Shakes Society to play First Friday Seminole
SEMINOLE — The next First Friday Seminole event will feature a performance by The Shakes Society. The event will take place on Friday, March 6, 6-9 p.m., in front of Studio Movie Grill at Seminole City Center, 11201 Park Blvd. N., Seminole.
Featuring four horns, The Shakes Society will present a blast of brass. The band will be performing the best classic dance music of our lives, including The Blues Brothers Review. The Shakes deliver a very interactive experience. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself dancing with the horn players as they walk through the crowd. Band members are multi-instrumentalists, always moving, dancing, never ceasing to amaze. There is no way to escape the Shakes Society’s groove so get ready to dance.
Coolers are not allowed, but food and drinks will be available for purchase from Seminole City Center tenants and vendors. Attendees may bring lawn chairs. Vendors other than Seminole City Center tenants are not permitted. The event is subject to change due to weather.
Each First Friday features entertainment complemented by prize giveaways, a raffle and more. The raffle will include a $1,400 e-bike compliments of Electrified of St. Petersburg. Proceeds from the raffle benefit Seminole Lake Rotary Club’s Red Sled Initiative, as well as Irish 31 iCare Foundation and Cheers to Public Service Initiative.
For more information, visit www.seminolecitycenter.com.
DRV Gallery to host Suzanne Benton exhibition
GULFPORT — “Monoprints with Chine Colle,” an exhibition featuring the work of feminist icon and native New Yorker Suzanne Benton, will open on Friday, March 6, at DRV Gallery, 5401 Gulfport Blvd. S., Gulfport.
The event will feature live music by Jim Gilmour & Friends from 6 to 8 p.m., along with a selection of wine and beer provided by Stella’s Divine Wine & Gourmet. The exhibition will be on display on Saturdays, March 7 and 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Benton’s pioneering career has spanned nearly seven decades and over 30 countries. Her creative versatility is remarkable, as she works as a printmaker, painter, sculptor, mask maker, and performance artist. Benton has showcased her work in more than 150 solo exhibitions, and her pieces are part of museum and private collections worldwide. She is also a former Fulbright Scholar in India and has been hosted internationally by the cultural arms of U.S. embassies. Throughout her career, she has received numerous grants and artist residencies.
Benton started her distinctive style of monoprint-making in 1983 while she was a resident artist in Cologne, Germany. Throughout her artistic career, her work has drawn inspiration from a variety of sources, including Indian and Hebrew art, Medieval and Turkish miniature paintings, South Asian folk art, Korean lore and legend, the Renaissance, Russian icons, Greek mythology, and the contributions of 19th-century women writers, educators, and feminist activists. Additionally, her influences include cultures from North and West Africa, Afro-American heritage, Native American traditions, and the paintings discussed in Proust’s works.
For tickets and registration to these events, and to shop DRV Gallery’s online gallery, visit drvgallery.com.
Werk Gallery announces upcoming exhibition
ST. PETERSBURG — The Werk Gallery recently will host “The Rite of Sping III: Thaw the ICE,” running March 6-29. An opening reception will take place on Friday, March 6, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Normally a season to celebrate all the growth and creativity that the spring season brings, this year the gallery is opening its space to artists who “need to express their bewilderment, anger, disgust, fear, disappointment and sadness about the directions this country finds itself taking under an administration practicing blatant racial profiling to fulfill quotas and mass incarceration with total disregard for human rights,” according to a press release. In this exhibition’s confrontation of unwarranted and unchecked authority, The Werk Gallery acknowledges the need to make a change by providing a space for collective dissent.
The Werk Gallery and Object Lab was born two and a half years ago from the passion and overflowing collection of Fritz and Matthew Faulhaber. It is a locally focused art venue with an international scope. The gallery displays a variety of art experiences, including a series of community-oriented, large group shows as well as solo shows by internationally established contemporary artists.
The Werk Gallery is at 2210 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg. Gallery hours are Wednesdays, noon to 5 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For information about the upcoming exhibition, call Nathan Beard at 720-208-6020, or email nathanbeard.curatorial@gmail.com.
Stirling Gallery to host ‘Traces, Faces, and Places’
DUNEDIN — An opening reception for “Traces, Faces, and Places” will take place on Saturday, April 11, noon to 4 p.m., at Stirling Gallery, 730 Broadway, Dunedin.
