St. Petersburg residents will have a chance to view the work of late Southwest modernist Ed Mell at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art. The “Ed Mell: Legacy in Light” exhibition opens September 19 in the museum’s Frontier Gallery and runs through January 2027. It features a selection of Mell’s oils, pastels and a bronze sculpture, highlighting his bold, geometric depictions of desert canyons and big‑sky vistas. Museum chief curator Emily Kapes said the show expands understanding of Western American art through Mell’s modernist lens.
Ellen Harvey conversation at USF
Friday, September 20, the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa will host a public conversation and reception with artist Ellen Harvey. The event follows the museum’s recent opening of Harvey’s exhibition “PICTURE(SQUE),” which explores nostalgia, tourism, and the social and ecological implications of the picturesque. One component, “The Disappointed Tourist,” presents 316 small paintings that reinterpret visitor responses about vanished sites, from the original Parthenon to Manhattan’s former CBGB venue.
The artist talk begins at 6 p.m. in Barness Recital Hall, 3755 USF Holly Drive, with a reception afterward at the museum, 3821 USF Holly Drive.
Creative Pinellas arts programming
Creative Pinellas continues its collaborative programming at FloridaRAMA. The “AMPED: Turn Up for the Arts” fundraiser and gallery exhibit runs through November 1, featuring works by Pinellas and Hillsborough artists, live cello, DJ music and a soprano performance. The organization also announced “Art Everywhere” for November, a month‑long celebration of live performances, exhibitions, film screenings and special events across the county, funded by a $350,000 grant.
Additional local art news includes the Imagine Museum’s Comic Universe weekend, the Morean Center for Clay’s “Apricity” exhibition, a wood‑firing pottery show from Georgia, and upcoming talks and receptions featuring author Jono Miller and artist Jim Dine.
Original reporting: St. Pete Catalyst — read the source article.
