AMPED: Creative Conversations with Sam Modder and Chris Parks (Palehorse)
October 10 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
To keep connection going throughout the run of AMPED: Turn Up for the Arts, on view at the FloridaRAMA Impact Gallery in St. Petersburg from Sept. 5-Nov. 1, 2026, Creative Pinellas is hosting Creative Conversations panels with our cultural community during Second Saturday Artwalk on Sept. 12 and Oct. 10. They will be moderated by Creative Pinellas CEO Margaret Murray.
On Sept. 12, join artists Sam Modder and Chris Parks (Palehorse) for a lively discussion as we explore how artists’ deep wells of creativity lend themselves to constant exploration. In careers that balance precarity with creative freedom, what does it mean to be nimble, and how does an artist navigate their truest path forward.
Palehorse is a traditional and digital artist known for his meticulous linework, vivid color palettes, and layered symbolic language. His work spans large-scale murals, gallery installations, branding, print design and apparel.
His artwork has been commissioned by global brands including National Geographic, Nike, FX, Under Armour, PepsiCo and Hasbro, and he’s exhibited in galleries internationally including the renowned Dalí Museum. He has also designed officially licensed posters for artists such as Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Jimi Hendrix and Rush.His art reflects a deep exploration of Buddhist, Hindu, Toltec, and ancient indigenous philosophies, centering his creative practice in his spirituality. He is the founder of Palehorse Designs and co-created, with his wife Michelle Tannu, the SHINE Mural Festival. Palehorse will unveil a new show, Shapeshift: New and select works by Palehorse at the Morean Arts Center on Oct. 10.
His artwork has been commissioned by global brands including National Geographic, Nike, FX, Under Armour, PepsiCo and Hasbro, and he’s exhibited in galleries internationally including the renowned Dalí Museum. He has also designed officially licensed posters for artists such as Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Jimi Hendrix and Rush.His art reflects a deep exploration of Buddhist, Hindu, Toltec, and ancient indigenous philosophies, centering his creative practice in his spirituality. He is the founder of Palehorse Designs and co-created, with his wife Michelle Tannu, the SHINE Mural Festival. Palehorse will unveil a new show, Shapeshift: New and select works by Palehorse at the Morean Arts Center on Oct. 10.
Modder, a Nigerian Sri Lankan artist born in Lagos and raised in Sri Lanka, works figuratively in pen, collage, and digital media to portray larger-than-life Black, female characters taking up space in real and imagined worlds. She presents a subjective Black woman’s fairytale to process interlocking structures of oppression, creating monumental installations that fill entire gallery walls. In Modder’s world, hair anchors the fable and symbolizes power, beauty, and vitality. She has exhibited in museums and galleries across the country, include her current installation at Tampa Museum of Art and her 2025 exhibition at The Gallery at Creative Pinellas. She an Assistant Professor of Art and Design at the University of Tampa.
