Exciting arts opportunities happen in South Pinellas all year round, but this November is especially busy for Tampa Bay area arts lovers.
Special exhibitions open at The Dali and The Museum of Fine Arts in St. Pete. Outside of museums, November brings a series of arts festivals, sand sculptures and tribute concerts to South Pinellas.
Here are a few ways to experience art.
Visit an art museum in St. Pete
The Dalí, known for its insightful exhibitions exploring recurring themes and landscapes in Dali's work, the museum takes on dreams this November. The upcoming "Shape of Dreams" exhibition features 500 years of dream-inspired artwork acquired through a series of loans. Artworks from the National Gallery of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, New Orleans Museum of Art, Saint Louis Art Museum, Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and more will be displayed alongside Dali's dream-inspired works in this exhibition. Opens Friday, Nov. 25. $25-$29. 1 Dali Blvd., St. Petersburg. thedali.org
MFA St. Pete Though The Dali is St. Pete's most popular art museum, the MFA has the most comprehensive art collection in the area, spanning 5,000 years of art history. If you haven't seen the MFA since their big 2020 remodel, now's the time. This fall, in "Borrow and Steal: Appropriation from the Collection," the MFA adds another layer to their story, showcasing items from the permanent collection that illustrate the role of creative copying in the art world. On Saturday, Nov. 12, the highly anticipated temporary exhibition "Rodin and the Age of Impressionism" opens at the MFA. The exhibit showcases the impressionist-era sculptures of French sculptor Auguste Rodin, often called the founder of modern sculpture. $22 General Admission. 255 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. mfastpete.org
The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art The James uses its special exhibitions space to tell interesting stories through art, like in its current exhibition "Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West." The show, which is getting rave reviews, tells the stories of African Americans in the American West through a series of quilts. $23. 150 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. thejamesmuseum.org
Art outside
"Sanding Ovations" Treasure Island welcomes back another round of monumental sand sculptures. This year's theme is "Once Upon a Time." Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 17-20, 26-27. 10400 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island. sandingovationsmasterscup.com
Florida CraftArt Festival Back in downtown St. Pete for its 25th year, Florida CraftArt Festival features glass blowing and ceramics demos, live music, food trucks, and lots of holiday shopping opportunities. Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 19-20. Central Ave. between 4th and 6th Streets, St. Petersburg floridacraftart.org
Pay tribute
The Florida Orchestra TFO plays the music of Led Zeppelin at the Mahaffey Theater. Friday, Nov. 18, 8 p.m. $18-$47. 400 1st St. S, St. Petersburg. floridaorchestra.org
The Factory "Factory Deadfest" is the art compound's one-day music festival featuring five different Grateful Dead tribute bands—Uncle John's Band, Unlimited Devotion, Funkin' Grateful, Reckoning, and Joint Chiefs. Saturday, Nov. 19, 1 p.m.-11 p.m. $25-50. 2622 Fairfield Ave. S, St. Petersburg. thefactorystpete.com
Get reading
Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading Back live and in person at Palladium Theater this year, our paper of record welcomes more than a dozen participating authors, including some of Florida's most talented writers. This is your chance to hear Gabrielle Calise talk about her exciting "Florida!" project with A24, to meet Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jack E. Davis, and to hear the history behind Tampa's Cuban sandwich. With accompanying book sales via Tombolo, it's also a great way to ensure you'll have a year's worth of good books to escape into. Saturday, Nov. 12. 253 5th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. tampabay.com
Get walking
Head to St. Pete for the OG ArtWalk. Don't know where to begin? The Morean Arts Center premiers three new exhibitions during Nov. ArtWalk—its annual holiday show, "One Day Tampa Bay," and "Ruth Philipon: The Planets."
St. Pete's Second Saturday ArtWalk is also a great opportunity to check out the new and improved Soft Water Gallery in St. Pete's Warehouse Arts District. The space is showing "Vacationland," featuring Florida vacation-themed artwork by Florida-based artists Bonnie Shapiro and Diana Tonnessen, throughout the month of November. Saturday, Nov. 12, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Downtown St. Petersburg. stpeteartsalliance.org
Workshop it
Morean Arts Center Morean offers several one-day workshops this November. You can make Thanksgiving napkins with Linda Griffin Saturday, Saturday, Nov. 12, or construct a pinhole camera with Lance Rothstein, make fused glass ornaments with Christy Phillips, or create colorful pet portraits with Shawn Dell Joyce Nov. 19. 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. moreanartscenter.org/classes
pARTy in Pinellas Park Pinellas Arts Village hosts a fourth Saturday block party once a month with open studios, art shows and activities. Saturday, Nov. 26, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. 5663 Park Blvd. N, Pinellas Park. @pav727 on Facebook
Stay glassy St. Pete
Chihuly Collection St. Petersburg's glass arts scene is all-encompassing. You can view glass, buy glass, blow glass, and even enjoy glass blowing as performance art. To view glass, start with the work of studio glass pioneer Dale Chihuly at The Chihuly Collection. 720 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $20. moreanartscenter.org
Imagine Museum Then make your way over to Imagine, which hosts over 500 pieces of contemporary glass art. 1901 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $12 Florida Resident rate. imaginemuseum.com
Duncan McClellan Gallery Plan a trip to McClellan's gallery during ArtWalk on Saturday, Nov. 12. Glass blowing demos and rotating exhibitions always draw a crowd. 2342 Emerson Ave. S, St. Petersburg. dmglass.com
Morean Glass Studio Experience glass blowing as entertainment at a Morean studio night blow. At this unique event, which happens only in fall, contemporary glass artists blow in the dark in a show choreographed to music. Saturday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m.-10 p.m. $55. 714 1st Avenue N, St Petersburg. moreanartscenter.org
Let it play out
Need more drama in your life? Look no further than St. Petersburg, where three local theater companies stage plays this November.
American Stage St. Pete's American Stage tackles African-American adversity in their production of "The Colored Museum." The 1986 play by African-American playwright George C. Wolf reflects on the Black experience through satire and dark comedy. Select nights through Nov. 27. 163 3rd St. N, St. Petersburg. americanstage.org
freeFall Theatre Company An updated version of Matthew McGee's "The Night Before" returns to freeFall this year for another round of holiday feels. Select nights Nov. 25-27. $25-$55. 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. freefalltheatre.com
Off-Central Players Off-Central takes on parental guilt in their two-man production of Caryl Churchill's "A Number", starring Ward Smith and Anthony Gervais, at Grand Studio Central. Nov. 10-20. $30. 2260 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg. studiograndcentral.com
Pinellas' November arts calendar is busy as hell
Here are nearly two dozen ways to experience art in the 727 this month.
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About The Author
Jennifer Ring
Jen began her storytelling journey in 2017, writing and taking photographs for Creative Loafing Tampa. Since then, she’s told the story of art in Tampa Bay through more than 200 art reviews, artist profiles, and art features. She believes that everyone can and should make art, whether they’re good at it or not...
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