Artists & Writers

BEADS & BAUBLES Dr. Dori Kazdin debuted her Dr. Dori Jewelry collection at WADA Nov. 13th at ArtWalk. The Chicago transplant lives in Tierra Verde full-time after years of snowbirding during infrequent vacays from her busy medical practice. This witty woman has an artist soul. Both she and husband/realtor/actor Ron Goldstein are arts enthusiasts, attending jazz and theater shows as well as gallery openings.

“Back in the 80s I discovered some beautiful Czech glass beads when I lived in San Diego. I used to love going to the bead district and started doing it as a hobby when I was doing my fellowship in immunology. Just for fun I started to go to bead shows, what woman doesn’t love gemstones? I was in New York visiting my parents and found out there was a bead district near the garment district. I would call my husband and say, “oops honey, just spent this month’s mortgage cash,” says Dr. Dori.

Her love of beading grew. “I made primarily necklaces for myself, my mother, some friends. I would laugh and show my mom that this is my ‘fall collection’ when I did a few more necklaces for her. Mom has difficulty with clasps, so I started making a lot of opera length necklaces, those that fit easily over your head.” In her collection you’ll find amethyst, blue topaz, green amethyst, lots of turquoise and lapis. She just started using cloisonné beads for a colorful accent. She uses mostly semi-precious stones, Vermeil pieces (gold over silver) and gold-filled wire and chain when designing the necklaces and earrings.

Dori’s world travels and Florida style inspire her stunning collection. “I find that women love to fill their neckline with beautiful items, mine are mostly of the chunkier variety. When I moved to Florida, I realized that some of the days are really hot, and your neck gets a little sticky with sunscreen. I started making some earrings for a little more flash as an alternative.”

CHARLIE PARKER POTTERY Owning a bowl from this celebrated artist is like winning a Wonka golden ticket. At his Sixth Ave. DTSP studio, you can take classes and buy pottery from Parker and other ceramic artists. Charlie Parker’s ceramic career began in 1967 at the age of 14 when he joined Minnesota Clay Company as a part-time clay mixer. From 1971 to 1975 Charlie studied with Warren Westerberg at Westerberg Pottery in Minneapolis. During his apprenticeship with Westerberg, he focused on form and expression. While working with Westerberg, Charlie’s interest in glaze application and firing technique were refined. In 1996, Charlie partnered with Russ Gustafson-Hilton and Stan Cowen to establish St. Petersburg Clay Company. St. Pete Clay began as a small clay studio with 12 members, a ceramic supply store and gallery. In 2002, St. Pete Clay moved to a new 33,000 square foot location in the historic Seaboard Coastline Train Depot and in 2010, Charlie started his studio. The award-winning artist’s accolades include a 2018 Muse award for Artist of the Year.

BOOK NOOK Want a fantastic holiday read? Check out Lady in Red, by local author and painter Jackie Hemingway. This longtime Florida resident enjoys offshore swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and walking St. Pete beaches. She is also the founder of The Outlaw Girls of St. Pete Beach. Jackie has been very open about her lifetime journey dealing with gender dysphoria and what it is like growing up and living in the wrong body. She is an avid supporter and member of the Human Rights Campaign, hrc.org, the LGBT+ community and works to promote equality and human rights for every person around the world.

Eckerd accolades

Industry trade publication VenuesNow named Ruth Eckerd Hall the recipient of the

2021 All-Stars Award – Theater and Performing Arts

Center. In making their selection, VenuesNow identified and researched venues from across the industry and heard the opinions of those who work in it. It’s far from Eckerd’s only industry recognition. In 2002 and 2008, Ruth Eckerd Hall was nominated by Pollstar for Theatre of the Year. In 2020, Ruth Eckerd Hall was nominated by the Academy of Country Music for Theatre of the Year. In 2020, Pollstar named Ruth Eckerd Hall the #1 venue in Tampa, #4 venue in Florida, #5 venue in the United States, and #5 venue in the world of theatre venues with 2,500 seats or less. Creative Pinellas is one of 66 local arts agencies nationwide to receive an American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The $500,000 grant helps artists and nonprofit arts organizations recover from the pandemic. Creative Pinellas will use the funds to provide grants directly to eligible artists and arts organizations; support public participation with individual artists and their work; and support salaries, stipends to artists, marketing, and promotions for arts and cultural organizations.

