Sep 192023
 

Trailer for Translators

This past Saturday was the 3rd Annual Tampa Bay International Film Festival in collaboration with Dunedin International Film Festival, Mi Gente Mi Pueblo, and Creative Pinellas. The short films selected for the festival varied in length, subject matter, and style- but they all presented unique perspectives on the Latin American experience.

The film above Translators, directed by Rudy Valdez, was a standout. The moving documentary short tells the story of three children in the U.S. who, as the only English speakers in the family, help their parents by translating for them. You can watch it in full for free on the film’s website, linked above.

Below is the flyer from the festival with a list of all the films. On Tampa Bay International Film Festival’s Instagram, you can find more details on each of them.

Sep 152023
 

Angel Rivera Morales, “Dystopian Paradise I, II, and III”, 2023, Acrylic and oil on canvas

Gilbert Salinas, “As We Speak”, 2022, Mixed media on canvas

Juan Nieves Burgos, “Germinar de patria” and “Mundo sin tiranos”, 2019; Carmen Rojas Gines, “She Warrior-SW3 “Guerrera”-G3″, Steel metal

Valentin Tirado Barreto, “Salcedos Death- La Muerte de Salcedo” and “Rebellion of the slaves- Rebelión”, Acrylic on canvas

Currently at Creative Pinellas is the group exhibition Keepers of Heritage: Hidden Tales / Custodios de la Herencia: Cuentos Ocultos, on view until 10/15/23.

From the Creative Pinellas website-

Keepers of Heritage is an extended collaborative effort whose purpose is to document, present and promote the contributions of artists of Puerto Rican artists in the Caribbean archipelago and abroad.

Its roots go back to 2015 with the presentation of the “La Diaspora” exhibition at the Terrace Gallery in Orlando City Hall. Since then, the collective has expanded and traveled to institutions such as the National Museum for Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago, the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala, and the Albin Polasek Museum in Winter Park, Florida.

Over eight years, the collective has documented and presented the work of nearly 30 artists whose artistic practices include a diversity of mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture, engraving, multimedia, and photography.

Artists included in this exhibition-

Brenda Cruz

Alejandro de Jesus

Jose Feliciano

Carmelo Fontanez Cortijo

Domingo Garcia-Davila

Francisco García-Burgos

Martin García-Rivera

Michael Irrizary-Pagán

Juan Nieves-Burgos

Yasir Nieves

Angel Rivera-Morales

Rafael Rivera-Rosa

Carmen Rojas-Gines

Pablo Rubio

Aby Ruiz

Gilbert Salinas

Joan Emanuelli Sanchez

Luis Soto

Valentin Tirado Barreto

Rigoberto Torres

For more work by the artists head to the next page.

Sep 082023
 

Mary Ann Carroll (1940-2019), “Untitled (Backcountry Twilight)”, n.d., Oil on Masonite board

Harold Newton (1934-1991), “Untitled (Painting of the Indian River)”, c. 1958, Oil on Upson board; Alfred Hair (1941-1970), “Untitled (Marshland with palm), c. 1958, Oil on Upson board

James Gibson (1938-2017) “Untitled (Moonlit palms)”, n.d., Oil on Upson board

In early 2021, Tampa Museum of Art presented the work of Florida’s famous Highwaymen painters in the exhibition Living Color: The Art of the Highwaymen.

From the museum-

The Highwaymen are a group of African American artists celebrated for their distinctive paintings of Florida’s natural environment. Working in and around the Fort Pierce area beginning in the 1950s, these self-taught artists depicted the state’s scenic coastline and wild backcountry, often in dazzling combinations of color and tone. Brilliant tropical sunsets, windblown palms, towering sunlit clouds, and blooming poinciana trees are among the many subjects that have become iconic images of Florida in part because of the paintings that the Highwaymen created. In the state’s postwar boom years their paintings found an enthusiastic audience among a growing population of new residents and visitors. Unrecognized by the region’s art establishment of galleries and museums, the Highwaymen by necessity catered directly to their patrons, selling their paintings door-to-door along such thoroughfares as Route 1. It was from this practice that the name “Highwaymen” was later coined.

The popularity of Highwaymen paintings waned in the 1980s as the vision of Florida was reimagined by an ever-increasing population and once-pristine landscapes were lost to development. Then in the mid-1990s a new generation of collectors, with fresh eyes, rediscovered the paintings and began to assemble significant collections. These collectors saw the art of the Highwaymen as an important artistic legacy and together with several writers, scholars, and enthusiasts began the process of establishing the historical context and reevaluation of their work. Books and articles followed, bringing a new level of recognition for the achievements of these artists and, with that, growing popular acclaim. The contribution of the Highwaymen to the cultural life of Florida was formally recognized in 2004 when the group of 26 artists was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Living Color: The Art of the Highwaymen brings together 60 paintings by a core group of the Highwaymen including Al Black, Mary Ann Carroll, Willie Daniels, Johnny Daniels, James Gibson, Alfred Hair, Roy McLendon, Harold Newton, Sam Newton, Willie Reagan, and Livingston Roberts.