“Traces, Faces, and Places” is a joint exhibition featuring still life oil painter Fran Failla and portrait artist Markissia Touliatos. It will be on view April 2-26.
Failla’s luminous still lifes, rooted in classical technique and refined realism, transform everyday items into contemplative studies of light, form, and balance. Touliatos’s portraits, defined by expressive brushwork and emotional depth, capture the individuality and quiet poetry of the human face. Together, their work creates a thoughtful dialogue between presence, memory, and the traces we leave behind.
Jesse Cook reschedules Clearwater concert
CLEARWATER — Jesse Cook has rescheduled his concert at the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre.
Tickets will be honored on the new date, Thursday, March 4, 2027, at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.
For information, visit www.RuthEckerdHall.com.
Dunedin Public Theater to present staged reading
DUNEDIN — Dunedin Public Theater will present A Play, a Pie & a Pint on Thursday, April 23, 6:30 p.m., at Andrews Memorial Chapel, 1899 Santa Anna Drive, Dunedin.
The event will feature a staged reading of “The Islander” by Elizabeth Brincklow, an evocative play celebrating the life of Myrtle Scharrer Betz, who grew up on Caladesi Island. The play will be brought to life by Clareann Despain, artistic director of Tampa’s Powerstories Theater.
Tickets range from $35 to $45. Visit https://bit.ly/4tCIHHi.
The ticket includes the play reading, a handcrafted savory pie (and/or maybe a slice of key lime pie), and a pint or beverage of your choice. The evening begins with live music, setting the tone, and ends with a Q&A with the playwright and director for a memorable night of theater, community, and local flavor.
Original artwork and local history will be part of the evening’s excitement. Three wave paintings by Betsy Ore Glass and artwork by Elizabeth Coachman will be offered at auction. Terry Fortner will also present copies of “Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise” and the Caladesi cookbook. Every purchase directly supports the Dunedin Public Theater.
For information, visit www.dunedinpublictheater.org.
Artist Rea Nurmi to speak at forum
ST. PETERSBURG — Nature and aquatic artist Rea Nurmi, a native of Finland, will be the featured speaker at the “Above and Under the Surface” forum, set for Wednesday, March 11, 5:30 p.m., in the chapel gallery at First Presbyterian Church, 701 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Nurmi’s presentation will begin at 6 p.m.
Nurmi has presented solo shows in New York City; Seattle, Washington; Helsinki, Finland; Washington, D.C.; and Boston, Massachusetts. Her work has also been featured in galleries throughout New England, internationally in private collections and can be found in corporate collections in New York City. Locally, she teaches in Eckerd College’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program.
This event is part of the Beach Drive Forums, monthly conversations for the community with intriguing speakers on thought-provoking topics held on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Refreshments and Q&A are included. The program is open to the public. Visit www.fpcstpete.com.
James Museum mourns loss of Robin Nicholson
ST. PETERSBURG — The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art recently announced the death of Robin Nicholson, the museum’s executive director, following a short illness. An accomplished art historian and museum executive, Nicholson served the institution since June 2023.
Under Nicholson’s leadership, The James Museum continued its growth as a premier cultural destination and a center for learning in the St. Petersburg community. A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, Nicholson was educated at Queen’s University in Ontario and the University of Cambridge. He brought more than 15 years of executive leadership to the museum, having previously served as Executive Director of the Frick Pittsburgh and the Telfair Museums in Savannah, and as deputy director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
“Robin was an expert in the modern museum experience, but more importantly, he was a champion for the power of art to inspire human connection,” said Tom James, museum founder and chairman. “We are saddened by this loss, but we are committed to moving forward with our mission.”
Nicholson prioritized public engagement and the museum’s role as a cultural beacon for the city and third place for locals and tourists to gather. During his tenure, he remained dedicated to ensuring The James Museum served as a platform for amplifying untold stories and a hub for the thriving arts community of Tampa Bay.
‘Neal Diamond Experience’ rescheduled due to illness
CLEARWATER — Robert Neary, the star of the “So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience,” recently announced that he will be forced to reschedule his upcoming sold-out performance at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Feb. 22 due to being diagnosed with pneumonia.
Tickets will be honored on the new date, Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.RuthEckerdHall.com.
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