Arts Alliance MUSE Awards bash is right around the corner

Those backstage on the St. Petersburg arts scene – visual, performing and otherwise – aren’t really much of a party crowd. Usually, they’re busy working. Making life in this city exceptional and fun for the rest of us.

That all changes around this time of year, however, with the annual MUSE Awards. It’s a celebration of movers and shakers, as nominated and chosen by the 18 board members of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance. “It’s a pretty casual process,” according to Tracy Kennard, the organization’s director of marketing, and director of the monthly ArtWalk event. “They just try to make sure that diversity and variety and quality are met.”

The 2022 celebration – and yes, it’s a party, with music, food, libations and other things of interest – takes place Friday, March 4 at the Morean Center for Clay.

The physical bash and in-person honoraria (it’s also a fundraiser for the Arts Alliance) is “a large part of it,” Kennard adds. “We want to celebrate the overall arts in the community, as well as individuals that stand out. That really give back, and add.”

The Morean Center for Clay has taken over as event venue from the Museum of Fine Arts, traditional host for the MUSE party. “We’ve outgrown the capacity that MFA has,” reports Kennard.

“Plus, with the pandemic, we really needed some outdoor space, too. And the added value of having the kilns going, and having actual trolley on the premises … a lot bigger of a footprint that we can create with this party at any venue.

“The Museum of Fine Arts has been wonderful. We’ve had tremendous success there, and brilliant parties where we danced the night away. And we plan to do the same, extending it to indoor/outdoor.”

This year’s honorees:

Arts Ambassador: Artist and gallery owner Chad Mize

Visual Arts: Artist Carlos Culbertson, aka Zulu Painter

Performance Arts: Actor and singer Matthew McGee

Art and Technology: PixelStix founder Matthew Walker

Literary Arts: Poet Gloria Muñoz

Patron of the Arts: David and Becky Ramsey

For more information, and tickets, click here.