MUSE Awards

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MUSE 2024

On January 26, 2024, MUSE celebrated 10 years of diversity, innovation and inspiration for all the arts and culture in St. Petersburg and paid tribute to the remarkable talent and variety that can be discovered around every corner of our amazing city. Guests enjoyed the best in local performing and visual arts; gourmet delicacies and cool libations; interactive art opportunities and the celebration of MUSE award winners!

The MUSE Awards are presented by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance to celebrate the artists and art-lovers in our community. This is your pARTy to uniquely honor the creative individuals who spark St. Petersburg.

MUSE is an opportunity to support the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and its many programs to fund grants for artists, students, strengthen education, advocacy and help us shine a spotlight on artists and arts supporters, who inspire and guide St. Petersburg as a thriving City of the Arts.

This is an evening to re-energize and renew our commitment to collaborating all year long to make St. Petersburg truly a City of the Arts.

Special Thanks to this Year's Artists: Essi Rhodes, Jenipher Chandley, Saumitra Chandratreya, Radix Collection, Ona Kirei, James Suggs, Mark Moultrup, Jean Bolduc, Steve Boisen, Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church Choir, and our special Emcee, Colleen Cherry!

Beth Morean: MUSE Patron of the Arts Award Honoree

Beth Morean’s investment in the St. Petersburg community has been steadfast since 1994 supporting many philanthropic efforts in the region including: the American Heart Association, All Children’s Hospital, (member of the Art Selection Committee), Mayo Clinic, Moffitt Cancer Center, Morean Arts Center, Tampa Bay Research, Tampa Bay Watch, Academy Prep, Shorecrest Preparatory School, Student Scholarships for the Ringling College of Art, Pass-A-Grille Community Church, Florida Craftsmen Gallery, American Stage Theater Company, Museum of Fine Arts and most recently creating the region's first destination art facility called the Morean Workshop Space.

Watch Beth's Surprise MUSE Reveal Video!

The Dalí Museum: MUSE Art & Technology Award Honoree

The Dalí Museum cares for and shares an expertly curated collection of Salvador Dalí’s work, preserving his legacy for generations to come. The Dalí Museum’s Dalí Alive 360° is an immersive experience celebrating the life and creative genius of one of the most influential and inventive artists of the modern era. This multi-sensory art experience envelops visitors in 360 degrees of light and sound within a monumental new Museum space: The Dalí Dome. The dynamic animations of Dalí’s works featured in Dalí Alive 360° illuminate the challenges and triumphs of his artistic career, providing visitors with the sensation of stepping into Dalí’s life. The experience immerses the visitor in Dalí’s surreal landscapes, iconic melting clocks, and mind-bending illusions, with touchpoints from the artist’s time in Spain, Paris, and America. Each of these eras in the artist’s life prompted a response from Dalí, leading to his constant reinvention.

Watch The Dali Museum's Surprise MUSE Reveal Video!

La Lucha: MUSE Performance Arts Award Honoree

La Lucha is a Tampa Bay based trio that consists of three best friends from three different parts of the world: Colombia (Alejandro Arenas), Mexico (John O’Leary), & United States (Mark Feinman). Their music ventures boldly into a wide variety of musical styles, offering an appealing and fun mix of genres under the jazz umbrella. The combination of their musical versatility and varied musical influences makes for compelling virtuosic performances. Through an engaging stage presence and high level of interaction, La Lucha brings the audience into their world.

Watch La Lucha's Surprise MUSE Reveal Video!

Stacia Schrader: MUSE Arts Ambassador Award Honoree

As a Vice President at BayFirst National Bank and a past Actress in New York city, Stacia understands the importance of supporting the local Arts Community. She uses her influence to drive the message about how our local arts scene not only makes our city special but is an important economic driver for St Pete. As clients come to her branch on Central, she makes it a point to highlight the history of our local arts and how they can support the community, so it remains strong. Currently, Stacia is the Vice Chair of The City of St Pete Public Arts Commission, has been a member of the SHINE Mural Festival committee for 10 years and a board member for Florida Craft Art for 9 years.

Watch Stacia's Surprise MUSE Reveal Video!

Tombolo Books: MUSE Literary Arts Award Honoree

Alsace Walentine founded Tombolo Books as pop-up in 2017, then opened Tombolo’s brick and mortar with her wife Candice Anderson in 2019. Before moving to St. Petersburg, she managed and was event director for one of the nation’s most renowned independent bookstores: Malaprop’s Bookstore and Café in Asheville, NC. There she gained over 15 years’ experience in bookselling, including personnel management, marketing, and event planning. She transformed a modest events program into a robust daily events program. It was during this time that she developed her belief in the bookstore salon space as a crucial element for the advancement of civil discourse. Candice Anderson grew up in Tennessee where she frequented Davis-Kidd Booksellers through her childhood and into adulthood. Her first career was in farming, agricultural research and sales. Candice's pursuit of better living through vegetables took her to Asheville NC where she met Alsace at Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe in 2003. In January 2021 she retired from agricultural research and sales to join Tombolo Books full time, assisting in accounting and bookselling.

Watch Tombolo's Surprise MUSE Reveal Video!

The Vitale Brothers: MUSE Visual Arts Award Honoree

The Vitale Bros. are prolific muralists based in St. Petersburg, FL. Since 1992, they have adorned walls throughout Tampa Bay and played a significant role in elevating St. Petersburg to a world-class arts destination. Following in the artistic tradition of their grandparents, Johnny and Paul Vitale, Johnny and Paul's grandsons turned their creative talents into a family business in Tampa Bay in 1992. Through their own initiative, they secured jobs hand lettering signs, painting storefront windows, and, eventually, after presenting a sketch on a paper napkin to a restaurant owner, they created their first mural. Shortly thereafter, their youngest brother Joey joined the crew, and together they painted murals and billboards for businesses across the bay area. Their foray into commercial design work led to their first warehouse space, which became both their studio and the venue for legendary group art, music, and fashion shows in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Their mission was twofold: to provide exposure to local artists and, simultaneously, to learn and draw inspiration from them. These shows nurtured St. Petersburg’s emerging art scene and served as the Vitale Bros.' own street art version of a marketing machine, establishing their family brand.