New art shows debut at Second Saturday ArtWalk

Here it is Second Saturday ArtWalk time again, and the moderate temperatures forecast for Feb. 11 would appear to make this the ideal month to take the trolley, take the stroll, drive the drive or whatever is most appropriate.

The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance’s Second Saturday ArtWalk offers up 28-plus artist galleries and studios for visits between 5 and 9 p.m.; you can in many cases meet and talk with the artists, the curators and the gallery owners, to get a feel for the “City of the Arts” everyone keeps talking about. The indigenous artists of St. Petersburg are the backbone of the city’s cultural community.

Walk the ArtWalk; feel the vibe.

Here’s the downloadable February map of who, what and where.

In many instances, gallery owners and curators time the openings of new exhibits to take place on Second Saturdays, giving those who partake (it’s all free – did we mention that?) a taste of something uniquely new.

Among the shows making their debut from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday:

Art in Isolation: New Works by Thomas U. Gessler at thestudio@620. Photographer Gessler retired from the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg in 2015. Creation of the photographs and digital art in this exhibit began during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Re-Imagine at the Tully-Levine Gallery (ArtsXchange campus). The Well for Life, Green Book of Tampa Ba, and Artists Change the World curated this exhibit of work by Black contemporary artists who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Participating artists include Alfred Cleveland, Catherine E. Weaver, Anthony Williams, Christopher Williams, F. Axom, Jabaar Edmonds and David Lee Watson.

Popped Cultures at Soft Water Studios. A survey of paintings by pop artist David Williams.

Kiss of Death at Brandy Stark studio and gallery, in the ArtLoft building. “Valentween” exhibit hosted by local actress Carmilina Alford, featuring the vampire. There will be performances, a people’s choice award and a photo spot.