By Carlene Cobb. Everybody has a story to tell and perhaps a memoir to write. To help authors better understand how to write, publish, and market their memoirs with greater confidence and success, Kerry Kriseman, St. Petersburg author of Accidental First Lady: on the Front Lines (and Behind the Scenes) of Local Politics approached Maureen McDole, poet and Keep St. Pete Lit founder and executive director to discuss a memoir writing, publishing and marketing workshop…. Read More
By Kayte Bush. I approached the Gallery at Creative Pinellas anxious to see the exhibit featuring artwork and memories from loved ones who have passed away. After the last two years of heartbreak and loss, my expectations were heavy. I was very surprised that I didn’t leave with a tear-stained face but instead, a soft gentle nudge towards healing. I felt as though I had gotten to know these beloved artists, their family members and friends…. Read More
By Don Gialanella. A lifelong love of sport and fascination with the Olympics motivated me to enter the competition to design the Special Olympic cauldron. I hoped to contribute in some way to the success of the games and be a part of an event that’s so universal and beloved. For inspiration I looked to nature and the magic of color and movement. I wanted to come up with a design that would express the physical action, positive spirit and passion of the athletes. The subject in my mind was the metamorphosis of athletes into symbols of eternal grace…. Read More
By Scott Neumeister. Being a lifelong resident of Hillsborough and Pasco counties, most of my trips to Pinellas have been made possible by bridges. My favorite, aesthetically, is the Courtney Campbell Causeway, but the Gandy and Howard Frankland also hold visual appeal. Yet even beyond their appearance and function, the depth and meaning of what bridges do — empowering connection between two separated things — speaks directly to a way to approach a piece of art… Read More
By Tony Wong Palms. Driven from the Garden, a two artist show currently at HCC Ybor’s Gallery 114, has shifting shapes and forms tattooed with flowers and colors. The two artists are Marjorie Graff and Kim Kirchman, who met when they were hired on the fine arts faculty at St. Petersburg College in the late ’90s, with Graff in printmaking and Kirchman in ceramics. … Read More
As part of our June Arts and Healing focus with guest editor Gary Lemons, we asked a range of artists the questions that Gary proposed. What is your concept of an art “community” for building creative alliances with individuals across different identities? What are your thoughts about art as a creating form of inner healing and well-being? As ever, we got a beautiful and moving array of responses for you to explore…. Read More
By Carlene Cobb. The 9th Annual Champions for ACT Breakfast at St. Petersburg Pier was an inspired success. Performances by Arts Conservatory for Teens students and alumni rocked the appreciative audience with music, singing, dancing, acting, spoken word and inspired energy…. Read More
By Gary L. Lemons. Thematically, the stories in the Arts Coast magazine in June 2022 will center on bringing artists together across differences of creative expression to demonstrate the life-saving power of what I have conceptualized as “community healing through artistic transformation — CHAT.” Considering this focus, the artists’ works included illustrate ways creative practices can act to promote human healing and well-being in mind, body and soul…. Read More
By Cindy Stovall. “What we’re doing is creating a space that’s accessible for people with developmental or other disabilities to express themselves through an exploration of the arts,” Creative Clay CEO Kim Dohrman says. “And the art that our member artists create is valued and embraced by this wonderful St. Petersburg community. When someone attends Spring for the Arts, they actually get to see our mission in action.”… Read More
Last year, master sculptor Mark Aeling and St. Petersburg Poet Laureate Helen Pruitt Wallace collaborated on a powerful project in the Warehouse Arts District that remembers 9/11, and how to begin again. On this Memorial Day weekend, Mark and Helen share their thoughts, and all the work behind Rise…. Read More