Focusing on work produced from the 1950s to the 1980s, the exhibition is an in-depth examination of the group’s initial period of success when their groundbreaking style of fast painting was being developed. Fast painting is a hallmark and essential innovation of the Highwaymen. Facing limitations imposed by the racial prejudice of their time, they had little or no access to formal training or to conventional art markets. To overcome these obstacles, they produced large numbers of works which could be sold at very affordable prices. Some estimates of the group’s overall production during their heyday exceed 200,000 paintings, with certain artists creating dozens of paintings per day. Their creative response to the racism they confronted resulted in an original artistic practice.

Opening at The Woodson African American Museum of Florida in St. Pete this Saturday, 9/9/23, is Florida Highwaymen: The Next Generation – The Legacy Continues, an exhibition of work by Ray McLendon, son of Highwayman Roy McLendon, who creates Florida landscapes in the same iconic style his father used.

Aug 252023
 

“Bryson Funmaker”, 2020, Inkjet print and beadwork

The Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg is currently showing an impressive collection of work from photographer Tom Jones. The photos, in multiple series, focus on Native American identity, history, cultural appropriation, and the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, of which Jones is a member. The work engages visually while also being informative.

From the museum’s press release for Tom Jones: Here We Stand

For over twenty years, Tom Jones has created a visual record and exploration of his Ho-Chunk community. Born in North Carolina and raised in Orlando after a short stint in Minneapolis, Jones returned to the Midwest, moving to Wisconsin at age 15. He then made his way to Chicago for graduate school at Columbia College. Jones’s father worked with Kodak and owned a photography lab, helping shape the artist’s understanding of the practical aspects of photography from an early age. During graduate school, Jones began an ongoing photographic essay on the contemporary life of his Ho-Chunk community, beginning first with the elders.

The show comprises over a dozen series, ranging from the documentary to the conceptual. Of his series on Veterans’ memorials at the annual Black River Falls Pow-Wow, Jones says, “I was interested in the way families made very conscious decisions about how they want their loved ones memorialized.” Other series include the emotionally intimate, though larger than life, beaded portraits. “Beading is a metaphor for our ancestors watching over us. I am also referencing an experience I had when I was about 8 or 9 years old. My mother took me to see a Sioux medicine man named Robert Stead. He led the call to the spirits, the women began to sing, and the ancestors appeared as orbs of light. This event inspired the series Strong Unrelenting Spirits.

Jones’s photographs examine identity and geographic place with an emphasis on the experience of Native American communities. He is interested in how American Indian material culture is portrayed through commodification and popular culture. Much of his work counteracts and corrects decades of misinformation and misrepresentation of American Indians, particularly targeting the field of U.S. history. Jones’s critical assessment of the romanticized representation of Native peoples in photography re-examines historic pictures taken by white photographers. This reassessment questions the assumptions about identity within the American Indian culture by non-natives and natives alike. “While each of Jones’s series is distinctly different, the message remains consistent: the Ho-Chunk are not vanishing or frozen in time,” said Dr. Jane Aspinwall, Senior Curator of Photography. “Jones’s photographs emphasize a solid, generational commitment to family, tribal community, and land. His photographs reclaim appropriated images and set the historical record straight.”

Below are a some selections from a few of the series in the exhibition.

“Trenton and Roger Littlegeorge”, 2011

“Dorothy Crowfeather”, 1999

“Dear America” series

About the Dear America series pictured above-

Using each line from the first two verses of the song, America (“My Country Tis of Thee”) as the title of fourteen of the works in the Dear America series, Jones questions whose history is being propagated here. With dry wit and an unfailing commitment to truth, Jones exposes atrocities like the massive effort by the U.S. government to assimilate Native American children to non-Native culture, the merciless seizing of Native lands, and the mass hanging of thirty-eight Sioux and Ho-Chunk men under President Lincoln in 1862. He also highlights Native American identity in relation to cowboy culture, the thoughtless misappropriation of Native American customs, and the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the U. S. Constitution. Jones’s aim is to broaden the “traditional” historical American narrative to be more representative of all people, especially the original inhabitants of this land.

