Arts In

Steven Kenny’s paintings are startling and beautiful, and utterly unique. He’s an internationally-known Surrealist, and an anchor of the St. Pete arts community. His exquisite skill with oil paints may remind you of Old Masters, or Salvador Dalí. But the characters who look directly at you from his works are wholly original, set in worlds and costumes that blend the natural world with the very personal. In this engaging conversation, Steven Kenny talks with Barbara St. Clair about the surreal images he coaxes from his subconscious, his use of found photographs and his training as an illustrator. Find out more about Steven Kenny’s work at http://www.stevenkenny.com Don’t miss your chance to see “Internal Landscapes: The Mysterious World of Steven Kenny,” a rare exhibit of 50 of his paintings at the Leepa-Rattner Museum through April 15, 2018. . . https://www.leeparattner.org/explore/exhibitions-on-view/ Steven Kenny will also be leading a workshop titled "From Buyers to Collectors: Cultivating Relatio

Bob Devin Jones is the heart of St. Petersburg. The St Pete arts community revolves around The Studio@620, an imaginative arts space that is home to a wide range of visual arts, dance, jazz, kites, gospel, quilts, opera, boating, theatre, film, photography, workshops and lectures, poetry, puppetry and pretty much anything established and emerging artists can come up with. Bob’s a gifted director, actor, writer, artistic director and enabler of creative projects that bring life and joyous surprises to downtown St. Pete. Enjoy this exploration of The Studio’s community engagement and Bob’s passion for Shakespeare and storytelling. Find out more about The Studio@620 - http://www.thestudioat620.org Letters to the Future - https://www.cltampa.com/news-views/article/20763771/letters-to-the-future-bob-devin-jones In the Beginning: The Future of Stories (TEDx Talk) - http://www.vidinfo.org/video/709529/in-the-beginning-bob-devin-jones-at-tedxtampa

Zev Buffman runs Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall. With hundreds of major concerts in multiple venues each year, and an education arm that works with public schools and trains teenagers that Zev books to open for bands like Chicago. Zev spent his own teen years carrying a machine gun in the Israeli army. He invented dinner theatre in L.A. when he was in his 20s, owned a network of theatres in Florida and produced dozens of hit Broadway shows. Zev reworked Andrew Lloyd Webber’s only flop and turned it into a hit, and used his producer’s skills to create the Miami Heat basketball team. He wrangled with Lillian Hellman and spent years working with Elizabeth Taylor, and probably saved her life when he drove her to the Betty Ford Clinic. Listen to an amazing conversation with a true theatrical legend, who now calls Pinellas County home. Find out more about Ruth Eckerd Hall - https://www.rutheckerdhall.com Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Education programs - https://www.rutheckerdhall.com/hoffman-school-of-arts Music Rev

The detailed and imaginative paintings of Carol Dameron focus on allegories, unspoken stories and turning points. Her visual style echoes European masters, seen through American eyes. In this conversation, Carol talks about her European training, new techniques she’s using to re-energize old canvases and the discipline of working as a full-time artist. She details the visceral pleasure of painting on wood, and the allure of creating luminous colors in oils. She also tells us about a thriving studio shared by 42 artists that paved the way for the Warehouse Arts District, the late lamented Salt Creek Artworks. Find out more about Carol Dameron’s work at http://caroldameron.com. A look at Salt Creek Artworks - http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/st-petersburg-artists-displaced-as-salt-creek-artworks-sale-nears/1229621. http://saltcreekartworks.com Arts In is produced by Matt and Sheila Cowley. Executive Producer, Barbara St. Clair for Creative Pinellas.

Allen Loyd spends more than a year every year, putting together St. Petersburg’s biggest New Year’s Eve celebration. First Night is a family-friendly celebration of the arts, a way to roll out the old year and swing in the new with music, dance, visual art, theatre, fireworks and even fire sculptures, now on its 25th year. It’s aimed at letting people of all ages play, and create art themselves. And it’s where Allen’s creative genius has sparked artistic collaborations for decades. Allen wrangled the parade that led The Dalí Museum from their old location to their beautiful new building. He organizes the St. Pete Science Festival every fall and is the longtime House Manager for American Stage in the Park. He’s an experienced set and prop designer whose busy schedule rarely permits theatre work these days, but he found time to design an imaginative set for Tampa Rep’s recent production of Flying. Allen has seen St. Pete change and grow since he started out as American Stage’s first intern. Hear how thi

