The 2024 storm season won’t soon be forgotten. The city experienced back-to-back hurricanes that flooded homes and carved up the landscape. But even in the darkness, there is light. The residents of this area did what they do best: they helped each other. This included hands reaching out to our local artist community.

After Milton, things were amiss in many ways. The October Art Walk was suspended. The SHINE mural festival was delayed. A popular event, Hauntizaar, was canceled. Art receptions were left unattended, art unseen, and unsold. Two art centers on the beaches, as well as numerous galleries, like A Little Room for Art, were flooded and closed. A… Read More

As the Northeast Journal’s 20th anniversary coincides with the September/October issue, it seems timely to look back at our area’s top haunted places. Some of these have been covered in the hallowed pages of prior NEJ issues, but we threw in a few extra – just for boo…

Perhaps the best-known haunted spot is one with its own big anniversary next year: St. Pete’s Pink Lady, the Vinoy Hotel. It was built by Aymer Vinoy Laughner, a wealthy businessman from Pennsylvania, at the urging of his party guests. He bought the land for $170,000, hired now-famous architect Henry Taylor (we will see him again in this article), and worked to finish the 375-room hotel in 10 months so that it could open on New Year’s Eve 1925. Its… Read More

There’s hip, and then there’s Hip Expressions near Crescent Lake, a belly dance studio founded by St. Pete local, Johanna “Zenobia” Krynytzky. With bright blonde hair and a flowing wardrobe, Johanna is many things: a dancer, teacher, cancer survivor, and entrepreneur. She is also a common sight around the ‘Burg as she works to share her unique form of expression.

Johanna’s parents and grandparents moved to the United States during World War II, and she says her love for dancing comes, in part, from her heritage as a first-generation Ukrainian-American.

“Growing up, Ukrainian was my first language, and I was surrounded by Ukrainian community, music, culture, and beliefs,” she explains.… Read More

As Father’s Day approaches, there’s a unique market experience where you might just find that perfect gift and more: the St. Pete Sunday Market in the Warehouse Arts District.

The event is the brainchild of Kody Roussert and Soudabah Moayedi, founders of St. Pete is Super Cool, which showcases the best things around town. 

“Every local in St. Pete has noticed the growth that has happened over the past few years in our city,” explains Soudabah. “The world is finally realizing how great St. Pete is. From the amazing weather, local art, amazing beaches, and our sense of community, what isn’t to love about our city?” … Read More

Photos courtesy of the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts

Spring is springing in the ‘Burg which means it’s time for the annual Art in Bloom event at the Museum of Fine Arts! As part of our local landscape, this exhibit presents a living four-day floral art installation pairing some of the Bay area’s finest floral artists with works of art throughout the museum. 

What makes this event so special is its unique combination of art and nature and the way it creates an immersive experience for museum visitors. The pieces add a multi-sensory encounter for those who attend. Intermingled with the scent of flowers is a contrast of colors, shapes, and textures. … Read More

There are two names that are intricately linked in St. Petersburg: Amanda Cooper and the Morean Arts Center. A familiar face about town, Cooper has worked tirelessly with the local arts community and is the chief curator for the center, with the daunting task of programming the gallery spaces at the Morean and Chihuly Collection. As part of the Morean’s exhibition team, she helps organize over 50 exhibitions each year across three different locations.

Cooper is also preparing to celebrate her 25th anniversary at the Morean this February. 

The first incarnation of her job was as the gallery director for the then-named Arts Center.  She… Read More

Fall in St. Petersburg isn’t just jack-o’-lanterns and spiced lattes. It’s also the backdrop to the annual SHINE Mural Festival, produced by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance. This unique art festival has added nearly 150 murals across the city since 2015, and shows no sign of slowing down.

Jenee Preibe volunteered with the festival in 2016. Three years later, she was hired as its director. “As a community volunteer, I aided artists with their works. I was so blown away by the experience that I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” she says. “These murals are very accessible.  Anyone… Read More

Tom Jones: Here We Stand, hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts, explores the modern lives of Native Americans through the lens of one of the tribe, and is the first major retrospective of the Ho-Chunk photographer’s work. Comprised of parts of a dozen series from Jones’ body of work, it includes tribal elders, family life, spirituality, and ideas of cross-cultural appropriation. The pieces shift between documentary and conceptual, with an interest in challenging assumptions, exposing stereotypes, and revealing contemporary tribal experiences. 

Jones, an accomplished artist, writer, curator, and educator, is also an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin.… Read More

In the heart of the downtown business district, nestled in a historic building that was once known as Rutland’s Department Store, stands Florida CraftArt. As a statewide, nonprofit organization, Florida CraftArt’s mission is to grow Florida’s creative economy by engaging the community and advancing fine craft artists with their works. It’s a big mission, and the woman behind it is Chief Executive Officer Katie Deits.

“The best part of my position as CEO is feeling like I am making a difference in the lives of artists and bringing the joy of art to the community with the gallery, exhibitions, and educational programming,” she says.… Read More

Williams Park has long been at the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, with a unique history that dates to the very planning of the city. The block-sized piece of land was donated by city founder John Williams, and it shows up on the first city plat in 1888.  

The area opened under the name “City Park” but was, like much of Florida at the time, overrun with palmettos and scrub brush. According to Making of St. Petersburg, by Will Michaels, though John Williams died in 1892, his widow, Sarah, continued to work with volunteers to get the park underway. In 1893, the Park Improvement Association formed and, with the aid of women from the local churches, sponsored a Park Day.… Read More