About the Ho-Chunk Veterans Memorials, pictured above-

“I wanted to do this photographic essay to honor our veterans… One in four American Indian males is a United States veteran. Ho-Chunks have fought in every war for the United States except for the War of 1812. The Ho-Chunks did this even though they were not granted the right to vote until 1924, and during the Indian Removal Act, were removed at least seven times from Wisconsin by the United States government. This is the conviction we have as a people… I honor these people who give of themselves freely to protect this land. Traditionally, Ho-Chunks are taught to live their lives for the betterment of others. The veterans have done this.’
-Tom Jones

From Jones’ “”Native” Commodity” series

About the “Native” Commodity” series-

The Wisconsin Dells, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state, is home to spectacular natural scenery and the largest concentration of waterparks. Located on Ho-Chunk ancestral land, the area is now highly commercialized, with much of its identity resting on the appropriation of Native American stereotypical tropes. In this series, Jones documented this unabashed use of Native American symbols, images, and place names in advertising and popular culture. The sale of “Native American” crafts made in China, the liberal use of names of historically important figures like Black Hawk, and the indiscriminate mix of tribal communities into one conglomerate-tipis from the Plains next to totem poles from the Pacific Northwest next to Pueblo pottery. The Dells serve as a microcosm for how images of Native Americans are reproduced and reframed into a collective memory that is often distorted. Jones wryly noted that none of the Native American objects feature anything specifically attributable to the Ho-Chunk Nation.

This exhibition has been extended until 9/10/23.

Aug 212023
 

Leora Stewart (1943-2021) “Banyan Tree”, Fiber wall hanging

Leora Stewart “Banyan Tree”, Fiber wall hanging (detail)

Norma Lewis (1929-2015) “Kimono”, Paper fiber

Nneka Jones- “Layers of Identity”, Fiber collage and embroidery on canvas

Kathleen “Kaki” King, “Syngonium”, Earthenware

Abraham Rattner (1893-1978), “Birds”, 1971, Wool

Taylor Robenalt, “Rookery Queen”, Ceramic

Josette Urso, “Chola”, 1990, Fabric collage, found object quilt

Duncan McClellan, “Alchemy”, 2013, Hand blown glass, sand carved

The works above are from Material Mastery: Florida CraftArt Permanent Collection of Fine Craft on view at Leepa Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs.

From the museum-

Florida CraftArt (formerly known as Florida Craftsmen) was organized in 1951 by Stetson University art professors Elsa and Louis Freund as a statewide organization celebrating fine craft. As the only statewide nonprofit representing Florida’s fine craft artists, Florida CraftArt is a member-supported organization helping mentor and advance artists. Now headquartered at 5th Street and Central Avenue in St. Petersburg, this vibrant organization has been at the center of St. Pete’s artistic renaissance.

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is delighted to partner with Florida CraftArt to showcase their permanent collection and enduring contribution to Florida’s cultural heritage. The goals of this collection are to recognize the significance of Florida’s fine craft art in our broad artistic landscape, document the rich tradition of craft art statewide and beyond, and to educate and inspire future generations of artists and arts appreciators.

This exhibition will close 8/27/23.

Artists included in this post-

Leora Stewart

Norma Lewis

Nneka Jones

Kathleen “Kaki” King

Abraham Rattner

Taylor Robenalt

Josette Urso

Duncan McClellan

 

Aug 192023
 

Clearwater Main Library is currently showing Cuba: The Natural Beauty, a selection of photographs by Clyde Butcher. Butcher is famous for his large black and white photos of nature, taken with a large-format 8×10″ or 11×14″ view camera.

About the show from the Clearwater site-

Commissioned by the United Nations to create a portfolio of the mountainous lands of Cuba, Clyde Butcher set out on three week-long expeditions into unfamiliar lands. He explored the island country’s varied geographic regions, from the Sierra Maestra Mountains in Cuba’s eastern Granma province, to the southern coast between Manzananilo and Santiago de Cuba. He ventured to places including Baracoa in the northeast, the southern waterfalls of the Serra de San Juan, and the mogotes of the west in the Piña del Rio region.

While taking photographs for the Conference for the Sustainable Habitat of the Mountains, Clyde thought about being part of an event changing history for the better, and enthusiastically saw an opportunity to make a positive difference. His photography transcends political boundaries, challenging us to work together to protect natural places across the globe.

This exhibition will continue until 10/31/23.

This past Wednesday (8/16) Butcher discussed his work at Clearwater’s Capitol Theater. It was a pleasure to hear him discuss his history, his travels in Cuba, his work, a visit with President Jimmy Carter, and life since his stroke. He will often sit for hours, under an umbrella, just to get his shot. It was a thoughtful, humorous, and often inspiring lecture.

It is definitely worth checking out his website to see more of his work and to read about his unique life. His wife Niki is an artist too, and her work is also  on the website.

He has two galleries in Florida- The Venice Gallery and Studio, and Big Cypress Gallery near the Big Cypress National Preserve Oasis Visitor Center in the Florida Everglades. There are places to stay on the Big Cypress property and you can take a guided tour of the natural surroundings.

