At the 2024 Emerging Artists Exhibit

By Kaitlin Crockett

Printmaker Kaitlin Crockett on her
Experience in the 2024 Emerging Artists Exhibition

Through July 21
Free
Creative Pinellas Gallery
Details here

A week later and I’m still gushing about the Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist Exhibition. I arrived on opening night with my parents, David and Terri, my biggest supporters. I was excited but anxious to see if everything came together the way I’d hoped.

The parking lot was full of vehicles and my dad pondered aloud what all these people were here for. We walked into the gallery to see quite a crowd. “All these people are here for YOU,” my mom beamed to me.

In the smaller gallery, adjacent to Tyler Gillespie’s body of prints, was months of hard work brightly displayed. I felt relieved almost instantly.

Seeing family, friends and our community enjoying the print installation and my work was very special to me. Thank you to Creative Pinellas for the opportunity to exhibit my work in such a lovely and accessible gallery space with free admission. I’m grateful for Beth, Freddie, Kimberly, and team, for their hard work, including meticulously installing my grid wall of 64 prints using tiny nails and earth magnets, executed better than I’d even imagined.

When I first was awarded the grant in Fall 2023, I knew I wanted to work on a larger scale and to push myself. I knew I wanted to elevate printmaking to the gallery level, while highlighting the processes, machines and labor involved.

But beyond that, it was hard to decide exactly what I wanted to do and say with the opportunity. For months I struggled to commit.

In February as deadlines became concrete, my fuzzy ideas sharpened and took shape. I’d planned to do a sizable wall of prints, as well as a couple zines and book forms to showcase the variety of the mediums. I hoped to hang an antique type drawer and incorporate some tools, maybe even some type.

I spent two solid months working on nothing but the exhibition, putting a pause on all workshops, events and custom requests. I needed that time to focus on my own work, and also I just needed the time – I was finishing bits up until the morning I delivered my work to the gallery!

The relief I felt on opening night can’t be understated. With nearly 300 in attendance that evening, it was a magical experience that I’ll never forget.

In one of my latest artist stories, I wrote about how often my work is inspired from found text and images, and how this process-based work informs the ephemeral nature of the prints and zines.

The We do not work for the machine series was inspired by a handwritten note posted at a South Florida rest stop. It was really empowering to take that little phrase, an idea, and be able to follow it.

We do not work for the machine by Kaitlin Crockett – photo by Ketsy Ruiz

A personal highlight was returning to the gallery on Mother’s Day afternoon with my mother and 92-year-old grandmother, and seeing them look at the Family Photos.

It was an honor and privilege to show alongside my 9 fellow cohorts. I was impressed with the unique work of each and every individual.

work by Vanessa Cunto – photo by Kaitlin Crockett

Still thinking of Vanessa Cunto’s curly candles and Luci Westphal’s living growing installation!

work by Luci Westphal – photo by Kaitlin Crockett

Especially proud of my friend and collaborator, Tyler Gillespie, whose prints neighbor mine in the show. At the end of May I’ll be returning for a co-talk with Tyler, where we’ll each talk about our work.

Work by Tyler Gillespie – photo by Ketsy Ruiz

Attendees will have the opportunity to print a keepsake I made specially for the evening using my 1950’s Line-o-Scribe printing press, originally designed for and sold to department stores so they could print their own price and sale tags and signs.

If you’re interested in learning more about us and our work, seeing the exhibition and printing on my Line-o-scribe, I hope you’ll join us at this free event on Thursday, May 30 at 7 pm.

“Did you ever think you’d see yourself on the side of a building?” my mom asked, as my parents and I took a selfie in front of the entrance as we left the reception. I most certainly had not.