Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States at USF Contemporary Art Museum
The USF Contemporary Art Museum presents “Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States” from January 13th to March 4th.
While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is well known for his “I Have a Dream” speech, there is much less emphasis on his “The Poor People’s Campaign,” a multicultural, multi-faith, multi-racial movement to unite poor people and their allies to demand an end to poverty and inequality.
“Fifty-three years after Dr. King’s death, the Reverend William Barber II launched a contemporary push to fulfill Dr. King’s mission through a “revolution of values” that unites poor and impacted communities across the country,” an exhibition description on the USF CAM website says. “This exhibition is a visual response to Dr. King’s “last great dream” as well as Reverend Barber’s recent ‘National Call for Moral Revival.'”
“With artworks spanning more than 50 years, the exhibition is divided into two parts: ‘Resurrection’ (1968-1994) and ‘Revival’ (1995-2022),” the description continues. “‘Resurrection’ includes photographs, paintings, prints, videos, sculptures, books, and ephemera made by an inclusive company of American artists, from Jill Freedman’s photographs of Resurrection City, the tent enclave that King’s followers erected on the National Mall in 1968, to John Ahearns’ plaster cast sculpture Luis Fuentes, South Bronx.
Jill Freedman’s “Resurrection City” is part of the exhibition “Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States” at the USF Contemporary Art Museum. ‘Revival’ offers contemporary engagement across a range of approaches, materials and points of view. Conceived in a declared opposition to poverty, racism, militarism, environmental destruction, health inequities, and other interlocking injustices, this exhibition shows how artists in the US have visualized poverty and its effects since 1968. Participating artists include John Ahearn, Nina Berman, Martha De la Cruz, Jill Freedman, Rico Gatson, Mark Thomas Gibson, Corita Kent, Jason Lazarus, Miguel Luciano, Hiram Maristany, Narsiso Martinez, Adrian Piper, Robert Rauschenberg, Rodrigo Valenzuela, William Villalongo and Shraddha Ramani. ‘Poor People’s Art’ is curated by Christian Viveros-Fauné, CAM Curator-at-Large and organized by the USF Contemporary Art.”
There are a series of events related to the exhibit in January:
Poor People’s Art Panel Discussion
At 7 p.m. Thursday, January 12th there will be a panel discussion of artists featured in “Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States” at the USF School of Art & Art History Lecture Hall (FAH 101).
The discussion will include Nina Berman, Rico Gatson, and Jason Lazarus. Curator Christian Viveros-Fauné will lead the conversation exploring issues and topics addressed in the exhibition. This event is free and open to the public.
Poor People’s Art Gallery Tour and Opening Reception
An art gallery tour and the opening reception are scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, January 13th at the USF Contemporary Art Museum (CAM.Exhibition curator Christian Viveros-Fauné and artist Miguel Luciano will lead a gallery tour at 6:30 p.m., followed by an opening reception until 9 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Old News/New News: Resurrection City and Visualizing Poverty in America
At 6 p.m. Thursday, January 26th at the USF School of Art & Art History Lecture Hall (FAH 101), a talk will focus on the role of photography in creating our understanding of poverty in America.
Lisa Sutcliffe, Curator in the Department of Photographs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Christian ViverosFauné, curator of “Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States,” will discuss Jill Freedman’s photographs of Resurrection City as well as the work of other photographers as they uncover the unique relationship between photography and the public perception of economic hardship. This event is free and open to the public.
For more information, go to Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States.
Irene Rodríguez Flamenco at Carrollwood Cultural Center
Jan 7
Classical Spanish and flamenco dancer and choreographer Irene Rodríguez performs at the Carrollwood Cultural Center Saturday, January 7th at 8 p.m.
With more than 20 years of experience, Rodríguez has been a teacher and choreographer for the National Ballet of Cuba, the National Ballet School and the National Spanish Dance School of Cuba. She was bestowed the Order of “Isabel La Catolica” by Felipe VI, the King of Spain, in 2018. Rodríguez brings her expertise, passion and talent to the Carrollwood Cultural Center in the Center’s first event of the new year.
For more information, go to Carrollwood Center Irene Rodríguez Flamenco.
Cristina Molina Ghost Orchid: Fever Dream at Tempus Volta
Visual artist Cristina Molina’s exhibition “Ghost Orchid: Fever Dream” is at Tempus Volta at the Ybor City Kress Building from January 5th through February 2nd.
