Arts & Theater: Poor People's Art, Champa Bay Exhibit, 'Hamlet' Staged

TAMPA, FL — The USF Contemporary Art Museum will present "Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States" Jan. 13 to March 4.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is well known for his “I Have a Dream” speech, yet much less emphasis is placed on his campaign to seek justice for America’s poor, “The Poor People’s Campaign.” This was a multi-cultural, multi-faith, multi-racial movement aimed at uniting poor people and their allies to demand an end to poverty and inequality.

Fifty-three years after Dr. King’s death, the Rev. William Barber II launched a contemporary push to fulfill MLK’s ambitious brief — one that calls for a “revolution of values” that unites poor and impacted communities across the country. The exhibition "Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States" represents a visual response to Dr. King’s “last great dream” as well as Barber’s recent “National Call for Moral Revival.”

With artworks spanning more than 50 years, the exhibition is divided into two parts: Resurrection (1968-1994) and Revival (1995-2022).

Resurrection includes photographs, paintings, prints, videos, sculptures, books and ephemera made by a radically inclusive company of American artists from Jill Freedman's photographs of Resurrection City, the tent enclave that King's followers erected on the National Mall in 1968, to John Ahearns' plaster cast sculpture, Luis Fuentes, South Bronx (1979).

Revival offers contemporary engagement across a range of approaches, materials and points of view. Conceived in a declared opposition to poverty, racism, militarism, environmental destruction, health inequities and other interlocking injustices, this exhibition shows how artists in the U.S. have visualized poverty and its myriad knock-on effects since 1968. Participating artists include John Ahearn, Nina Berman, Martha De la Cruz, Jill Freedman, Rico Gatson, Mark Thomas Gibson, Corita Kent, Jason Lazarus, Miguel Luciano, Hiram Maristany, Narsiso Martinez, Adrian Piper, Robert Rauschenberg, Rodrigo Valenzuela, William Villalongo and Shraddha Ramani.

In conjunction with the exhibit:

There will be a "Poor People’s Art" panel discussion Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in the USF School of Art & Art History Lecture Hall (FAH 101). Curator Christian Viveros-Fauné will lead a free discussion with Nina Berman, Rico Gatson and Jason Lazarus.

There will be a "Poor People’s Art" gallery tour and opening reception Friday, Jan. 13 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the USF Contemporary Art Museum. Exhibition curator Christian Viveros-Fauné and artist Miguel Luciano will lead a gallery tour at 6:30 p.m. followed by an opening reception until 9 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

A free talk on "Resurrection City and Visualizing Poverty in America" will take place Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. at the USF School of Art & Art History Lecture Hall (FAH 101). This talk considers the crucial role of photography in creating understanding of poverty in America. Lisa Sutcliffe, curator in the Department of Photographs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Christian Viveros-Fauné, curator of "Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States," will discuss Jill Freedman’s photographs of Resurrection City as well as the work of other photographers as they uncover the unique relationship between photography and the public perception of economic hardship.

Parachute Gallery Exhibit

"Late Night Thoughts," a solo exhibition by Jacob Z. Wan of Jacksonville, is now on display at the Parachute Gallery, 1624 E 7th Ave., Suite 240, in the Kress Building in Ybor City.

Wan portrays intimate conversations of longing as a gay boy. Through a dreamy experience with paintings, handmade books and installations, this exhibition emphasizes the importance of oneself in romantic relationships. He crafts conceptual books to explore identity, sexuality and human relationships from his perspective as a Chinese gay man.

Wan is a contemporary bookbinder who creates mixed-media conceptual books to celebrate the importance of oneself. His work has been collected internationally and exhibited in Germany, China, the Florida Biennial and the International Book Art Exhibition in New York. Wan received his bachelor's and master's in fine arts from the University of Central Florida.

The exhibit will be on display through Jan. 19. The Parachute Gallery affiliated with the Tampa Museum of Arts is open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tempus Volta Video

Also at the Kress Building in the Tempus Volta space through Feb. 2 is the video, "Ghost Orchid: Fever Dream," by Cristina Molina. The elusive flora Dendrophylax lindenii is personified as an apparition, oracle and provocateur that positions the viewer as an orchid hunter trespassing the swamp. Throughout the video, the "Ghost Orchid" delivers poignant and sage-like monologues about climate change, humanity’s dominion over the wetlands, and its impact on species’ survival. Gallery hours

Rendered as a fever dream, footage of dancers donning a ghost orchid costume is cut to atmospheric singing and field recordings made in the South Florida Everglades. Drawing from true stories of orchid hunters and their desperate obsessions with capturing ghost orchids in the wild, the videos are paced and structured so that they appear and disappear throughout the space, never to be fully grasped.

Molina is a visual artist who hails from the subtropics of Miami and currently lives and works in New Orleans.

