Not long after I arrived at Michelle Passoff and Andre Kupfermunz’s home in the Old Northeast, Andre informed me that although he was born in 1943, he’d just received the first copy of his actual birth certificate. The reason that Andre was born with a false birth record and the harrowing circumstances of his birth were just one of the many reasons I was there to talk to this fascinating, creative couple. 

Both Andre and Michelle see obstacles as opportunities. And in Andre’s case, it might just be in his genes. He was born in Nazi-occupied France during World War II to Polish-Jewish parents who were Resistance fighters in the French “M.O.I.”… Read More

St. Petersburg is not a place where one has to work hard to find great art. Urban murals adorn buildings. Galleries are located in every corner of the city, and museums are popping up everywhere. In November, you’ll even find an internationally renowned art exhibit making its first appearance on Florida’s West Coast at a church on Snell Isle.

Beginning November 24th and running through February 9, 2020, St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church at 1200 Snell Isle Boulevard NE will be hosting abstract expressionist artist Ludmila Pawlowska’s works in a collection entitled Icons in Transformation. The Russian-born artist draws inspiration from her passion for traditional Russian icons to create dramatic contemporary art, both paintings and sculpture.… Read More

Can you imagine a world without paper? In my small home office, I am surrounded by jotted notes, framed certificates, calendars, business cards, posters, stamps, greeting cards, and books … all indications of how closely paper is interwoven into the fabric of daily life. The Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg’s touring exhibit, Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami takes the familiar medium of paper and transforms it in ways that help the viewer see a realm of new possibilities. “This is one of the MFA’s most ambitious installations, and our guests will be able to experience origami as never before,” says the museum’s executive director, Kristen A.… Read More

We sat on the porch, my neighbors and I – The stories grew wings, the time seemed to fly.

Shakespeare was a well-known bard, a storyteller intent on passing down traditions through the spoken word. My Northeast Park neighbors, Jimmy and Michelle Moore – a.k.a. Lady and the Bard – also use spoken words, along with their unique blend of folk, blues, and jazz to remind listeners of an oft-forgotten America. Oh, the stories I heard as we took a step back in time and spent a Sunday afternoon on the back porch…

Michelle’s Story

Michelle began singing in her church choir at the age of nine.… Read More

Six years ago, I heard about the Sunscreen Film Festival, and as an aspiring animated children’s filmmaker who lives in the Old Northeast, I decided to find out more. I purchased the VIP pass so that I could attend as many workshops and discussions as possible. I wanted to learn more about how to write a proper screenplay and the process filmmakers had to go through to get their dreams on the big screen.

At one of the Sunscreen Film Festival cocktail parties, I happened to meet an Oscar-nominated successful screen writer and subsequently went home with great tips and a determination to write the next big animated children’s film.… Read More

Our beautiful city of St. Petersburg is becoming known as an eclectic artsy town, and our growing collection of urban murals is definitely adding to that image. Murals of all shapes, sizes, and styles are popping up overnight on the front, sides, back and even interiors of buildings. Seems like everyone wants a colorful piece of this unique form of street art on a storefront, restaurant, or bank.

John Collins, executive director of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance – and one of our neighbors in the Old Northeast – tells me there are over 500 murals in St. Pete. That’s a surprising and impressive number!… Read More

It’s no secret that St. Petersburg is quickly solidifying its reputation as an arts destination and an arts community. We have world-class museums, statues, and other visual art in our parks; professional musicians from The Florida Orchestra working with students in schools; colorful murals brightening the sides of buildings; and dozens of cultural centers with full event calendars serving our community.

While this is the product of so many people and organizations, the work of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (SPAA) helped pave the way.  Founded seven years ago, the SPAA is a local 501c3 with the highest Guidestar rating (platinum – to put this into context, only 8 of over 1,000 St.… Read More

When three jazz amigos met at USF, they had no idea what their future together would hold. Awarded Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay Best Jazz Ensemble for three consecutive years, the trio called La Lucha is comprised of John O’Leary on piano, hailing from Mexico; Alejandro Arenas on bass, from Colombia; and Mark Feinman on drums, from Clearwater, Florida.

Community involvement has been a priority for them from the beginning. All three musicians have served on the board of the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, a local non-profit that promotes, preserves, and presents jazz in the Tampa Bay area.… Read More

The tortured artist he is not. In fact, John Harte is quite the opposite: an octogenarian with a ready smile and friendly disposition whose work in watercolors is well known by many in St. Petersburg. Fortunately for us, he is displaying some of his work at USF St. Petersburg. The exhibition will feature John’s delicate and precise paintings of butterflies, moths, and other insects. This exhibition is currently on display at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at USF located at 780 3rd Street South.

John’s use of watercolors represents a certain amount of control, and his style allows for very detailed and colorful depictions.… Read More

Does The Old Northeast neighborhood attract artistic types, or does living here inspire our residents to develop their creative side? We have writers, painters, sculptors and other fine artists, photographers, performance artists, musicians, dancers and singers. Why, there’s even a hat maker and a fashion designer.

Our city is, after all, ranked the #1 arts destination for mid-sized cities (AmericanStyle Magazine) and one of America’s top arts places (ArtPlace America). National publications, including the New York Times, Forbes and National Geographic, rave about our arts and entertainment scene.

It should come as no surprise, then, that our creative corner of town is producing exceptionally talented kids who’ve grown up within walking distance of art museums, galleries, and live performance venues.… Read More