Rise

Rise, the latest exhibition from the Creative Pinellas and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) partnership, will transform Gates 7–11 into a showcase of local creativity — celebrating the power of renewal, nature, and sense of place through photography, woodworking, ceramics and poetry.

The exhibit, located at Sightline Gallery at PIE, features four local artists whose collective work invokes both the literal and spiritual meaning of the word “rise.” Luci Westphal’s photography features soaring birds and comforting angels; Scott Solary carves sunrises and mountains celebrating the beauty of nature, clay rises into stunning vessels in Charles Morrison’s hands, and Letisia Cruz’s poem reminds us that each day we rise offers a new hope.

Keep reading to learn more about each artist, and purchase their artworks on view at PIE.

The featured artists bring national and international experience to this distinctly local exhibition:
• Cruz, a Cuban American writer and visual artist based in St. Petersburg, is an award-winning poet and a 2022 Dalí Dozen Emerging Artist whose work explores migration, faith, and identity.

• Morrison, an emerging ceramic artist and resident at the Morean Center for Clay, draws inspiration from ancient civilizations and natural processes to create vessels that feel unearthed rather than made.

• Solary, working from St. Petersburg’s Historic Kenwood neighborhood, builds biophilic landscapes from wood, allowing the grain itself to guide each one-of-a-kind composition.

• Westphal, a photographer and filmmaker originally from Germany, creates socially engaged and nature-centered work designed to enhance well-being and connection, with exhibitions and broadcasts spanning the globe.