What better way to spend a hot summer day than looking at art in the air conditioning? With multiple galleries, studios and murals in Tampa Bay, it’s easy to see art without spending a dime.
Did you know that most museums offer free or cheap deals too? The Dalí Museum recently announced its new Dome Night deal that will happen the first Friday night of each month.
If you have a favorite museum, consider buying a membership so you can visit for “free” all the time. Other ways to visit for free: check out a pass at the library; the Museums for All program for recipients of SNAP benefits; the Blue Star Museums program for military and their families.
Bank of America’s Museums on Us program gives accountholders free access to the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts the first weekend of each month.
This summer marks the return of the “Skyway” exhibition that presents works from local artists across five museums: the Museum of Fine Arts, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, the Tampa Museum of Art and the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum. All of the institutions offer free admission in some manner.
Here’s what’s on display right now.
Free
Cool Art Show: The St. Petersburg summer tradition that brings the vibe of an outdoor art festival inside to the air-conditioned Coliseum is happening Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21. Presented by the Professional Association of Visual Artists, the work of nearly 70 Florida artists will be displayed in the historic building. From paintings and photography to ceramics, glass, metal, wood, fiber and jewelry, as well as artist demonstrations and an interactive art area, your art tank will be full. Parking is also free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. 535 Fourth Ave. N., St. Petersburg. pava-artists.org.
Michael Murphy Gallery: The South Tampa gallery is presenting “Final Florida Reflection,” landscape paintings by Eleanor Blair, her last show before she moves to Texas. It’s a two-day exhibition with viewings from 6-9 p.m. July 19 and noon-4 p.m. July 20. 2701 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa. 813-902-1414. mmgart.com.
USF Contemporary Art Museum: The university’s museum is always free to the public. Curators took a unique approach to “Skyway” by theming it, “12 Ways of Looking at a Landscape.” The artists — including former USF professor Bruce Marsh — each riff on the genre of landscape, with reference to our local region. It opens July 19 and runs through Nov. 23. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday and 1-4 p.m. Saturday. 3821 USF Holly Drive, Tampa. 813-974-4133. ira.usf.edu.
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Explore all your optionsLeepa-Rattner Museum of Art: Under the umbrella of St. Petersburg College and located on its Tarpon Springs campus, it’s always free to attend the museum named for 20th century artists Allen Leepa and Abraham Rattner. On view now is “Donald Sultan: Beyond the Surface,” which challenges traditional understanding of art (through Aug. 4); “Florence Putterman, With Love,” a selection of collages by the artist whose career spans 50 years (through Aug. 4); and “Interwoven Legacies,” which celebrates the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild in honor of its president, Marlene Glickman (through Aug. 4). A wearable fashion show will happen on July 26. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 600 E. Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs. 727-712-5762.
The Ringling: At the estate, the Museum of Art, Bayfront Garden and Glass Pavilion are free on Mondays. As usual, there are multiple exhibitions on view including “Skyway” (through Jan. 26); “On the Road,” photographs of the traveling carnival and circus (through Aug. 25); “Embodied,” which is about the human figure and features contemporary artists including locally-rooted Jake Troyli (through Sept. 21); and “Shinique Smith: Parade,” which places the Los Angeles-based artist’s monumental fabric sculptures throughout the museum’s grand galleries of European art. Opening July 6 is “Radical Clay,” featuring ceramic sculptures by 36 contemporary Japanese female artists. The museum also offers reduced admission ($15) on Thursdays after 5 p.m. It’s open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. 941-359-5700. ringling.org.
Sarasota Art Museum: Admission is free on the second Sunday of each month here. This year will be the first time the museum has participated in “Skyway,” opening on July 28. It features artists working at different stages of their careers, including Kirk Ke Wang, who has previously participated in “Skyway.” Also on view is “Molly Hatch: Amalgam,” a large-scale installation of hand-painted ceramic plates (through April 2026) and “The Truth of the Night Sky,” a collaboration between multimedia artist Anne Patterson and soundscape composer Patrick Harlin (through Sept. 29). 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 941-309-4300. sarasotaartmuseum.org.