Akiko Kotani’s art embodies the surprising power and attraction of simplicity. Imagination and a sense of play infuse her work, ranging from miniatures to the striking “Soft Walls” many viewers remember from the recent Skyway Exhibit at the Museum of Fine Art in St. Petersburg. Her work contains a depth of feeling within an economy of means. Kotani’s work is in private, corporate and museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We’re grateful that after a teaching career up North, Pittsburgh’s Artist of the Year is now living and creating art in Gulfport. Enjoy this joyful conversation where Akiko explains the surprising inspiration behind “Soft Walls,” the beauty of creating landscapes from memory, and how and why traditional women’s work is part of her very non-traditional creations. Find out more about Akiko Kotani at - http://akikokotani.com/?page_id=2 Akiko’s new “Floating Cubes” are on display at the Art Center Sarasota through January 19, 2018 - http://artsarasota.org/currente

Mark Aeling is a master sculptor, a lifelong craftsman and, as he calls himself, a maker. His artistic practice is translating ideas into tangible, physical - and often very large - objects. Mark’s MGA Sculpture Studio is a mainstay of St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District. Through his work with the Warehouse Arts Association, Mark’s helping to create the new ArtsXchange, with affordable studio space for working artists. His sculptures are created in a traditional artisan studio, with apprentices learning the craft and assisting on Mark’s large-scale public art projects. He creates works inspired by shapes in the nature, and is adventurous in exploring new techniques. You’ll enjoy this fascinating conversation with an artist who thrives on the challenge of problem-solving and gets inspiration from constantly asking, how can I build that? Find out more about Mark Aeling’s work and the Warehouse Arts District: MGA Sculpture Studio - http://www.mgasculpture.com Warehouse District Arts Association

Master artisan and printmaker Holly Bird is working in the Arts & Crafts Revival, creating art through hands-on methods that haven’t changed for hundreds of years. She worked on the cutting-edge of digital design as those techniques were developing. And storyboarded the classic movie “Caddyshack.” Holly’s lifelong love of sailing and Florida’s waterways give her work a unique look in the Arts & Crafts Movement. She explains how homeowners renovating historic bungalows are keeping the work of skilled artisans in demand. Holly is a Roycroft Renaissance Master Artisan-at-Large who practices her craft - and teaches it - at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center. Listen as she walks us through the fascinating process of creating woodblock prints and copper-plate etching. Explore the work of Holly Bird at http://www.studioibis.com The Roycrofters-at-Large Association - http://www.ralaweb.com More on the Roycroft Campus in Aurora NY - http://roycroftcampuscorporation.com/index.php Check out the many classes, art-ma

Carla Bristol runs the Gallerie 909 in St. Petersburg. It’s the only African American art gallery south of Atlanta. Carla doesn’t just display original works of art and sell them, she opens the doors of the gallery to her community, and invites young people who’ve never explored an art gallery or museum into a welcoming place of creativity and conversation. Gallerie 909 is in the historically African American neighborhood known as The Deuces. The gallery is home to music, poetry, festivals and more. In our conversation, Carla explains the importance of original artwork, and the role galleries and collectors play in an artistic community. She tells us how Gallerie 909 has shown that everyone can appreciate art if you share art with them. Find out more about Gallerie 909 at https://www.gallerie909.com/welcome-1.html Keep up with special events at the Gallerie, and the Annual Black Arts and Film Festival - https://www.facebook.com/gallerie909/ Explore St. Petersburg’s own African American History Trai

Peter Meinke is what he didn’t think was a real job when he started writing - a professional poet. The first Poet Laureate of St. Petersburg is now the Poet Laureate of Florida. He’s friendly and funny, sharp and engaging. And he’s passionate about the sound of words. You’ll enjoy Peter’s conversation with Barbara St. Clair, as he explains the special nature and appeal of poems, the hard work behind it and how poetry is part of life. Peter Meinke named Florida Poet Laureate, Tampa Bay Times - http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/st-petersburgs-peter-meinke-named-poet-laureate-of-florida/2233793 and Creative Loafing - http://www.cltampa.com/arts-entertainment/article/20761823/peter-meinke-named-florida-poet-laureate Peter Meinke’s Poet’s Notebook column in Creative Loafing - http://www.cltampa.com/news-views/poets-notebook Peter Meinke’s published works include: • Unheard Music: Stories (2007) • The Contracted World: New & More Selected Poems (2006) • Zinc Fingers: Poems A to Z (2000) • T

