Community Calendar

New works by Selina Román blend photography, abstraction, and self-portraiture to explore themes of beauty and the politics of size in Selina Román: Abstract Corpulence. Roman’s photographs feature tightly cropped images of the artist’s own body, boldly occupying the full composition and extending past the boundaries of each frame. Pastel bodysuits and tights transform the artist’s flesh into new, gently rolling landscapes as amorphous shapes converge to create modernist-inspired compositions. At this scale, Roman’s tightly cropped portrayals of stomachs, thighs, and hips become formal studies of line, shape and color, asking viewers to consider the human form from a point of true abstraction. The softly hued palette created by the artist’s bodysuits lends itself to narratives around the aesthetics of femininity. Displayed as a colorful never-before-seen installation, Roman’s photographs transform the gallery into a space of quiet resistance, subverting traditional ideas of feminine beauty.

Selina Román: Abstract Corpulence is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Rangsook Yoon, senior curator at Sarasota Art Museum.

Image credit: Selina Román (American, 1978). Blockhead 1, 2025. Dye sublimation on aluminum, 40 x 50 in. Courtesy of the artist.

Award-winning and internationally recognized artist Janet Echelman (American) is renowned for her soaring installations that merge ancient craft with cutting-edge technology. Using centuries-old fishing net knotting techniques, Echelman transforms humble materials into ethereal sculptures that visualize natural phenomena and the interconnectedness of humanity and the environment.
Radical Softness offers a rare, intimate look at Echelman’s artistic evolution, tracing her journey from early explorations in drawing, painting, and textiles to the monumental, netted sculptures that have redefined public spaces around the world. This exhibition contextualizes the artist’s practice, revealing the narratives, influences, and processes that drive her work. At its core, the exhibition highlights Echelman’s use of softness as a powerful tool—not only in material but as a philosophy. Showcasing a selection of works from across all four decades of the artist’s path-breaking career, along with a series of never-before-seen cyanotypes, Radical Softness reveals how an artist’s work can bring people together and carve out space for reflection in an ever-changing world.
Founded in New York City and based in Boston, Studio Echelman’s impact is global. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, Harvard Loeb Fellowship, Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellowship, and Fulbright Lectureship, her monumental sculptures span five continents. Recent commissions include Remembering the Future at the MIT Museum (2025), Butterfly Rest Stop in Frisco, Texas (2024), Current in Columbus, Ohio (2023), Bending Arc at the St. Pete Pier in Florida (2020), Earthtime Korea (2020), Impatient Optimist at The Gates Foundation in Seattle (2015), and 1.8 Renwick at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (2015), among others.
Janet Echelman: Radical Softness is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Lacie Barbour, associate curator of exhibitions at Sarasota Art Museum.

Image: Janet Echelman (American). Study (Butterfly Rest Stop 1/9 scale), Rome, Italy, 2022. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Giovanni DeAngelis.

USF’s world-renowned print atelier proudly presents a temporary exhibition in its main gallery celebrating the rich legacy of women artists who have collaborated with Graphicstudio over the decades. Showcasing the work of ten influential artists from the studio’s history—Diana Al-Hadid, Trisha Brown, Elisabeth Condon, Lesley Dill, Nancy Graves, Iva Gueorguieva, Graciela Iturbide, Mernet Larsen, Andrea Modica, and Janina Tschäpe—the exhibition highlights the remarkable diversity and innovation these women bring to the field of contemporary art.

Spanning a wide range of artistic practices, the featured works explore the boundaries of printmaking through experimental techniques that merge photography, sculpture, and mixed media assemblage. Together, they reflect the dynamic and evolving role of women in the printmaking tradition and the enduring creative impact of Graphicstudio’s collaborative model.

Graphicstudio is open to the public Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. Free parking is easily available for visitors. Closed on the weekends and USF holidays: November 11, 27 and 28, December 22 through January 2, and January 19.

Pangarap: Espero Reimagined transforms The Maitland Art Center gallery into a canvas of speculative storytelling under Filipino artist Isobel Francisco. Inspired by Jules André Smith’s decision to establish an artist colony in Florida, Francisco envisions an alternate reality where this decision leads to 1937 Philippines. The exhibition features fictional artifacts and artworks to encourage viewers to explore the parallels and contrasts between this imagined scenario and the museum’s history. 'Pangarap,' meaning dream or vision in Filipino, invites audiences to reflect on the cultural impact of one artist’s decision in 1937 and beyond.

Monsters of the American Cinema by Christian St. Croix.

Remy Washington, a Black man and widower, has inherited both a drive-in movie theater and the responsibility of raising Pup, his late husband’s straight, white teenage son. The two forge a strong bond around a shared love of classic American monster movies, but when Remy discovers Pup has been tormenting a gay classmate, their relationship begins to fracture, and the real horrors surface.

