Hope to see some folks on the Tampa side of the Bay for T.

Chris (DjCK) & Dan
www.DjCK.net

PRIDE & PASSION 2007: A CELEBRATION OF IDENTITY

KICKS OFF PRIDE MONTH

Museum Fundraiser to Feature Art and Live Entertainment

                         Tampa, FL (May 11, 2007) – The Tampa Museum of Art will kick off Tampa  

        Bay’s Gay Pride Month festivities on Friday, June 8 with Pride & Passion 2007: A

        Celebration of Identity, an event designed to engage current museum members and broader

        segments of the community with an evening of art and diverse entertainment. June has long

        been recognized as national Pride Month in commemoration of the historic Stonewall protests

        that occurred in New York City on June 28, 1969.

        Pride & Passion 2007: A Celebration of Identity will take place at the museum from 8 p.m.

        to midnight. Russell Rhodes, Anchor, Fox 13, will emcee the evening. Catering will be

        provided by SideBern's, the progressive, fine dining restaurant created by renowned chef

        Jeannie Pierola. Additional sponsors include Bright House Networks, conceptBAIT, inc., J.J.

        Taylor Distributing Tampa Bay, Logo/MTV Networks, Premier Beverage Company of  

        Florida, Starbucks and Watermark.

        DJ JayT will spin music throughout the evening with live performances from one of Tampa

        Bay’s hottest up-and-coming bands, giddy-up, helicopter! and the all-female Velvet   

        Underground cover band Venus in Furs. Venus in Furs showcases acclaimed Tampa Bay  

        singer-songwriter Rebekah Pulley.

        The museum will be presenting several special exhibitions during Pride & Passion 2007,

        including Eberhard Havekost 1996-2006: Paintings from the Rubell Family Collection,

        Memorials of Identity: New Media from the Rubell Family Collection, Purvis Young  

        from the Tampa Museum of Art Collection, VSA Arts of Florida: Through My Eyes, as

        well as its permanent collection of contemporary art and Greek and Roman antiquities.

        Admission to Pride & Passion 2007 is $45 for single tickets, $65 for couples/households and

        $20 for current museum members. Admission includes a one-year membership to the Tampa

        Museum of Art. Reservations can be made by calling 813/274-7365 or e-mailing TMA-

        RSVP@tampagov.net. Advance tickets can be purchased online at TampaMuseum.tix.com.

        Proceeds will support the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs.

        Pride & Passion 2007: A Celebration of Identity is co-produced by Scott Taylor and the

        Tampa Museum of Art. Steering committee members are Frank Clemente, Tracy Copes,

        Scott Elliott, Alfredo Lebron, Patti Marsters, Lynn McGhee, Scott Moore, Sasha and Lorrie

        White.

        Host committee members are Russell Blain, Phil Dinkins, Doreen Donovan, Tom Dyer, Brian 

        Feist, David Johnson, Victoria Jorgensen, Don Kiceina, Nan Klater, Ed Lally, Mark Nash,

        Jeff Otterman, Jan Roberts, Scott Scherschel, Chip Vogel and David Walker.

About the Tampa Museum of Art

        The Tampa Museum of Art, located in downtown Tampa at 600 N. Ashley Drive, is one of  

        the Southeast's finest museums, with changing exhibitions ranging from contemporary to

        classical, and a renowned permanent collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, 20th- and

        21st-century sculpture, paintings, photography and works on paper.  The museum recently

        selected architect Stanley Saitowitz of San Francisco, CA, to design a new museum facility in

        Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa.  Museum officials expect to begin site work in late

        2007, with the opening of the new facility anticipated by spring 2009. For more information

        about the Tampa Museum of Art, call 813/274-8130 or visit www.TampaMuseum.com.