WE Convene – Economic Wellbeing for Artists

By Emily Stehle. Go to the Tampa Museum of Art – this weekend! – for the experience of seeing work by a group of talented and inspired artists from Western and Central Florida you’ve never heard of – or seen before. Your experience will be eye-opening, exhilarating, soul-searching. . . and perhaps, a little sad. The Florida Outsider Art Collection celebrates artists who create – to create. They don’t have traditional art training. But to them, “. . . making art was as essential as breathing”… Read More

By Tom Winchester. Women’s Work: A Survey of Female Photographers, emphasizes the early contributions of women in photography. The exhibition includes artworks created by many of photography’s most notable women, as well as several whom viewers will be meeting for the first time. The exhibition reveals that men weren’t the only pioneers of photography, and that women were creating photographic imagery that was meant to be understood as art from the earliest days…. Read More

By Laura Kepner. Harriet Monzon-Aguirre opens the front door to her Safety Harbor home. “Come in,” she says. Her smile is authentic. Her kitchen offers the welcoming aroma of freshly-brewed coffee. “It’s not a big space,” she says, handing me a full cup. She carries her two-year-old son Thomas as she walks toward a brightly-lit back room — the Florida room. “But the sunlight – it’s perfect for painting.”… Read More