By Laura Kepner
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The Inaugural Weekend
at the Morean Workshop Space
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Local Legends Ceramic Art Workshops
December 3 and 4
2025 3rd Ave. S., St Pete
Details here
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One hundred years ago a few St. Petersburg artists created a center where artists, lovers of art, and art students could converge. Today, philanthropist and ceramic artist Beth Morean’s incredible dedication to the arts has given us the Morean Arts Center, the Morean Glass Studio and the Morean Center for Clay. She was instrumental in bringing the Chihuly Collection to town and now, in the midst of St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District, the Morean Workshop Space.
This weekend, December 3 and 4, the Morean Workshop Space is hosting Local Legends, a low-cost, locally-focused workshop with Doris Conner, Charlie Parker and Don Williams, who have over 100 years of collective ceramics experience. The cost is $75 for two days.
“While the Morean Workshop Space is a separate entity, we will be working closely with the Morean Center for Clay,” says Director of Operations Sarah Knott Aldrich. “The Workshop Space is able to work with any other art institution in the area such as the Dalí, Florida Craft Museum, the Dunedin Fine Arts Center and more.”
Evan Krueger says he’s been a pottery hobbyist for close to 15 years and had an opportunity to spend a weekend in November at the Workshop Space. “Finding access to classes and workshops can be challenging. Especially when you want to learn more but don’t want to pursue an advanced degree.”
The November workshop was with Tracy Gamble of the American Art Clay Company. “She spent three days teaching us about their products and how the glazes interact,” Krueger says. “Just to be able to spend three consecutive days with someone with over two decades of experience. . . and to be able to be proactive in an area where she could give us feedback and ask questions and see the results in a short time…”
Krueger continues, “Jessica Brandl did a workshop on how to build larger forms and do very detailed surface decorations. She has a huge amount of experience in building large sculpture forms. We got to spend two days with her, hands on, to troubleshoot, applying different skills and then make the connection. She had a show at the train station around the corner. We got to work with her and see her in action.”
During the normal nine-to-five week, Krueger works for Girl Scouts. “This feeds my soul in a different way,” he says. “It is giving me new inspiration, new insight to try new things — image transfer, adding graphics to surfaces. I hadn’t left my lane in about 10 years.”
He says his work has formerly consisted of mugs, plates, bowls and conventional pieces. “I’m moving away from functional pieces and doing more sculptural-type work.
“[Brandl’s] work felt so accessible,” Krueger says. “The workshop space is just beautiful there is lots of room to move about. It’s not crowded, not busy — it’s intimate. You could have two dozen people in there, spread out.”
Workshops like these, with gallery talks and exhibitions will continue and Sarah Aldrich looks forward to this weekend. “Even if you’re not a potter, it’s totally open to watch and experience this,” she says.
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And there is much more to look forward to
“Beth is going to create gallery space for her private collection, Post WWII through current,” says Aldrich. It’s accessible to workshop participants or the public can contact the Workshop Space to make an appointment.
“Beth Morean has a huge passion for philanthropy in all different realms,” Aldrich adds. “She still goes to workshops and she brings artists in from all over the world to enhance the arts in St. Pete.”
For information and to register for this weekend’s workshops
visit MoreanWorkshopSpace.org
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2025 3rd Ave South
St. Petersburg FL 33712
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