Art Planner: Art Festival Beth-El returns, plus Art Glass Weekend around Sarasota and St. Pete

One of the most anticipated art events of the year returns this weekend to Temple Beth-El in St. Petersburg. The annual fine art, juried exhibition and sale known as Art Festival Beth-El started way back in 1973, and has now grown to include more than 170 local, national and international artists showing in six galleries. In addition to original paintings, wood, sculpture, ceramics, glass, photography and jewelry, there will also be a large selection of signed, framed, limited edition prints from Syd Entel Galleries of Safety Harbor.

The festivities begin with a preview cocktail reception from 6-10 p.m. Saturday; admission is $25 at the door. Admission is free Sunday and Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entertainer Becca McCoy will be performing the hits of Rosemary Clooney in the Sanctuary at 11 a.m. Monday and a docent tour will be offered at 2 p.m. A gourmet luncheon will also be offered Monday for $20. 400 Pasadena Ave. S. (727) 347-6136. artfestivalbethel.com.

A collaboration between the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, a division of Ringling College, and Habatat Galleries of Michigan brings glass art and artists from around the globe to the Sarasota area for the third annual Contemporary Studio Glass Weekend. The four-day experience includes exhibitions, auctions, studio tours, lectures, glass-blowing demonstrations and private tours of museums featuring glass, including the Chihuly Collection, Thursday through Sunday.

It kicks off Thursday night at Sarasota's Alfstad& Contemporary, with an opening reception for two concurrent exhibitions from artists Kathleen Mulcahy, whose work is pictured, and Ron Desmett. They're a husband-and-wife team who were co-founders of the Pittsburgh Glass Center. The main event is Saturday, when 23 artists representing 11 countries will be showcased at Whitney Plaza, and an exhibition of 10 prominent Czech artists will be on display at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts. The jam-packed weekend involves too many events to list here, but visit ringling.edu/lbkca. A weekend pass is $200, but individual events range from free to $75.