling spiritually whole is hard, which is why Tony Wong Palms focuses on the three essences of life — breath, heart, and mind — in his mixed media work. The heart is the focus of his solo show, Heart Beat Bop, opening Aug. 21-Sept. 22 at HCC Ybor City Campus Gallery. https://www.hccfl.edu/yborgallery
I’ve heard “all art is political” more than enough times this summer, but Jason Myers’s work is emphatically so. In his solo show STATUS: fluid dynamic opening Sept. 16 at Polk Museum of Art, the artist uses a winning combination of steel, resin and computer-based prints to create works that immerse portraiture in heavy political and social landscapes. Even titles like “In Whom We Trust” become especially evocative in the current climate. https://polkmuseumofart.org
Most locals are familiar with Steven Kenny, a St. Pete-based painter who has already left his mark here especially with his recent 2017 Professional Artist Fellowship from Creative Pinellas. But he’s not the only local you might recognize (among the likes of Picasso and Goya) in this upcoming exhibition at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art. At Fall into Greatness: LRMA Celebrates 15 Years, opening Oct. 8, you’ll also see works by Rocky Bridges and Leslie Lerner for a total of 23+ Florida artists in a celebratory exhibition featuring major acquisitions, all-time favorites, rarely seen works and recent purchases. https://www.leeparattner.org
This article appears in Aug 17-24, 2017.