2023 Emerging Artist Exhibition – Artist Talks

Get Ready for the 2023 Emerging Artist Exhibition featuring the energized and ready to emerge grantees of 2023. The exhibition is on view May 5 through July 16, 2023. Free…. Read More

2023 Emerging Artist Exhibition Opening Reception: May 4 from 6-8pm Join us for an evening with the ten exceptional artists chosen for this year’s Emerging Artist Grant showing a diverse exhibition of work…. Read More

Patrick Arthur Jackson is a creative multi-hyphenate with a passion for community connection through storytelling. He is the Associate Artistic Producer at American Stage, where he oversees New Play Development and Casting. Patrick most recently served as the Assistant Director/Choreographer for the production of The Colored Museum at American Stage. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Morehouse College, has studied with the British American Drama Academy and is an alumnus of the Florida Studio Theatre Acting Apprentice…… Read More

Marie Cummings was born in Detroit, Michigan. There she studied psychology and business at Wayne State University. She moved to Clearwater, Florida with her three daughters, where she embarked on a career as a Realtor. When her last daughter entered college, Marie decided to seek a new direction in her life: she wanted to explore the world of visual art. While studying Experimental Watermedia at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center (Dunedin, Florida), she also ventured into Creative Writing at St.…… Read More

“I cant remember a time when I wasn’t drawing, painting or fabricating something out of something else” says artist Kate Cummins of her work. “I come from a creative household where the arts had a natural hierarchy”. After completing an Honors Bachelor’s of Fine Art degree from the University of Western Ontario, Kate travelled extensively and now lives with her family in St. Petersburg, Florida. Kate has worked in the film industry and has a busy studio practice where her…… Read More

Troy loves spending time reading, writing, camping, and drinking local craft beer. He is an English Department Head at an alternative online school, and lives with his wife Laura, his daughter, Alice, and their four cats in St. Petersburg, Florida. Troy’s book, Hardly Harding, is available on Amazon, and his published short stories can be found at troybernardo.com. Most recently, he has been in the 2022 issue of the Tampa review and was a recipient of The 2023 Emerging Artist…… Read More

Kimberly Engel is a contemporary abstract painter who lives and works in Clearwater, Florida. Her distinct gestural style combines a love for color interaction with spontaneous mark making. Engel’s paintings explore levels of transparency, evoking depth and light. She is inspired by the constant presence and changing states of large bodies of water. Engel describes her process as an exploration of herself and ultimately the dissolving of herself mirrored in the process of making and deconstructing works. Her gestural marks…… Read More

Aimee Jones is a visual artist and educator currently working in St. Petersburg, Florida. She earned her MFA and graduate certification in Women and Gender Studies in 2022 at the University of South Florida. She was a finalist for the Carlos Malamud Prize in 2022, has exhibited in Spain and throughout the U.S., and was a participant in the HANNAC Can Borni Residency in Barcelona. She specializes in painting the human figure transformed in both domestic and botanical landscapes while…… Read More

Jenipher Chandley is a representational artist working in her hometown of St. Petersburg Fl. Where she has raised her 4 children and is a proud new grandmother. She has earned degrees in Interior, and Graphic Design, from IADT Tampa. Jenipher is currently lead curator for Bar@548, She also has co-curated and exhibited in 100’s of shows throughout the Tampa Bay Area. The story of love is the overarching theme in her work—the journey to find it, revel, cherish and protect…… Read More

Brazil is my native country, and I studied and graduated in graphic design in 1990. Artistic experimentation and a need to work hands-on led me to engage with clay. Since 2005, I have been creating ceramic sculptures and decorative art pieces. A move to the U.S. (St. Petersburg) in 2020 opened up new opportunities for my involvement and development with ceramics. In 2022 and 2023, I participated in the prestigious Art Festival Beth-el, where I received the Award of Excellence…… Read More

Dennis DeBon is the creator of EnergyWebs, which are one-of-a-kind works of modern glass art. He is often been compared to artist Jackson Pollock. Like Pollack, Dennis uses simple artistic techniques and has combined reverse painting on glass with spin art and taken both to a whole new level. Each EnergyWeb is cut from a large sheet of plate glass, then free-style hand-cut into shape, scalloped, polished then spun. Dennis uses a multitude of application techniques and color combinations when…… Read More