‘BeatleMania’ Art Show Features Works By Tampa Bay Artists

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Tampa Bay-area artists are paying tribute to the Fab Four in a new show, “BeatleMania,” at Bayboro Brewing in St. Petersburg.

The art will be on display at the brewery through December with an opening reception planned Sunday, 3 to 7 p.m. In addition to the works by local artists, the event will also feature Beatles-themed costumes — including an all-women cosplay of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — a caricature artist, vendors and a pop-up exhibit by the Penny Lane Beatles Museum in Dunedin.

The show’s co-curators, Luke Heath and James Hartzell, are both longtime Beatles fans.

“I got into it through my parents and their album collection, listening to Beatles tunes regularly as a kid,” Hartzell told Patch, recalling that one memorable album from his childhood featured Alvin and the Chipmunks doing Beatles covers.

Heath previously organized a Beatlemania art party inspired by the band, displaying the works at The Studio Public House, which has since closed.

He was introduced to the Beatles via his mother’s copy of “Rubber Soul,” which he said is “still as relevant and brilliant as always,” when he was 12 years old, and still loves the band as an adult.

“Their music, impact, and innovation remain a source of joy for me and people all over the world,” Heath said.

With a large catalogue of music and every album unique, the Beatles are an obvious choice for an art show theme, Hartzell added. “They’re a beloved, iconic group and fertile ground for visual art renditions of their songs or their impact on pop culture.”

The “BeatleMania” show features more than 20 works by 18 artists.