Department Of Contemporary Art Display

The Department of Contemporary Art Tampa, also at the Kress Building, is a multidisciplinary exhibition, critique, performance and discussion incubator space. On display through Jan. 26 is "Models for the Future," an exhibition of community-focused initiatives, including

Jobsite Theater Presents 'Hamlet'

The 22nd season of Jobsite Theater returns to the Jaeb at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa with "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare Jan. 11 to Feb. 5.

Sent by Hamlet’s father’s ghost to avenge his brutal death, Hamlet’s mission to expose the truth is a perilous journey of madness, murder and lost love.

This production features another powerful score from the company’s award-winning resident composer Jeremy Douglass.

For tickets, click here.

Champa Bay At Carrollwood Cultural Center

On display in the Main Theatre Gallery at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, is Champa Bay, an exhibit focusing on excellence within the professional sports realm of the Tampa Bay area, whether it’s the Buccaneers, the Lightning, the Rays or the Rowdies.

The exhibit runs through Jan. 28. An artist's reception will take place Jan. 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Additional exhibits on display:

Main Theatre Downstairs: Student/Faculty Art Show
Atrium Gallery: Fluid by Cindy Valdez
Lobby Gallery: Expressions by Raquel Nunez Pineres
Corridor Gallery: Color by Gaelle Alcarez
Artist Corner: Finding My Truth by Michele Stone

Gallery hours are most Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

Carrollwood Players On Stage

The Carrollwood Players will present "Moon Over Buffalo" by Ken Ludwig Jan. 13 to 28 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Carrollwood Players Theatre, 4333 Gunn Highway.

Directed by Bryan Lane, "Moon Over Buffalo" centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s. On the brink of a disastrous split-up caused by George’s dalliance with a young ingénue, they receive word that they might just have one last shot at stardom: Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee.

Click here for tickets.

Fabulous Fringe Gala

Fabulous Fringe: a Speakeasy Gala will take place Friday, Jan. 20 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at Bernini Restaurant, 1702 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. The show starts at 7:15 p.m.

The event will include an Italian-fusion dinner and drinks, hosted in Bernini of Ybor's private third-floor party space.

Tickets include two 60-minute multi-award-winning Fringe shows, light appetizers, a buffet-style dinner between shows and two of Bernini's famous "Western Son" martinis. The evening will also include a silent auction offering unique items from local businesses.

For theatergoers on a budget, Fringe will host these same shows for a Preview Night (with a cash bar and no meal) on Thursday, Jan. 19.

The shows include two award-winning Fringe productions: humorist Paul Strickland's "90 Lies an Hour," a collection of hilarious tall tales, and "Vulva VaVoom: Hollywood Psychic of the Golden Age," in which a gritty comedian ditches her Vaudeville schtick for a supernatural talent: contacting stars of the 1950s.

Click here for tickets.

City Of Tampa Art & Poetry Contest

Do you know a student with artistic skills who wants to share a message of environmental stewardship through waste reduction? Students in third through 12th grade attending schools or being homeschooled within the city of Tampa limits are encouraged to submit a piece to the 3R’s Art & Poetry Contest.

A first-place winner will be selected from elementary, middle and high schools. The winning artwork will be displayed on a recycling collection truck for one year. The winning poetry pieces will be on display at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park for a year. The submission deadline is Feb. 3.

Click here.

Also look for The Poetry Post, a mobile public art project that encourages people from across the city to jot down a poem, short story or haiku then post it in the box. Anyone can submit their works as a part of this project that ties Tampa artists together. The Poetry Post can now be found at the Gwen Miller Community Center in Woodland Terrace Neighborhood at 6410 N 32nd St, Tampa.

Plant City Statues Exhibit

An outdoor traveling exhibit of statues created by J. Seward Johnson is on display in downtown Plant City through March 31.

The open-air art exhibit is hosted by the Arts Council of Plant City in partnership with the city of Plant City, Unity in the Community and the Plant City Photo Archives & History Center.

Statues include:

• "Stormy Weather" - Collins Street and Reynolds Street
• "Return Visit" - City Hall North Entrance
• "Skateboarder" - Evers Street
• "Can Do" - Collins Street at McCall Park
• "Waving Girl" - Evers Street at the Photo Archives
• "Caution" - The Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum
• "Creating" - Collins Street next to The Whistle Stop

Comedy At Tampa Theatre

The Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St., Tampa, will host its first comedy show of 2023, "Miranda Sings," featuring Colleen Ballinger, on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Colleen Ballinger is bringing her YouTube superstar character back to the Tampa Theatre.

A limited number of VIP meet-and-greet tickets will be available in advance that includes a seat in the first 10 rows, a pre-show Q&A and a photo opportunity with Ballinger.

Click here for tickets.