In the exhibit, the elusive flora Dendrophylax lindenii, or ghost orchid, is personified as an apparition, oracle, and provocateur that positions the viewer as an orchid hunter trespassing in the swamp.
“Throughout the video, the Ghost Orchid delivers poignant and sage-like monologues about climate change, humanity’s dominion over the wetlands, and its impact on species’ survival. Rendered as a fever dream, footage of dancers donning a ghost orchid costume is cut to atmospheric singing and field recordings made in the South Florida Everglades,” a description on the Tempus Projects website says. 
“Ghost Orchid: Fever Dream,” a solo exhibit by artist Cristina Molina, is at Tempus Volta at the Ybor City Kress Building from January 5th through February 2nd.“Drawing from true stories of orchid hunters and their desperate obsessions with capturing ghost orchids in the wild, the videos are paced and structured so that they appear and disappear throughout the space, never to be fully grasped.”
“Cristina Molina is a visual artist who hails from the subtropics of Miami and currently lives and works in New Orleans—two environmentally precarious sites that have influenced her research on identity, loss, and disappearing landscapes,” the description continues. “Spanning performance, video installation, photography, and textile design, Molina’s artwork is set amongst vulnerable terrains both real and imagined. Using the language of magical realism, her works reshape and centralize little-known narratives to upend dominant histories. Molina’s projects are typically collaborative and often include the participation of The Crystal Efemmes—a collective that produces immersive installations and performances with feminist agendas and mythical proposals. From 2014-20 Molina was a member of the New Orleans artist-run project, The Front where she curated artwork and co-organized The Front’s annual film festival. Cristina Molina is an Associate Professor and Gallery Director at Southeastern Louisiana University where she received the 2018 President’s Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity and was the recipient of the Viola Brown Endowed Professorship in Visual and Dramatic Arts from 2020-22.”
For more information, go to Tempus Projects Ghost Orchid.
Also in the Ybor Kress Building:
Dinonetics: Fossilized Feelings and Prehistorical Misfortune at QUAID Gallery
“Dinonetics: Fossilized Feelings and Prehistorical Misfortune,” a solo exhibition by artist Anthony Record is at the QUAID Gallery from January 5th through February 11th. The opening reception is 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, January 5th.
Late Night Thoughts
“Late Night Thoughts,” a solo exhibition by Jacob Z. Wan, is at Parachute Gallery from January 5th to 19th. The opening reception is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, January 5th.
“Late Night Thoughts is a solo exhibition by Jacob Z. Wan that portrays intimate conversations of longing as a gay boy,” an exhibition description says. “Through creating a dreamy experience with paintings, handmade books, and installation, this exhibition emphasizes the importance of oneself in romantic relationships.”
Jewels and Binoculars Hang from the Head of the Mule, What Does the Cowboy Dream About?, Note to Self
Three new exhibitions debut in galleries at the Kress Building on January 26th, with opening receptions scheduled that evening.
Tempus Projects reopened in new space at the Kress Building late last year and enters the new year with two concurrent exhibitions, “Jewels and Binoculars Hang from the Head of the Mule” and “What Does the Cowboy Dream About?”
“Jewels and Binoculars Hang from the Head of the Mule,” a group exhibition featuring Kendra Frorup, Coulter Fussell, Michael Jones and Michi Meko, and multimedia artist Takeo Faison’s “What Does the Cowboy Dream About?” are at Tempus Projects Gallery from January 26th through March 2nd. The opening receptions for the exhibitions are 7 p.m. Thursday, January 26th.
“Note to Self,” a solo exhibition by @AWYEAHIZZY, is at Parachute Gallery in the Kress Building from January 26th to February 9th. The opening reception is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, January 26th.
For more information, go to Tempus Projects, QUAID Gallery and Parachute Gallery.
Hamlet at Jobsite Theater
Jobsite Theater presents the William Shakespeare classic “Hamlet” at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts Jaeb Theater from January 11th through February 5th.
This is Jobsite’s 22nd season of celebrating the Bard. The production features a powerful score from the company’s award-winning resident composer Jeremy Douglass.
For more information, go to Jobsite Theater.
Captured From Nature by Vanya Robinson
“Captured From Nature” by Vanya Robinson is at St Pete ArtWorks through January 29th.
“Vanya Robinson finds inspiration in natural and found objects from the local environment of our beaches and waterways,” a description of the show says. “She brings her own original style to her art by arranging seashells into colorful representations of nature and animals, such as frogs and seahorses.”
