The show consists of 12 large-scale mixed media works
complemented by beach chairs, giant pool floats and a 1967 Ebony
magazine article and photo spread on Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.’s vacation in Jamaica, which was one of the inspirations for the
show. Also in the exhibit is Self-Portrait on Float, a woodblock print
based on one of the paintings in the show that was purchased by
the museum in 2019. The painting-and-collage works are grand
in size, popping with bright colors and bold patterns.
Adams, a Baltimore native, earned his MFA from Columbia
University, BFA from Pratt Institute and is a Skowhegan School
of Painting and Sculpture and Marie Walsh Sharpe alumnus.
His artwork is in the permanent collections of public institutions
including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City;
Studio Museum, New York City; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
in Richmond; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New
York City.
Kristen Shepherd, executive director and CEO of the museum,
says that this exhibit continues the museum’s mission of bringing
forward diverse voices and celebrating subject matters and points
of view that reflect the cultural landscape of the community. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, (727)
896-2667, will reopen to members on September 12th and to the public
on September 19th. Tickets must be reserved online at mfastpete.org
for timed entry in accordance with the museum’s COVID-19 safety
measures. The exhibit will continue through November 29th.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 63
Floater 36 is an acrylic paint and collage work from
2017 that shows a woman on a pineapple float.
Derrick Adams, a Baltimore native, created Floater 66 in
2017, featuring two men on watermelon and pizza floats.
Floater 19, 2016, acrylic paint and collage on paper,
expresses leisure with a sprawled out image.
American artist Derrick Adams (b. 1970) created
Floater 17 as part of his “Buoyant” series.
/mfastpete.org