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By MARY ANN MARGER
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 2, 2000
In lands to the north, people note fall's arrival by chill winds and leaves to rake. Here in the bay area, we note the coming of cooler weather by the arrival of Dunedin's Art Harvest.
Once again, the scenic park on the corner of Michigan and Pinehurst in Dunedin, surrounding a lake and a bandshell, becomes the location for 200 tents manned by artists from throughout the nation. There they will display paintings, drawings, graphics, sculpture, photography, ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, wood, metal and mixed media. Because of the broad range of media, much of it functional, and because the works appeal to a wide variety of tastes, Art Harvest should be a prime place to get a leg up on holiday shopping.
The weekend will see some 45,000 people (by Pinellas County Arts Council estimate) slathering on the sunscreen, wriggling into Reeboks and packing purses (most artists accept checks; many take credit cards). Other take-alongs are rain gear (if the sky looks doubtful), the kids (there's a children's tent and a special show inside the Dunedin Fine Art Center) and, of course, the gift list.
Among last year's top prize winners returning are sculptors Nancy Cervenka-McLaughlin, Margaret Steward and Charles Parkhill, jewelry makers Gael and Howard Silverblatt, and watercolorist Michael Webber.
Picking this year's winners will be Jim Hagenbuckle, artist and retired art teacher at St. Petersburg Junior College, and Libby Platus, artist and marketing consultant. Their choices will share $20,300 in prize money, up from $17,000 last year.
When it's time for chow, a food court offers plenty of choices.
And for those who want a memory of the weekend more specific than what the artists offer, Sally Evans has created this year's poster.
E-mail: marger@sptimes.com
The 37th annual Art Harvest will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Highlander Park, corner of Michigan Boulevard and Pinehurst Avenue, Dunedin. Admission is free; parking is $3, or take a $1 round trip shuttle from Causeway Plaza, corner of Alt. U.S. 19 and Curlew Road. The show will go on unless weather is severe. For information call the Dunedin Fine Art Center, (727) 298-3322
"The Florida Experience: Paintings from Private Collections by Christopher M. Still," through March 4.
"The Florida Experience: The Interactive Exhibition," for children and adults in conjunction with Still exhibit in the Center's David L. Mason Children's Art Museum, through Sept. 15.
"FLA Holiday," 14th annual holiday show, through Dec. 24.