In a city where seemingly everything inspires art, it’s not surprising that St. Pete Pride has inspired multiple art shows this year to go along with everything else the city has planned. John Gascot has curated Pride Without Prejudice at two popular St. Petersburg venues: Cider Press Cafe and the Emerald.
If you’re hanging out in St. Pete during Pride, then you might chance upon a few bright, colorful paintings celebrating diversity and challenging gender roles in acrylic and Sharpie. If so, then you have likely chanced upon a John Gascot painting. Gascot’s paintings will be scattered throughout The Cider Press Café and Emerald Bar as part of his Pride Without Prejudice art show, and you can view them all for free while sipping on your Pride cocktails or digging into some vegan food.
There are over a dozen artists featured in John Gascot’s Pride Without Prejudice, but for me, Gascot’s paintings are still the highlight. They are bright, bold, and fun, and I can’t get enough of them. But truth be told, I’m not sure how I feel about them being on display at a café and bar. Normally I’m a big fan of atypical art venues, but…
Over at Cider Press Café, I felt a little odd wandering about the space like it’s an art gallery while everyone else was seated at tables, eating dinner. That’s the negative. The positive is that you can add dinner and drinks to your personal Pride art viewing party. (I recommend a vegan burger paired with a Pink Flamingo Pride cocktail.) Or you can go for the vegan Divine Disco Brunch on June 24. While you’re there, be sure to check out Richard Pollin’s Pride photography, Sebastian Coolidge’s paintings, and Tara Radosevich’s “Melt With You,” an impressionistic rainbow hanging above the entryway to the dining room. All are worthy additions to Gascot’s Pride Without Prejudice.
Meanwhile, Chad Mize is hosting another Pride art show, Pride & Joy, at his gallery. Both shows opened to the public on the second weekend in June and run through the end of this month. Check out our review of that show here.
Pride Without Prejudice | Cider Press Cafe, 601 Central Ave., St. Petersburg & Emerald Bar, 550 Central Ave., St. Petersburg | Through June 30. gascot.com
This article appears in Jun 14-21, 2018.