St. Petersburg has a plethora of fantastic museums, most of which you already know and love. Each has its own permanent collection, as well as exhibitions that come and go. There are some brilliant exhibits mounted at the moment, but I’d like to focus on those which are to come in the next few months. Something to look forward to!
The James Museum
Opening just last year, the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art is the new kid on the block. Their upcoming show, “Environmental Impact II,” on view 8/24-12/1, will likely be of particular interest to us locals. The display of sculptures and paintings spotlights environmental issues, highlighting the consequences of human interaction with nature. Don’t worry, it isn’t all doom and gloom. The folks at the James hope patrons will “discover the fragility and hopeful resiliency of our world.”
During the month of September you may also visit the James’ exhibition, “Florida Shines On: PARC Artists.” The Inspired Artist Studios @ PARC is a career advancement initiative for artists of any age with intellectual and developmental disabilities who wish to participate in the creative industry.
The Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts has a particularly neat show on the horizon entitled “The Grasshopper and The Ant, and Other Stories.” The installation, by Jennifer Angus, will run from 10/12/19 to 1/5/20. Inspired by Aesop’s fable of the same name, this neo-Victorian artist will challenge your expectations by incorporating large, brightlycolored insects into elaborate, 19th century-inspired patterns. Yes, you read that correctly – fancy bug art!
The Dali Museum
You may already have visited the Dalí Museum to see “Before Dalí: Goya installation, Visions & Inventions,” but that was only the first of a two-part exhibition of creations by revered late eighteenth and early nineteenth century artist, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. The first installment, “Los Caprichos,” is on view through 9/15, at which point it will make way for round two. “La Tauromaquia,” a collection of prints depicting bullfighting on the Iberian Peninsula, will open on 9/21 and run through 12/1.
On 12/7, fashion will reign at the Dalí. A special exhibit featuring photographs of garments created by aspiring local high school fashion designers who have concluded the 12-week Fashion Design at The Dalí program will be on display through 1/5/20.
The Florida Holocaust Museum
Finally, strap in for a dark, fascinating, local story in photographs as “Beaches, Benches and Boycotts: The Civil Rights Movement in Tampa Bay” premieres at the Florida Holocaust Museum. Though this area may not always feel like the South, Tampa Bay remained racially segregated throughout much of the Civil Rights era, and many local institutions even avoided integration for years after it was court-ordered. This exhibition, running from 9/7/19-9/1/20, will spotlight our region’s fight for racial equality, and present the local leaders who pushed for change.
I don’t know about you, but I am incredibly excited about every single one of these upcoming exhibitions! We should be very proud to live in a city that supports such vibrant, varied installations in our museums. Get out there and show ‘em some love!