Why not visit too? Creative Pinellas’ Arts

Annual Gallery Exhibition is a beautiful collection of artwork and installations made by leading artists from Pinellas County. Spend an afternoon with Creative Pinellas to view the exhibition, on view at 12211 Walsingham Rd. in Largo, through Dec. 19. The gallery is free and is open Wednesday through Sunday 12-5pm.

Banksy wannabes in action

Have you seen the Pinellas Trail murals completed as part of Pinellas County

Transportation’s Graffiti

Abatement program? The partnership with Creative Pinellas promotes the use of public art to deter vandalism on infrastructure and has proven to be successful since the program began in 2019. Seven murals have been completed so far including two Palm Harbor murals at the Boot Ranch underpass and the corner of Belcher and Alderman Roads, Largo’s Pinellas Trail overpass on West Bay Drive, and the Pinellas Trail underpass at US19 in Tarpon Springs.

Smoke on the Water redux

Deep Purple returns to Tampa Bay Saturday, Feb. 12, at 8pm at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater. Tickets start at $59.50 and can be purchased online through Ticketmaster, or by calling Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts at 727-300-2000. For more information about this event, visit www.themahaffey.com. Known as one of the hardest working bands ever, Deep Purple has released six studio albums since 1996 alone and has toured nearly nonstop since forming in 1968. Among other accolades, the band – Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Steve Morse and Don Airey – was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

freeFall Theatre There’s still to see this all-new holiday offering, The Night Before, Matthew McGee and Michael Raabe’s world-premiere musical comedy. The premise: There’s no place like home for the holidays. It’s snowing in sunny Florida when a group of friends and a surly house cat named Stephen Sondheim gather around the piano for a night of fun, music and games. The Night Before runs through Dec. 24, and tickets range from $45-$55. For more information and to purchase tickets see www.freefalltheatre.com.

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” – Carl Jung

24th Annual Florida CraftArt Festival presents $10K in awards

Of the 87 participating artists from 13 states, 12 were awarded a total of $10,000 during the late November festival. Glenn Woods and Keith Herbrand, known as The Pottery Boys, won the show’s top prize of $3,000 for Best of Show. Among the other award winners was Gulfport’s own Alice Pickett-Lewis (Fiber) who won an Award of Merit. For more information about Florida CraftArt see www.floridacraftart.org.

Working on the blockchain

One of only two privately owned first printings of the U.S. Constitution sold at Sotheby’s New York recently for $43.2 million, becoming the most expensive book, manuscript, historical document, or printed text ever to hit the auction block. The winning bidder, who remains anonymous, defeated ConstitutionDAO, a group of cryptocurrency enthusiasts who banded together to fundraise on the blockchain to purchase the document. The final price beats out an auction record that stood for 27 years, when Bill Gates purchased the Codex Leicester by Leonardo da Vinci at Christie’s in 1994 for $30.8 million. The “DAO” in ConstitutionDAO is short for decentralized autonomous organization, a type of community-run business that operates on the blockchain and does not have a central governing body. The Florida Aquarium named seven new members to its board of directors. Five standing members were also reappointed. Despite the pandemic, the Aquarium continues to grow attendance and revenue, increase research and conservation efforts, and expand educational and community impact. The new board members are David Bevirt of Water Street Tampa; Doreen Caudell of D-Mar General Contracting; Veronica Cintron of Tampa International Airport; Kristin Greco of PAR, Inc.; Marcus Greene of Truist; Jody Haneke of Haneke Design; and Eric Weisberg of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF)

celebrates its 10th anniversary season June 28-July 18 at USF Tampa. The organization offers each student about a semester of tuition-free lessons, nightly masterclasses, and tons of practice time. Plus beach, dolphins, Chihuly, Yoga, Dalcroze, Special Topic Classes, and performances by all. For more information and to apply see www.rebeccapenneys pianofestival.org.

Hermitage happenings

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County awarded the Hermitage Artist Retreat a $50,000 Strategic Partnership Grant to support the Hermitage’s artist residency program and, for the fifth consecutive season, to serve as “Grand Sponsor” of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner in April. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize comprises a six-week Manasota Key-based Hermitage residency and a $30,000 commission to create an original work. The honor rotates annually between music, theater, and visual art. The 2022 prize will be awarded to a musician. For more information about Hermitage artists, programs, and events, visit online at www.hermitageartistretreat.org.