The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art recently held an exhibit celebrating the work of acclaimed photographer and ethnologist Edward S. Curtis. Best known for his monumental early 20th-century publication of the North American Indian, Curtis took photos of indigenous Americans over 23 years beginning in 1907. The publication includes twenty volumes, features more than 100 native nations and tribes, and contains over 2,200 images. The original work is exceedingly rare with fewer than 300 sets printed. In 2021 a set sold for $950,000.

While this work is an important archive of the culture of native peoples at the beginnings of the last century, it is also a reflection of Curtis’s artistry and mastery of photographic mediums.… Read More

Featured image: The Woodson Warriors scholarship program celebrated community and camaraderie at December’s Holiday Mid-Term Luncheon.

Although the Woodson African American Museum of Florida is temporarily closed as renovations continue – doors are expected to reopen later this spring – the museum’s mission has not faltered.

“Through exhibitions, educational programming, community engagement and scholarship initiatives, The Woodson serves as a living repository of Black heritage, honoring the past, illuminating the present, and inspiring future generations,” said Executive Director Terri Lipsey Scott.

One way the museum inspires future generations is through The Woodson Warrior Scholarship, which reflects the mission of the museum itself “to preserve, present, interpret, celebrate, and educate the public about African American history and culture.” … Read More

Featured image: Lodwick created publicity stunts like the “Purity League,” which had Mayor Frank Pulver measuring the length of ladies bathing attire to assure it complied with a (fictitious) city ordinance, image c 1922. Courtesy of St. Petersburg Museum of History

Babe Ruth is rightly credited with putting St. Pete on the national map, as early St. Pete Mayor and baseball booster Al Lang reflected, “The Yankees with Babe Ruth and their stars meant millions to this town.” But there was another promoter diligently working to do the same. His name was John Lodwick.

Lodwick was born in 1890. He began his career as a messenger boy at age 13 for the Associated Press in Cleveland, Ohio.… Read More

Featured image: For generations, Williams Park has served as St. Petersburg’s original city square. Image via Florida Memory.

On a recent Saturday during Localtopia, Williams Park didn’t feel like an afterthought. It felt like a destination.

Families filled the walkways. Food trucks lined the park’s edge. Neighbors lingered beneath 82 shade trees while music drifted from the bandshell. For a few hours, St. Petersburg’s first public space looked exactly like what it was meant to be in 1888: a town square.

That description isn’t accidental. “It was the first platted public space for the city,” said Shaun Drinkard, vice president of the St.… Read More

Something new is rolling out from the Dalí Museum: a 40-foot classroom art space and mobile museum. Christened the The Key to Dalí Art Mobile, this travelling surrealistic exhibition is designed to bring art to the people in classrooms around the county. 

Now, instead of students going to the museum, the museum can come to them, all during school hours. While the Dalí Museum still offers free field trips for local students, “there remained a need to bridge the gap for students or schools that cannot visit the museum in person to experience Dalí’s masterpieces and worldview,” said Sumaya Ayad, school programs & education manager at the museum. … Read More

Enhanced Mobile Mapping with Emerging Technologies – EMMET for short – has an outsized mission to survey the shallowest reaches of Tampa Bay. Photo courtesy of USF-SP

Have you noticed a curious new watercraft of elfin proportions plying the shallows of Tampa Bay? If so, don’t worry – that’s just EMMET!

Enhanced Mobile Mapping with Emerging Technologies – as it is more formally known to its creators at USF’s Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies (COMIT) and the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation – is a pint-sized pontoon boat, just six feet long and three feet at the beam.… Read More

The Sunshine City Soiree will benefit the St. Pete Museum of History and its mission to curate and tell the stories of our city.

The 2026 social season is a whirl, but queen of the ball may just be the first annual Sunshine City Soiree – a community celebration benefitting the St. Petersburg Museum of History (SPMOH) February 21 in the Vinoy ballroom from 6-10 pm.

 “It’s an unforgettable evening of cocktails, dinner, and entertainment with Bryan Hughes & The Crew, with live and silent auctions,” says Executive Director Rui Farias. “This is an opportunity for the museum to help the city celebrate their 134th birthday.… Read More

FitLot is a free, one-hour circuit training class coached by a fitness instructor. Courtesy of Healthy St. Pete.

New year’s resolutions are all about self-improvement – and many of us promise ourselves we’ll focus on our health come January 1. If this sounds like you, then read on: We’ve rounded up some ways for you to get moving a little or a lot, and all of these suggestions are low-cost or free!

Fit St. Pete

Healthy St. Pete operates Fit St. Pete as part of the City of St. Petersburg’s Parks and Recreation Department, with local fitness pros instructing free workouts in parks throughout the city.… Read More

At the Good Folk Fest, from left: Member Artist JJ Hitch (NASCAR wrap design), CEO Kim Dohrman, Board Member Hal Freedman (co-sponsor of the NASCAR show truck), NASCAR’s first self-identified autistic driver Armani Williams, Willi Rudowsky (co-sponsor of the NASCAR show truck), and Development Coordinator Shane Hoffman.

In 1998, I applied for a job as a studio assistant/teacher at a new arts organization called Creative Clay. I met two women, the founders of the organization, named Grace-Anne Alfiero and Danielle Sangita, who described a bit about working with special needs adults. Though I had an idea of what this meant, it was a revolutionary experience when I first met the group of clients that I would be working with. … Read More

City Councilmember Corey Givens, Local Mural artist Laura Spencer, and PTB Executive Director Manny Leto in the new PTB space.

When Preserve the ‘Burg cut the ribbon on its new headquarters on November 8 in the Warehouse Arts District, the moment marked far more than an office upgrade. For the nearly 50-year-old organization, founded in 1977, and long operating without a walk-in space for the public, the opening represents a new era of presence, accessibility, and community engagement in St. Petersburg. 

“We’ve never had a public-facing office, a place where people could come and interact with us,” says Executive Director Manny Leto.… Read More