Summer art season in Tampa, usually slow, gets a little faster.

Starting today, Tampa will be treated to a month-long art extravaganza called "The Cuban Sandwich Show," a sometimes yearly event started in 1991 by Gordon and Denise Mhyre.

Now it's under the guidance of Ybor City artist and teacher David Audet, who says this year's show will be huge.

"I wanted to expand it [from its original size] and include as many venues as I could," he said. The result is a citywide show, with Ybor City at the heart of it.

Running with the theme of "Tampa… and/or Cuban Sandwiches," participating artists offer a cultural smorgasbord of creativity in many forms, including live music, poetry, scavenger hunts, original films, performance art, photography, paintings and more.

The show is presented by the Artists and Writers Group, in cooperation with Hillsborough Community College's Ybor City Campus and the Ybor City Development Corp. which, in addition to the theme, floated the motto: "All Art-All Tampa-No Mayo." That kind of playfulness is bound to challenge the artistic imagination in some wacky and wonderful ways.

For instance, Tampa artist Mic Knight has created what could be the poster piece for the show. It's a welded aluminum and found object sculpture that clearly resembles a Cuban sandwich, assuming you know what a Cuban sandwich looks like. It can be seen in the biggest single visual exhibition of the show at the Hillsborough Community College's Ybor Art Gallery. That's where 44 invited and juried artists will express their vision of the theme in paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography and mixed media art.

That's also where The Artist Advisory Committee simultaneously will present a show called "Get Wired," featuring coffee cups — presumably as a nod to Tampa's famous Cuban coffee — in various sizes.

That exhibit opens with a reception from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on June 8 and continues through July 8.

Some exhibits are up only for a day. The only way to be sure what's what and where is to check the schedule online at www.cubansandwichshow.com

Here are the one-day shows occurring through the weekend:

•7 to 10 p.m. today: The winner of the Tocobaga Label Design Contest will be announced at a free reception at the Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room at 3924 W. Spruce St. It also is the official release of Tocobaga Ale in bottles. The first 80 bottles sold that night will be signed by the winning artist, and all of the finalists' submissions will remain up through June.

•6 to 8 p.m. Friday: The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 200 N. Tampa St., hosts a theme-based show featuring works by local photographers in Gallery D

•5 to 10 p.m. Saturday: The Ybor Art Association presents "Essence of Ybor," a juried art show featuring 25 of Tampa's most talented artists and a scavenger hunt. The outdoor location is the Historic Ybor Square Courtyard at Ninth Avenue and 14th Street. A scavenger hunt is scheduled for 6 p.m.

"We hope to raise the level of the public's awareness to some of the fabulous artists we have in our backyard," said Ybor Art Association events coordinator Moira Shiver.

Art on 19th Street

On the first Saturday of every month, a small group of casitas on 19th Street just north of busy Seventh Avenue in Ybor City opens its front doors and porches for displays, demonstrations and performances of art of various kinds.

They'll be doing it again this Saturday, alongside the yearly event, "The Cuban Sandwich Show," which runs through June.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Singing Stone Gallery, Tres Amici at the Bunker and Arnold Martinez's Gallery will have artists inside and out to offer exhibits and demonstrations.

There's also original art to be found in some of the eateries along Seventh Avenue. One such place is Sunday's Fine Dining, at 1919 E. Seventh Ave. Opened in January, it boasts a great menu and a welcoming atmosphere that includes original works by local artists on the brick walls. Owners Dave Sunday and Gina Sgambato do not take a commission from the artists. They see the partnership as beneficial to all.

"Art, Food, music; they all stimulate the senses," Sgambato said. "And here we have the opportunity to have it all together."