Adventures in art
There are art strolls all round Central Florida. Here’s your guide to this week’s adventures.
Mount Dora’s Second Friday art walk is today, 6-8 p.m. The area is compact, picturesque and full of shops, cafes and galleries. The Mount Dora Center for the Arts and the adjoining Artisans on Fifth are the axis around which the other venues spin and a great place to start. Before leaving to stroll, check out the recycled glass works by Diane Brooks and the watercolor paintings of Dawn Baldacchino. The art center is at 134 E. Fifth Ave. Details: 407-666-0936.
One of the state’s largest monthly art strolls is St. Petersburg’s Second Saturday ArtWalk, 5-9 p.m., on April 11. St. Pete has five designated arts districts in and around its downtown core. There are major galleries (some larger than an average museum), many smaller galleries, studios, museums, shops, theaters and great restaurants. Most are within walking distance of each other and trolleys run between several of the districts. You can get a list of the venues and a map at stpeteartsalliance.org. Go over earlier and check out the gorgeous Dalí Museum at One Dalí Blvd. It alone is worth the drive. Call the Dalí at 727-823-3767.
The 12th annual Doggie Art Festival is Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., in Winter Park’s Central Park. There will be canine-related art/ artists, vendors, pet-adoption organizations and people with their fourlegged family members. Call 407-644-2969 for details.
Third Thursday is April 16, 6-9 p.m., in downtown Orlando. Start at City-Arts Factory (the corner of Orange Avenue and Pine Street) and its six galleries with distinct exhibits: a collection of rockband photography that spans 20 years of that musical genre, works by Or- ange County Art Educators, and a group show by the Orlando Art Collective. Other galleries present creations by CAF’s Young Artist Group, a visiting European artist and Peter Van Flores’ street art and graffiti-inspired images. Walk one to three blocks in almost any direction and you’ll find even more art venues. Ask the folks at CAF for a map or directions.