Dora Arreola and Andrea Assaf are longtime collaborators and award-winning theatremakers who create adventurous works that focuses on women, immigration, war and military veterans. Their projects blend music, dance and text to create theatre that is beautiful and powerful. It’s theatre as activism, and as healing. Dora teaches in the University of South Florida School of Theatre and Dance, where Andrea is a frequent guest artist through the nonprofit group, Art2Action. In their inspiring conversation with Barbara St. Clair, they talk about borders both physical and metaphorical. They share the common ground they’ve found in Dora’s Mexican heritage and Andrea’s Arab-American identity. Dora and Andrea talk about the hope you need to create art out of trauma and pain. And the joys of sharing physical theatre, dance, Shakespeare and theatre techniques from around the world with students embracing this diverse 21st century. Find out more about Dora Arreola and Andrea Assaf’s work at: Art2Action: https://art

Babs Reingold is a nationally-known mixed-media artist whose works and large-scale installations are displayed around the country more often than they’re seen near her home in St. Petersburg. Her work asks questions about poverty and climate change. She explores aging and animal rights through her creations. Human hair is a material she often uses in her work. And Babs Reingold’s work is beautiful. In this conversation sparked with passion and laughter, we explore Babs Reingold’s many inspirations, from growing up in public housing to Hurricane Katrina and the hair she pulled out of her brush today. Find out more about Babs Reingold’s work at https://www.babsreingold.com. Selections of her work will be on display this summer at the Museum of Fine Arts in downtown St. Petersburg, as part of the collaborative Skyway Exhibit shared by the MFA, the Tampa Museum of Art and the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. http://tampamuseum.org/news/ringling-museum-fine-arts-st-petersburg-tampa-museum-art-present

Paula Kramer is a dancer and choreographer whose graceful, powerful and adventurously creative. Tom Kramer is a dance photographer known for strikingly beautiful images of dance. The Kramers’ lifelong collaboration has made their life together a vibrant work of art. Now both in their 80s, Paula is still performing and choreographing and Tom is still creating vivid photographs of dancers and musicians. The Kramers are a vital part of St. Pete’s arts community, constantly collaborating with visual, literary and performing artists. In this inspiring and often hilarious conversation, they tell stories together and tell stories about each other. We’ll find out about the groundbreaking work Paula did to integrate dance into elementary school education, and hear Tom’s thoughts on capturing the ephemeral beauty of motion. You can see selections of Tom’s photographs on his web page tomkramerphoto.smugmug.com Tom is currently working with dancer Helen Hansen French on Capturing Dance. Sponsored by the St. Pete Arts

Catherine Woods has a visceral passion for color. She shares the possibilities of ever-changing light through large-scale glass sculptures that change from every angle, and shift their appearance by day and by night. In a conversation rich with laughter, Catherine details the work involved in public art commissions that combine art with engineering and construction crews. She explains the practicalities of leaving a secure job for a full-time art career, and the work required to push beyond simply ‘okay’ ideas to discover sparks that both scare and excite her as an artist. Catherine shares the lure of creating small-scale models and monumental sculptures, of using cutting-edge technology but knowing when to work by hand. She studies the history of art while constantly exploring adventurous new art around the world. Find out more about Catherine Woods’ artwork at: http://cglassstudio.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=2595&Akey=EGW9FJRW Artists mentioned in this Interview: Olafur Eliasson - http://olafureliasson.

If you’re near downtown St Pete, you’ve seen the cheerfully iconic Mr. Sun mural and Twiggy’s dreamy, gazing eyes. The striking Paris-London-Tokyo-St Pete graphic is now a proud city emblem. Many of the city’s signature images spring from the quick-witted mind of Chad Mize. Chad talks with Barbara St. Clair about the allure of mural work, and the draining physical labor of mural creation. He shares his many inspirations, the business sense that lets him earn his living as an artist and the sharp eye for design that drives his work. Explore Chad’s murals, paintings, design, logos, music mixes and more at http://www.chadmize.com/chadmize.html Check out the SHINE Mural Festival at http://shineonstpete.com Arts In is produced by Matt and Sheila Cowley. Executive Producer, Barbara St. Clair for Creative Pinellas.

