Just right for an evening's viewing

By MARY ANN MARGER

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 11, 2000

Scott Causey, Untitled, clay, at Florida Craftsmen

With just 11 galleries participating, Saturday's Downtown Art Association walk is small enough to visit all galleries during the allotted time, or to drop in to a few at a more leisurely pace.

Several galleries, especially those along Beach Drive that were affected by July's flood, are closed. But Glass Canvas, the sole participating showplace in that neighborhood, offers one of the few new shows this month, of glass from Italy.

Pick up a map and guide at any of the stops. Some galleries will be serving refreshments. It's free.

1 Ambiance Galleries, 1535 Dr. Martin Luther King (Ninth) St. N; (727) 821-8331 -- Held over: "Sizzlin' Hot Chillin' Art," group show of area artists.

2 The Arts Center, 719 Central Ave.; (727) 822-7872 -- Continuation of "Twelve Cubed," a members show of small works; "A Balance of Elements," mixed media by Susan Livingston and Cate Wyatt-Magalian; "Quilted Landscapes," textile collages; and "Images of the Century," a traveling display of photographs and front pages from the St. Petersburg Times. Most shows through Aug. 23.

3 Crystal Mirage Gallery, 800 Second Ave. NE; (727) 895-1166 -- "Colors of Summer," assortment of perfume bottles and other art glass.

4 531 Central Fine Arts, 531 Central Ave.; (727) 822-2787 -- Continuation of "Icons of America," contemporary portrait paintings by Alison Lefcourt, including new portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, Stevie Wonder, others. Through Sept. 6

5 Florida Craftsmen Gallery, 501 Central Ave.; (727) 821-7391: Crafts artists who have recently qualified to exhibit in the gallery of the statewide organization. Through Aug. 26.

George Holland, Untitled, raku, at Florida Craftsmen

6 Fusion Gallery, 540 Central Ave.; (727) 894-7271: Continuation of group show includes James Michaels, Ron Pieniak, BASK, Denis Gaston, others, including new works to replace those that sold.

7 Glass Canvas Gallery, 233 Fourth Ave. NE; (727) 821-6767 -- New show features Italian glass. Also, art in glass from classic to contemporary.

8 Grand Finale Restaurant & Gallery, 1101 First Ave. N; (727) 823-9921 -- Currently featuring artists Scott Bourne & Chris Giuffre.

9 Shapiro Studio & Gallery, 538 Central Ave.; (727) 894-2111 -- Ceramist Susan Shapiro and other artists.

10 Sidler Fine Art Studio/Gallery, 641 Central Ave., (727) 418-9764 -- New gallery featuring contemporary artworks in various mediums by Hani Sidler and Luise Sturm.

11 Studio Szabries, 2109 Central Ave.; (727) 895-2444 -- "Passages," stoneware by Stephanie Schorr and new paintings on aluminum by Fred Szabries, today through Sept. 8.

Downtown St. Petersburg Evening Gallery Walk

Where: Downtown St. Petersburg

When: Saturday, 5:30-9 p.m. (and every second Saturday)

Free

Call: (727) 528-9331