Robert D. Thompson 
Art Lofts, Spirits of St. Pete will present Valentween 2022
ST. PETERSBURG — A reception for “Valentween 2022: Illuminati/Illuminaughty” will be held on Saturday, February 12, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Art Lofts, 10 Fifth St. N., St. Petersburg.
Reception is free and open to the public. Individual tarot readers have their own prices for readings.
This year’s event includes the Valentween Art Show, sponsored by Spirits of St. Petersburg. The show will feature the erotic use of light. This year, the prizes will be decided by the public: participants will vote for their favorite works and the top winners will receive cash prizes for first, second and third place. A photo spot for Valentween will also be available, so bring your cell phones. Avacado (Kristi Capone) will provide snacks. Darjuxena’s BREWS dance performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tarot card readings are also available for those who want to see where their love life will go in 2022. Individual tarot readers have their own prices for readings.
This year it’s also a 2-for-1 show. B. Stark Art Studios is sponsoring the Tarot Card Project Sneak Peek, with 20 artists showing their artwork on both walls of Stark’s studio and in the kitchen. The official show will open in October, with 78 performers describing their interpretation of an assigned tarot card, and a tarot deck made from those images. This preview is a perfect seduction, and prints of images will be for sale.
“Valentween 2022: Illuminati/Illuminaughty” runs until February 28.
Pinellas Recovers grants are now open
LARGO – Creative Pinellas Pinellas Recovers grants are now open.
Pinellas Recovers grants will help non-profit artists and arts organizations recover from the effects of Covid-related economic losses while supporting underserved communities. Creative Pinellas was one of 24 local arts agencies selected nationwide to receive a $500,000 US bailout grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“We are very excited to apply for and win this grant from the NEA,” said Barbara St. Clair, CEO of Creative Pinellas, “because we know how important it is to get funding for the arts in the county of Pinellas. This is actually the fourth COVID-related fundraising program that Creative Pinellas has launched or worked on, including the Arts Community Relief Fund in Spring 2020 and the Cares Act funds through the county, which have distributed more than $3.5 million to artists and arts organizations. Today, we are very pleased to contribute an additional $500,000 to arts welfare in our community. When the National Endowment for the Arts granted us these funds, we knew it would help us strengthen our mission and create positive change for Pinellas County.
Creative Pinellas will use NEA funds to provide grants directly to eligible artists and arts organizations, to support audience engagement with individual artists and their work, and to support salaries, artist stipends, marketing and promotions. for arts and cultural organizations. There is no match required.
Online guidelines and applications open February 1. The application deadline for arts organizations is March 14, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. The application deadline for individual artists will be March 28, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. April 2022 for arts organizations and April 25, 2022 for individual artists, and is in addition to the annual Creative Pinellas Professional Artists and Emerging Artists grants. It will reward:
• 21 individual artist project grants from $2,500 to $10,000
• 25 Organizational Operating Grants ranging from $2,500 to $50,000 (based on up to 10% of the organization’s operating budget for 2019 to present)
“These grants recognize the vital role of local arts agencies and will allow them to help rebuild local economies and contribute to the well-being of our communities. said Ann Eilers, acting president of the NEA.
To be eligible for a Pinellas Recovers grant, arts organizations must have a DUNS number. Once an organization has a DUNS number, they will then need to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in SAM.gov using their DUNS number. The process can take up to a few weeks. It is strongly recommended that you start now by going to dnb.com/duns-number.html.
This is not mandatory for individual artists.
To apply, view guidelines, or for more information, visit www.creativepinellas.org/pinellasrecovers.
Painters organize an outdoor event
The Pastel Society of Tampa Bay and the Dunedin Fine Art Center will host Beauty on the Tampa Bay on Saturday, February 19.
This event is open to all pastel artists in the region. Artists will gather at one of four convenient locations at 9 a.m. to register and get stamped to participate. The four locations are spread across the Tampa Bay area to allow for maximum attendance, and include Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Downtown Tampa and Dunedin. The canvases will be stamped and signed between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Then the artists will disperse in space in search of inspiration. Artists will paint outdoors from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., when the work must be returned for framing and judging. All paintings are returned to the Dunedin Fine Art Center, where framing assistance and a framing workstation are available on site.
A reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. with refreshments. Catherine Bergman, Curator of Exhibits at MAEC, will judge and award cash prizes for Best Beach/Seascape, Best Cityscape, and Best Landscape. A public prize will also be named. The work will be exhibited at the MAEC that evening and on Sunday, February 20 from 1 to 4 p.m.
The registration fee is $20 for members and $25 for non-members to benefit the Pastel Society of Tampa Bay.
Artists can register between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. at any of these locations:
• Parc Phillippe, 2525 Phillippe Parkway, Safety Harbour, in the first parking lot, set of picnic tables at the water’s edge.
• Anderson Park, 39699 US 19 N., Tarpon Springs, in Shelter 1
• Stirling Art Studio, 730 Broadway, Dunedin, second floor
• Armature Works, 1910 N. Ola Ave., Tampa, in front of Ulele Restaurant near the walkway by the pond.
For information, visit pastelsocietyoftampabay.com.
A local author shares the importance of self-hugging
MADEIRA BEACH – With a mission to raise the self-esteem of men, women and children, Sherry Duquet, author of “Violet the Hugging Octopus” and co-owner of Madeira Beach Yoga, encourages people to use a technique of self-hug that she shared while teaching yoga classes and in her bestselling children’s book.
A common understanding and research studies show that hugs help reduce stress and even protect people from illness. Adapting to our new pandemic lives has reduced the frequency of hugs between individuals. This underscored the value of self-hugging, which also offers strong emotional and health benefits.
“Self-hugging is free, easy to learn, and can help build self-esteem the first time you try it,” Duquet said. “We could all use hugs right now, and I want to show everyone how easy it is to do and how nice it can be.”
For more information on Duquet, visit SherryDuquet.com.