“Vanya recently moved from Arizona to St. Petersburg, embracing the offerings from the beaches as her new materials,” the description continues. ”Currently the beach treasures, along with her vivid imagination keep her work playful. She defines her art as ‘Captured from Nature.’”
“Captured from Nature” runs through January 29th at St. Pete ArtWorks during regular gallery hours. A reception is scheduled during St. Pete’s Second Saturday Art Walk on January 14th from 5 to 9 pm. The reception will feature current artwork in the gallery, food, drink and art demos. Music will be provided by keyboardist, Eddie Garrido starting at 6 pm
For more information, go to St. Pete ArtWorks.
Spirit, Rhythm, Blues: Le’Andra LeSeur at [email protected] Dale Mabry Campus
“Spirit, Rhythm, Blues” by celebrated New York artist Le’Andra LeSeur is at Gallery221 at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus from January 9th through March 2nd.
The opening reception is Thursday, January 19th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with an artist performance at 6 p.m.
“Le’Andra LeSeur (b. 1989, Bronx, NY) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work encompasses a range of media including video, installation, photography, painting, and performance,” a description of the exhibition says. 
“Spirit, Rhythm, Blues” by celebrated New York artist Le’Andra LeSeur is at Gallery221 at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus from January 9th through March 2nd.“LeSeur’s body of work—a celebration of Blackness, queerness, and femininity—seeks to dismantle systems of power and achieve transcendence and liberation through perseverance. In Spirit, Rhythm, Blues at [email protected], LeSeur’s installation encourages viewers to contemplate themes such as identity, family, grief and joy, the experience of invisibility, and the power of language.”
LeSeur received a B.F.A in Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia and a B.S.B.A from Bucknell University, Pennsylvania. She has received several notable awards including the Leslie-Lohman Museum Artists Fellowship (2019), the Time-Based Medium Prize as well as the Juried Grand Prize at Artprize 10 (2018).
For more information, go to HCC galleries.
ROSHIN’S WAKE by Dorothy Hershman at The [email protected]
“ROSHIN’S WAKE,” a one-woman play, written, directed and performed by award-winning actor, retired lower division Drama Specialist at Berkeley Preparatory School and Gulfport resident, Dorothy Hershman, is at The [email protected] from January 19th to 21st.
Ms. Hershman describes the one-hour play as a simple “journeying tale.” In the play, grandmother and Irish immigrant Oognah Donohue crosses the western frontier in 1864. That journey is the backdrop for one woman’s very human journey from tragedy, through grieving, to a celebration of life, shared with the audience in the role of her fellow travelers.
Evening performances are Thursday, January 19th and Friday, January 20th at 8 p.m. A matinee performance is Saturday, January 21st at 2 p.m.
For more information, go to The Studio at 620 .
Choral Workshop and Concert
Tampa Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church Music Director Nancy Callahan, members of the Tampa Oratorio Singers, the PCPC Chancel Choir and all interested singers will be part of a choral workshop and concert at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church from January 20th to 22nd.
Rehearsal is on Saturday, January 21st with the performance on the afternoon of Sunday, January 22nd.
For more information, contact Stephen Allen at 813-997-7859 or [email protected].
Floral Design Workshop – Winter Season at Meacham Urban Farm
Blue House Florals is holding a floral design workshop at Meacham Urban Farm from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 28th.
The workshop will focus on creating a garden-style arrangement while learning basic floral design principles. All arrangements will feature locally grown, organic flowers and foliage. Anticipated flowers include ranunculus, snapdragons, anemones, ammi and more.
Blue House Florals is holding a floral design workshop at Meacham Urban Farm from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 28th.
“In this workshop, participants will learn the basic principles of floral design including composition, balance, texture, and movement. We’ll use botanical elements as our palette to create a floral piece that celebrates Florida’s natural beauty,” says Kali Rabaut, founder of Blue House Florals.
For more information, go to Blue House Florals.
Sunshine State Theatre debuts in Bradenton
Sunshine State Theatre is debuting as Bradenton’s only professional nonprofit theater company with performances of “Almost, Maine” from January 6th through 8th at Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave. E.
Janet Raines is the executive director of the new theater company and Jalex Scott is the artistic director. Performances of “Almost, Maine” are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. January 6th and 7th and 3:30 p.m. on January 8th.
For more information, go to Sunshine State Theatre.
