Creative Pinellas Announces Call to Artists for Traveling Community Art Project
Creative Pinellas, the county’s Local Arts Agency, has released a Call to Artists for an ambitious community-driven public art project. This opportunity is open to Pinellas County artists and will focus on a singular artwork or grouped assemblage that will travel to multiple locations throughout Pinellas County over a number of years, from the northernmost border of Tarpon Springs to St. Pete Beach and multiple destinations in between.
This effort is a countywide arts project, designed to bring art into residents’ and visitors’ daily lives through work that encourages interaction and is accessible to all. Its goal is to inspire residents’ pride and interest in the community and highlight Pinellas County’s place as a world-class tourism, arts and culture destination.
“We know that Pinellas is a county with huge potential for continually growing our arts scene,” said Jessica McCormick, the public art project coordinator for Creative Pinellas. “We think this project can excite and unite the people of Pinellas with a shared community experience and foster a sense of pride for where we live. Plus, we get to give visitors yet another reason to visit and enjoy what this county has to offer.”
This art project is funded from the BP settlement funds related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill with the support of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners. Over the last six months, Creative Pinellas has been working with local municipal partners to identify which countywide locations could best serve this art project, as well as gathering Tampa Bay arts educators, artists, community builders, and business influencers to serve as a project panel that has helped to craft the Call to Artists and will act as stewards to continually push the project forward.
“At Creative Pinellas, we are excited to work with our county and municipal partners to bring this exciting project to life,” said Barbara St. Clair, executive director of Creative Pinellas. “The artwork will be the product of a truly local effort, employing Pinellas County artists to deliver a unique public art project to the residents and visitors of Pinellas County. This project will focus on supporting artists who live and work in Pinellas County, and will deliver a unique public artwork. The project will also help highlight the amazing depth of talent we have in the artists who call Pinellas County home, and we’re pleased to be able to provide this high quality-commission opportunity.”
The Call to Artists will be open from June 6 to 11:59pm (EDT) on August 17, 2018, and includes all application requirements and project goals, such as accessibility for all and the desire to engender a sense of civic pride and shared community.
To view the Call to Artists, and to learn about the project and its goal of a connected Pinellas County, visit creativepinellas.org/communityart.
