It’s going to get uncomfortably hot out there pretty soon. Hanging out in art galleries is a great way to stay cool during the summer months. Lucky for us, Tampa Bay has an obscene amount of places to look at art. You could literally see a different art show every week this summer, and there are plenty to choose from. The Dali Museum is debuting some exciting new technology; the Morean is hosting a fun new pop-up art show each month; Hillsborough Community College exhibitions take on places and spaces; and themed art shows tackle origami, paint by numbers, cats & dogs, quilts, Pride and more.
Fresh Squeezed 3 at the Morean. See what new Florida artists the Morean has discovered in its latest installment of Fresh Squeezed. Morean Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Through June 28. 727-822-7872, moreanartscenter.org.
Dalí Lives. Well, not literally, but the Dalí Museum has resurrected the famous Spanish surrealist using AI. It’s like Siri, but instead of talking to your iPhone, you get to experience a lifelike image of Dalí on a series of screens scattered throughout the museum. I wonder what kinds of questions he will answer… The Dalí Museum, 1 Dalí Blvd., St. Petersburg. 727-823-3767, thedali.org.
Olivia Parker: Vanishing in Plain Sight at FMoPA. When Olivia Parker’s husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she used photography to cope. Employing symbols like notes her husband wrote to help remember things, Parker created art. Vanishing in Plain Sight is about life, love, loss, disability and memory. And conveying these things through photography. Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 400 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa. Through Aug. 31. 813-221-2222, fmopa.org.
Contemporary Performance at FMoPA. This exhibit makes the list purely on the grounds of novelty. I mean, how many art exhibits do you see that focus on performance art? Usually, performance art is one performance, or a show — not an exhibition. See what FMoPA board member, performance artist and exhibition curator Kalup Linzy has to say about contemporary performance at FMoPA this summer. Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 400 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa. Through Aug. 31. 813-221-2222, fmopa.org.
Non Place at HCC Dale Mabry. Non Place explores the more nondescript qualities of urban spaces through the work of two Tampa Bay area artists — Robert Aiosa and Jay Giroux. Giroux gathers ideas for his paintings from the streets of Ybor, much like the late Theo Wujcik. Aiosa, on the other hand, creates installations inspired by urban planning and the evolution of neighborhoods. Together, their work will fill both of HCC Dale Mabry’s art galleries. Gallery 221 and Gallery 3 at HCC Dale Mabry, 4001 W. Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa. Through June 27; Opening reception May 16, 5-8 p.m. 813-253-7386, hccfl.edu/gallery221.
The Cultural Connections of Edward S. Curtis at the James Museum. Edward Curtis is famous for photographing Native Americans in the early 1900s. Curtis essentially catalogued all the indigenous populations in North America along with their tribal traditions. It took him about 30 years, during which he amassed 40,000 photographs. The James Museum is now showing more than 70 of these photographs in their special exhibition, The Cultural Connections of Edward S. Curtis. If you’re interested in Native American traditions and early photographic processes, add this exhibit to your calendar. The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, 150 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Through July 21. 727-892-4200, thejamesmuseum.org.
LATER THIS MONTH
Straighten up the World at the MFA. Apparently the Museum of Fine Arts has been hiding a folk art collection from us. They’ve received several donations from Martha and Jim Sweeny, and they’re finally ready to show them off in this new exhibition. The beauty of folk art is seeing what self-taught artists do when they can’t afford proper art materials or an education in the arts. You know, like finger painting with dirt, because why not? Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. May 18-Sept. 2. 727-896-2667, mfastpete.org.
Dark and Full of Flowers at Tempus. This juried art exhibition explores the darker side of the Sunshine State with work from 27 local artists. If you can, see it opening night, May 18, from 7-9 p.m. That’s when the artists come out to play. Tempus Projects Space, 4636 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. May 18-Jun. 29. 813-340-9056, tempus-projects.com.
Visions of Venus. Get to know Venus at their first themed art show. The new art space put out a call for local artists to riff upon the name Venus. Venus has several meanings, from the Roman goddess of beauty and love to the second planet from the sun. With 29 creatives participating, you can look forward to diverse interpretations of the theme. Venus, 244 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, St Petersburg. Grand opening party May 25, 6-9 p.m. stpetewomenscollective.com/venus.