Aug 182023
 

Norbert Gonsalves, “Mood Indigo” and “Mellow Yellow”

“Interrupted Structure #61” by Babette Herschberger, Mixed media collage and acrylic on panel and “Stoneware Cups”

“Maia” and “Hektor” clay works by Craig Wood

Ceramic pieces by Jennifer Rosseter

Above are a few pieces from some of the artists in Salon Gestalt at the Morean Center for Clay in St. Pete, Florida.

From the center about the show-

Salon Gestalt is an annual exhibition of work created by the studio artists working out of the Morean Center for Clay. As the largest clay center in the Southeast United States, we take pride in the diverse collection of work that is created within these walls. Since 2001 our historic train station has brought together innumerable artists who, despite their individuality, find common ground in a shared passion for clay. Our center is a space where artists engage in dialogue, exchange ideas, and challenge one another. There is power in community, and clay has the unique ability to foster a strong sense of camaraderie. In sharing space, these artists support one another and grow together, nurturing both individual artistic practice and collective ambition. 

Salon Gestalt is a reinterpretation of the Paris Salon. While the original exhibitions have a history of exclusion and classism, our revision of the Salon rejects the notion that there is hierarchy in the arts. The Morean Center for Clay is a space where the novice and experienced artists can come to create and learn in a communal environment where everyone is accepted as equal. Together these artists form a collection of work that creates something greater than the sum of its parts. 

For more about the artists pictured above, head to the websites and Instagram links below.

Norbert Gonsalves (@shree_norbert)

Babette Herschberger (@abstractbabz)

Craig Wood (@craigwoodceramics)

Jennifer Rosseter (@jenniferrosseter)

Aug 182023
 

Car Smash Requiem, 2023 by Tony Rodrigues was part of the recently closed exhibition CMND/CTRL at Heiress Gallery in St. Pete, Florida.

 

Aug 112023
 

Work by Jenny Granberry (top) and Victoria Block (bottom)

Journals by Eva Avenue (top left) and Laura Waller (bottom left) and photography by Andrew Sovjani

On the second floor of the Dunedin Fine Art Center are photographs by Andrew Sovjani and a collection of sketchbooks from a variety of artists, many of which you can look through- with gloves of course. It’s easy to spend lots of time with all the inspiring books these artists have created.

The exhibition closes 8/13/23.

About Andrew Sovjani, from the gallery-

Andrew Sovjani is a visual artist recognized for blurring the boundaries between photography, printmaking and painting. Raised in a family of working studio artists, art making is in his blood. Andrew has drawn from his life experiences in the scientific world and living in Asia to create transcendent bodies of work that are often extremely peaceful. His award-winning photographs have been shown in exhibitions throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan and are held in many public and private collections. He has won awards of distinction at many of the top fine arts festivals in the nation and was a finalist for the Critical Mass book awards in 2008 and 2016.

Some of the artists whose books are included in the exhibition are- Jenny Granberry, Victoria Block, Eva Avenue, Laura Waller, Dion Dior, Daniel Mrgan, Julia Collver, Coralette Damme, Joan Duff Bohrer, Marjorie Greene Graff, Lukas Mosimann, Luis Colan, Kathy Pollak, Jennifer Kosharek, and Katy Deits.

Work by Eva Avenue

Work by Dion Dior

Work by Daniel Mrgan (top) and Julia Collver

Work by Coralette Damme

Work by Joan Duff Bohrer

Work by Marjorie Geene Graff

Work by Lukas Mosimann

Work by Luis Colan (left) and Lukas Mosimann

Journals by Kathy Pollak

Work by Jennifer Kosharek

Work by Katy Deits

 

Aug 042023
 

The work above is from Regina Durante Jestrow’s current exhibition Free Form Connections at Dunedin Fine Art Center.

The artist’s statement about the exhibition-

This exhibition includes my organically shaped geometric art quilts from various series from 2020-23. I utilize improvisation, repeat patterns and shifts in scale while incorporating colors, textures, and structures representative of the diversity of the people and the natural surroundings of my current home in South Florida.

I use diversely toned second-hand, gifted, or saved fabrics and dyes from locally sourced plants and rust. Textiles are also manipulated with burning and staining with inks and acrylic paint. Other materials, such as neoprene, sequins, and faux leather, reference Miami’s pop culture.

Along with my constant interest in American Folk-Art Quilts, geometric-abstract artists from the mid to late twentieth century are my influencers, including Gees Bend quilters, Elizabeth Murray, Helen Frankenthaler, Anni Albers, and Gego. These artistic voices have driven me to create quilts of scale with strong personal symbolism and narrative.

This exhibition is on view until 8/13/23.