The vibrant actor Becca McCoy shares her passion for Shakespeare and the sublime storytelling of musical theatre, in a jolly conversation with Barbara St. Clair. Audiences experienced Becca’s four-and-a-half-octave vocal range in her acclaimed performance last year as the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, and in the intimate cabaret setting of the Palladium Side Door. In recent months she’s tackled Tennessee Williams, nostalgic radio-style comedy and an experimental duo with a dancer at the Gasparilla Fringe Fest. As a hard-working member of Actors Equity, Becca’s realistic about life as a working actor and the need to make your own creative opportunities. She’s eloquent about the unique artform of cabaret, and the joys of lifelong learning and exploring. You can keep up with Becca’s varied work at http://www.beccamccoy.com. Arts In is produced by Matt and Sheila Cowley. Executive Producer, Barbara St. Clair for Creative Pinellas. Gasparilla Fringe Fest clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pOEK1928-Y

Rose Marie Prins shares her thoughts on the beauty of abstract art, and the artist’s need to adapt to changing situations and available materials. Her work connects to nature and to healing, both visibly and viscerally, and below the surface. She explores subjects such as habitat destruction and Florida’s water. Viewers often experience an emotional reaction to her paintings and imaginative installations. Born in South Africa, Rose Marie’s paintings, sculptures and mixed-media works are in public, corporate, and private collections in the United States, Canada and Europe. The award-winning artist calls St. Petersburg home, and students at the Morean Arts Center have been studying with her for years. You can see Rose Marie Prins’ artwork in the exhibition, “Sanctuary, East and West” at The Studio@620 in downtown St. Pete, on display May 13-May 30. Rose Marie will give an artist talk at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 13. http://www.thestudioat620.org/events/sanctuary-east-and-west Find out more at http:/

Maureen McDole is a passionate reader and passionate writer. And passionate about creating opportunities for everybody in St Pete to read and write. As the founder and director of Keep St Pete Lit, Maureen has made her literary nonprofit a vital part of the local arts scene. And she’s woven literary arts into visual and performing arts, with the Fantastic Ekphrastic, the Museum of Fine Arts Book Club, the SunLit Festival, First Night and the 100+ writing classes KSPL provides each year at the Morean Arts Center. And along with that, Keep St Pete Lit hosts an annual children’s book drive, open-mic poetry and storytelling, a carefully-curated used bookstore, sunrise poetry and moonlit writing walks. Maureen’s a published poet, recipient of St. Petersburg Art Alliance’s 2016 MUSE Award for Literary Arts, and a true believer that reading can change the world. Keep up with Keep St Pete Lit’s events at - http://keepstpetelit.org Check out their low-cost, professionally-taught writing classes at the Morean

“We’re surrounded by materials. So there’s no reason to not make things.” If you’ve been in downtown St. Pete you have seen James Oleson’s work. The sculptor and muralist shares his infectious enthusiasm for creating public art that’s crafted as a gift to everyone who sees it. James talks about the sense of discovery in his work, and his collaborative projects with St. Petersburg’s Bloom Art Center. He explains in detail his process for creating Fire Sculptures, beautiful at every stage of their existence and especially when alive with 30-foot flames. And he gives us the philosophy of art he shares with children, “If you want to be an artist, you don’t need materials, you don’t need fancy things. You just are an artist and you make stuff out of stuff that’s around you.” You can find out more about James Oleson’s work at http://www.olesonart.com. Keep up with the happenings at Bloom Art Center at http://www.startbloomin.com. Arts In is produced by Matt and Sheila Cowley. Executive Producer, Barbara St. C

Everybody knows Paul Wilborn. From jazz at The Palladium, newspaper pages, the emcee of countless arts events, the voice of “Noel Berlin, Cabaret Detective” and half of a beloved creative couple with actor and torch singer Eugenie Bondurant. But Paul is even more than all of that. In this conversation, he shares his experiences as a war correspondent and award-winning journalist, and as one of the mischievous founders of Guavaween. As Executive Director of downtown St. Pete’s Palladium Theatre, Paul explains how a performing arts center focused on local performers can sell out shows and strengthen the area’s music scene. As a tuxedo-clad cabaret pianist, Paul shares his passion for the vibrant songwriting of the 1920s-‘50s. And from his experience serving as Manager of Creative Industries for the City of Tampa, to becoming a mainstay of St. Petersburg’s arts community, Paul shares his thoughtful perspective on the past, present and future of the arts in Tampa Bay. Events at The Palladium Theatre - http