JUNE
Quilt-themed exhibits open at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. It’s all about the quilt this summer at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. DFAC is hosting six different fabric-themed exhibitions this summer, and all of them open the same day. See quilts and fabric art from the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild, Rainbow’s End Quilt Shoppe, Jane Sassaman, Sheila Frampton-Cooper, Lorraine Turner and more. The Dunedin Fine Art Center, 1143 Michigan Blvd., Dunedin. Jun. 7-Aug. 18. 727-298-3322, dfac.org.
Pride Pop Up at the Morean. Speaking of Pride, the Pride Pop Up returns to the Morean this year with Pride-themed artwork from 3-6 Tampa Bay area artists. Morean Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Jun. 8-28. 727-822-7872, moreanartscenter.org.
John’s Big Gay Art Show at Emerald Bar. It’s a Pride art trifecta. Emerald Bar with be decked out with more even more Pride art courtesy of John Gascot and friends. Let’s toast to that. Emerald Bar, 550 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Jun. 2019. 727-898-6054.
Visual Magic at the Dalí Museum. Get to know Dalí’s masterworks better via augmented reality technology. With the Dalí Museum app, you will be able to point your cell phone at each of eight Dalí masterworks, and see it in a completely different way. The new tech will point out details in each painting that museum goers commonly ask about. The Dalí Museum, 1 Dalí Blvd., St. Petersburg. Jun. 15-Nov. 3. 727-823-3767, thedali.org.
Before Dalí — Goya at the Dalí Museum. The Dalí Museum is hosting artwork from another famous Spanish artist this summer. After you’re done pointing your cell phone at Dalí masterworks, save some time for Goya. Between June 15 and September 15, The Dali is showing Goya’s “Los Caprichos” series of prints. The 80-print series pokes fun at civilized society and its superstitions and prejudices — or rather what society’s superstitions and prejudices were back in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when Goya was alive and printing. The Dalí Museum, 1 Dalí Blvd., St. Petersburg. Jun. 15-Nov. 3. 727-823-3767, thedali.org.
Tableau and Transformation: Photography at TMA. The Tampa Museum of Art is showcasing items from its permanent collection this year in honor of the museum’s upcoming 100th Anniversary. This summer is the photography collection’s time to shine. Tableau and Transformation showcases the museum’s 20th-century photography holdings with a focus on darkroom effects and studio practices. Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa. Jun. 20-Oct. 6. 813-274-8130, tampamuseum.org.
The Music and Spirit of ’69 opens at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art. Travel back to 1969 at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art this summer with artwork from Jefferson Airplane lead singer and songwriter Marty Balin. Balin’s concert posters and paintings of rock legends will take you back to the golden age of music festivals and hippiedom. It’s groovy baby. Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, 600 E. Klosterman Rd., Tarpon Springs. Jun. 23-Sept. 22. 727-712-5762, leeparattner.org.
Fractured Spaces at HCC Ybor. The Creatives Exchange’s annual art exhibition returns to HCC Ybor this year with a new theme: fractured spaces. The Tampa-based women’s art collective includes some of the best artists in the area, and they always put on a good show. Gallery 114 at HCC Ybor City Campus, 1411 E 11th Ave, Tampa. June 27-July 31. 813-253-7000, hccfl.edu/yborgallery.
JULY
Pivot at Imagine Museum. Not everyone likes change, but this Imagine Museum exhibit is all about it. The glass museum put out a nationwide call for artists to share their most pivotal work — to visually reveal a moment in which they changed direction, artistically. Perhaps these works will inspire you to make a positive change in your life or art. Imagine Museum, 1901 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. July 9-Dec. 22. 727-300-1700, imaginemuseum.com.
Paint by Numbers Pop Up at the Morean. The Morean’s Paint by Numbers Pop Up lets everyone be an artist this summer. Seriously. All you have to do is complete a paint by number from a kit and hand deliver your painting (ready to hang) and entry form to the Morean on July 2-3. There are a few other important details and guidelines — you can find these listed under opportunities on the Morean’s website. Morean Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. July 8-28. 727-822-7872, moreanartscenter.org.
AUGUST
Cats vs. Dogs Pop Up at The Morean. Because we know you love cats and dogs — or at least one of the two. Morean Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Aug. 10-30. 727-822-7872, moreanartscenter.org.
Environmental Impact at the James Museum Aug. 24. This traveling exhibition uses artwork from over 20 artists to remind us of how our actions affect the environment. The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, 150 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Aug. 24-Dec. 1. 727-892-4200, thejamesmuseum.org.
This article appears in May 16-23, 2019.