New mural: Tampa’s Pam Iorio Parking Garage is more colorful with the addition of Nneka Jones’ mural, “Give Me My Flowers.” It was commissioned by the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. The mural depicts a female figure holding a bouquet of flowers “symbolizing the reclaiming of nature,” Jones said in a statement. She hopes viewers get a sense of appreciation for their environment and Mother Nature. 640 S. Florida Ave., Tampa. gasparillaarts.com.
Museums on Us program
Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg: “Skyway” opens here July 13, and different this year is the placement of the artworks in the permanent collection galleries and conservatory. On view in the Hough wing is “Never the Same Song,” a powerful collaboration between artists Lizzi Bougatsos and Lonnie Holley. The artists were at a preview in May and explained their work, which consists of found objects imbued with deep meaning. At one emotionally charged point when describing his piece involving a fire hose, Holley said: ”Am I not here? Am I not trying to show my best, not only to America, but to the world?” Bougatsos got equally personal, especially when explaining the healing suit she had to wear after she was burned during a performance with her band. The New York-based artist also danced at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; an artwork contains ballet shoes and is in Yoko Ono’s orbit (one of her pieces includes Ono’s dress). Holley is also a musician; an award-winning documentary about him, “Thumbs Up for Mother Universe,” plays in the gallery. It’s on through Sept. 15. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. 255 Beach Drive N.E.
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts: Admission to this Ybor City museum is $12, which is on the lower end for museums. On view is “Paradise/Paradise Layered,” a selection of work by Thomas Sayers Ellis. It was organized by St. Pete Month of Photography, a non profit that named Ellis its first Photo Laureate last year. The exhibition is a culmination of this yearlong collaboration in which Ellis snapped photos all over St. Petersburg, so if you’re a local you’ll be impressed with his transformation of familiar spaces. There is a book of his photography available. He’s also a poet and will be leading two poetry meet up called A Sit-in the Sit-in the Margins on July 14 (1-4 p.m.) and July 27 (noon-3 p.m.) ahead of his poetic lecture, The Lens at the end of the Line on Aug. 1 from 5:30-7 p.m. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. 1630 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa. 813-221-2222. fmopa.org.
Reduced admission
Tampa Museum of Art: Every Thursday from 4-8 p.m. admission is pay-what-you-can through the museum’s Art on the House program. Don’t miss “Embellish Me: Works from the Norma Canelas Roth and William Roth” before it closes on July 28. The show focuses on the Pattern and Decoration movement of the 1970s, so expect bold colors and busy shapes. The maximalist theme continues with the return of “Hybrid of a Chrysler,” Esturio Seguro’s sculpture of an actual 1953 Chrysler Windsor with airplane wings attached to its roof. Look for it on the museum’s outdoor balcony. It was unveiled in Tampa in 2016 and has traveled to Italy, Washington D.C. and Gainesville, Florida. “Skyway” opens on Aug. 28. Admission is always free for college students with ID. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Sunday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday. 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa. 813-274-8130. tampamuseum.org.
Imagine Museum: Admission is $5 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-8 p.m. Through Aug. 31, there is a daily Florida resident special for $10 for adults, veterans and seniors and $5 for children, college students and educators. On view through July is “Imagine Deeper: Into and Beyond Your Wildest Dreams.” It features the work of artist Louis Markoya, former protege of Salvador Dalí who works in lenticular prints and has achieved creating 3D images on two-dimensional surfaces, something he said Dalí would have “given a pound of flesh to do.” Also on display is “Graphic Worlds: Exploring Comic and Anime Art” featuring work from international artists and “challenges stereotypes surrounding comics, anime, and manga, highlighting their profound historical and cultural significance.” 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday-Sunday. 1901 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-300-1700. imaginemuseum.com.
The James Museum at Western and Wildlife Art: Every Tuesday, adult admission is $10, $5 for ages 7-18 and free for children 6 and younger. While there aren’t any special exhibitions currently on view, the museum’s collection is vast so there’s plenty to discover. Or visit favorites, like Fritz Scholder’s “Cherokee, 1975.” Scholder’s bold pop art portraits of Native Americans earned him acclaim, while he sought to confront Hollywood stereotypes through his work. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday,Wednesday, Thursday and Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday. 150 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. thejamesmuseum.org.