Beneath the flickering glow of the drive-in screen, Monsters of the American Cinema becomes a haunting, funny, and unexpectedly tender tale of fatherhood and loss that the Los Angeles Times hails as “exhilarating.”

Español: Por favor únete a nosotros en el Museo de las Bellas Artes (MFA), St. Petersburg cada tercer domingo a las 2 p.m. para nuestra nueva serie de Giras de Idiomas! Cada mes, un docente del MFA liderará un recorrido en un idioma distinto del inglés, ofreciendo una oportunidad excepcional para disfrutar la vasta colección de arte del museo. Ya sea que hables el idioma con fluidez, quieras practicar tus habilidades, o estés buscando una forma ingeniosa de comenzar a aprender, estos recorridos por el museo son una excelente manera de conectarte con otros a través del arte y la cultura.

Estas visitas guiadas públicas son gratuitas con la entrada, pero se recomienda registrarse en antemano para saber cuántos participantes esperar. ¡Las plazas son limitadas! ¡Inscríbase hoy!

¿No puedes asistir esta fecha, pero te interesa reservar una visita guiada en un idioma distinto del inglés? El MFA ofrece actualmente visitas guiadas en ruso, español, portugués y alemán. Para más información, escríbenos a tours@mfastpete.org.

English: Join us every third Sunday at 2 pm for the MFA’s Language Tour Series! Each month, an MFA Docent will guide a tour in a language other than English, offering visitors a fresh and immersive way to explore the museum’s collection. Whether you’re fluent, practicing your language skills, or just beginning your journey, these tours offer a welcoming space to connect through art and culture.

Docent-led Language Tours are free with museum admission, but advance registration is recommended so our docents can plan for group size. Space is limited—reserve your spot today!

Interested in a tour but can’t attend on this date? The MFA also offers docent-led tours in Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German by request. Email us at tours@mfastpete.org to learn more.

Swing into an evening of style, swagger, and timeless charm with Feeling Good, a high-energy celebration of modern crooners. From the timeless elegance of Sinatra and the smooth sophistication of Michael Bublé to the sparkle of Bette Midler and Lady Gaga, this show delivers silky vocals, irresistible rhythms, and captivating personality. Savor swingin’ favorites like “Come Fly With Me” and “It Had to Be You,” fresh hits like “Home” and “Moondance,” and delightfully cheeky numbers such as “Stuff Like That There” and “Me and Mrs. Jones.” Equal parts class and sass, Feeling Good will leave you – well – feeling good.

A comedic murder mystery, complete with mistaken identities, six million bucks in diamonds, and a corpse in a wheelchair. An unassuming English shoe salesman who is forced to take the embalmed body of his recently murdered uncle on a vacation to Monte Carlo. Should he succeed in passing his uncle off as alive, Harry Witherspoon stands to inherit six million dollars. If not, the money goes to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn...or else his uncle's gun-toting ex!

Join Wesley Chapel Theater Group for "War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast" by Joe Landry — a thrilling, live reimagining of the infamous 1938 broadcast that shook America!

Step back in time to 1938, when a radio drama shook the nation! War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast reimagines the legendary Orson Welles broadcast that famously convinced listeners an alien invasion was underway. With live sound effects, vintage microphones, and plenty of drama, this production captures the excitement and the chaos of that fateful night.

Be part of history at the regional premiere of Tori Sampson’s groundbreaking play, Cadillac Crew, running from September 6–16 at The Studio@620. This co-production unites Powerstories Theatre and The Studio@620—two trailblazing, community-driven theatres—for the very first time. Cadillac Crew serves as the grand finale of Powerstories’ 25th anniversary season and launches The Studio@620’s 2025–26 season, marking a powerful handoff between legacies.

Set in 1963 Virginia, the play follows four women activists working behind the scenes of the Civil Rights Movement—asking what happens when women’s voices, courage, and leadership are erased from history.

Though rooted in the past, the play speaks directly to now: whose voices are amplified, whose stories are missing, and what it takes to claim space in the fight for equality.

The production is accompanied by community conversations, film screenings, and the visual art exhibition, all designed to deepen the dialogue and honor women whose work has shaped change.

• Hidden Figures Screening 10/12 @6pm – Green Light Cinema
• Behind the Story 10/19 @ 3pm – The Studio@620
• Members First Look 10/25 – The Studio@620
• The Unseen Thread, Women Art as Movement Exhibition Opening 10/30 – The Studio@620

PERFORMANCES
November 6-8, 13-15 at 7:30 PM
November 9 & 16 at 3:00 PM

General Admission $40
Studio Member/Senior: $35
Groups 10+: $33
Student/Preview: $25

Get tickets at bit.ly/CadillacCrew