Embracing Our Differences

Creative Pinellas is getting ready for two beautiful exhibits in March –
Youth Art Month opening March 3 at the Creative Pinellas Gallery,
and a monumental exhibit of inspirational visual art and words opening
March 2 in St. Pete by the Sarasota nonprofit Embracing Our Differences.

Since 2004 Embracing Our Differences has showcased the creativity of global artists, students, writers and more, fostering messages of kindness, inclusion and respect through annual outdoor exhibitions of 50 billboard-sized visual artworks paired with words.

With nearly 4.5 million visitors, the exhibition has grown significantly, captivating regional and out-of-town audiences.

Our 2024 exhibition theme is “Embracing Our Different Perspectives.” In a literal sense, perspective is one’s viewpoint – metaphorically, it’s how the mind interprets the world.

You can find this visual artist’s words and voice here.

 

The diversity of individual viewpoints contributes to understanding when people come together. “Embracing Our Different Perspectives” signifies the importance of pluralistic viewpoints for a vibrant society.

When people from varied backgrounds collaborate, a tapestry of creative possibility unfolds. Stereotypes are demolished. Social silos open up. Barriers come down. Empathy extends to people who don’t look, think or talk like you.

The results are truly transformative. Embracing Our Differences (EOD) has seen that transformation first-hand.

You can find this visual artist’s words and voice here.

 

Building on the power of diverse perspectives, we proudly celebrate a significant milestone in 2024. We’re unveiling our exhibit in downtown St. Petersburg’s Poynter Park for the first time in 21 years, a waterfront park next to the campus of USF St. Petersburg. That cross-cultural creative collaboration was part of EOD’s foundation in our first year.

You can find this visual artist’s words and voice here.

 

In 2003, St. Petersburg’s Florida Holocaust Museum partnered with the Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem to present Coexistence, an exhibit of visual artwork celebrating that shared value. In 2004, Sarasota arts advocates co-chaired the first Coexistence exhibit in Sarasota.

The rest is history — and we’re thrilled to come full circle. Exhibiting in St. Petersburg has been our dream for years. We’re exhilarated that it’s finally coming true.

You can find this visual artist’s words here.

 

We are also thrilled to report that this year’s response to the call for artwork and inspirational quotations was robust with 16,604 entries pouring in from 125 countries and 44 states. Students from 584 schools around the world submitted visual artwork or quotations to the juried exhibit.

Their art and words tell us, over and over, that we need to replace hostility and division with unity and understanding. We need to honor the things that make us different. We need to celebrate the things we have in common.

These core truths are simple. But there are infinite ways to express them. And the people who respond each year continue to surprise us with their heartfelt creative expressions.

You can find this visual artist’s words here.

 

Together, we can create a vibrant community that is safe and inclusive for all — where differences are embraced, individuality is celebrated, and respect for others forms the cornerstone of our society. EOD will continue to honor the amazing spectrum of human potential — and celebrate the differences that make each individual precious and irreplaceable.

We invite you to join us!

 

Embracing Our Differences
March 2-31
Free
Poynter Park
at USF St Petersburg
Details here

 

Embracing Our Differences
is currently on view through April 14
at Bayfront Park in Sarasota
Free
Details here

You can find this visual artist’s words here.