For the past nine years, the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance has been celebrating the diversity of all the arts and culture in St. Petersburg and pays tribute to the remarkable talent and variety that can be discovered around every corner of our amazing city including the annual celebration of six outstanding 2023 MUSE award winners. Learn about them below then join us in the celebration on March 3, 2023 at the Morean Center for Clay! Tickets available here!
MUSE Arts Ambassador Award Honoree - Katie Deits/Florida CraftArt
"I was totally SURPRISED and THRILLED to be selected for the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance MUSE award for Arts Ambassador. St. Pete is a great arts destination and I am SO HAPPY to be part of it as the CEO of Florida CraftArt! Many thanks for the honor.
If anyone wants to come to the huge and REALLY fun party they throw for it, it's March 3."
Katie Deits is an accomplished professional with a background in art, public relations, marketing, and organizational leadership. She is the Chief Executive Officer at Florida CraftArt and a Certified Fundraising Executive. Florida CraftArt aims to grow the statewide creative economy by engaging the community and advancing Florida’s fine craft artists and their work. In her seven years as the CEO, she has utilized her creative, fundraising, and nonprofit management skills to grow Florida CraftArt’s impact. In addition to her current role, Katie has a wealth of experience in the photography industry. She served as the President of Camera Graphics for 25 years, where she led the largest photographic and graphic arts studio in Palm Beach County. Specializing in commercial, architectural, and aerial photography, Camera Graphics worked with major corporations and industries. Katie is a practicing artists and has also taught photography at Palm Beach State College, Barry University, and the Society of the Four Arts. She advances the community through her membership in a variety of organizations, including the International Association of Art Critics.
See Katie’s surprise MUSE Reveal Video here! https://youtu.be/MV6h8SglO5I
MUSE Literary Arts Award Honoree - Maggie Duffy
“I’m thrilled to receive this award from the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance,” said Duffy, who has worked professionally in the local art scene as a gallery manager and curator. “Covering the arts is a dream job, and to be recognized for doing it is a true honor.”
Maggie Duffy is the arts and music reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, covering museum and gallery exhibitions, theater performances and the occasional concert. A lifelong arts enthusiast, she has a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of South Florida. She previously worked in the local art scene as a gallery manager and curator.
“Covering the arts in our vibrant community is a dream career. I feel so fortunate to live in a city that supports creativity."
See Maggie’s surprise MUSE Reveal Video here! https://youtu.be/4cm8ELFP5nQ
MUSE Patron of the Arts Award Honoree - Belinda Dumont
“The main thing about St. Pete is the people, and the Arts. They have always been of the utmost importance to me, and they are all in themselves so very worthy of support."
"For 20 years a supporter of the Florida Orchestra, I’ve been able to be on their board for many of those years. It was Irene Rubenstein, who funded the concerts in the park along with Helen Torres, who introduced me to the orchestra and their projects. For a year or two I went to all 3 venues and heard all three concerts to raise funds. A long time ago, 17 years to be exact, I auditioned for Mark Sforzini to sing in his newly formed St. Pete Opera, and to my joy, he hired me, and I’ve been there ever since, eventually on his board. I am the retired Director Emeritus of the company. Every penny you give Mark Sforzini, artistic and executive director, appears on his stage in musical excellence, blinding, surprising, endearing musicianship, beauty and kindness. He auditions here and in NY, but it is set designers and all on and off stage who count as much as the voices. We have artists of that caliber here in St. Pete.
And there are the visual arts. Long a supporter of the visual arts, I’ve been on the board of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Pete for a number of years. It is a joy and a privilege to work with artists and curators almost daily. How could we live without museums and exhibits to go to? We have them here, and we love our artists. Singing, playing, designing, creating, dancing, we are them and they are the soul of this great city.
My business career began in publishing. I worked for Condé Nast in the 60s and 70s, publisher of Vogue and Glamour and House & Garden, where I worked in fashion and editing and became the producing editor of House & Garden, and edited for Medical World News with McGraw-Hill. The process involved examining and using images, especially photography. From there I went to Wall Street in investment banking, where I had a 20-year career, working for firms such as J.P.Morgan/Chase, etc., where I was privileged to see the rise of computing in electronic markets, ending with 10 years at Bear Stearns & Co., culminating as an associate managing director, at the height of the markets. And yes, I went to or sang in the opera during that time whenever I could.
Most recently, June 2022, I appeared as Duchess of Krakenthorp for St. Pete Opera in La Fille de Regiment, a cameo role, and will do some choral singing in the next production, which will be Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio. Yes, here in St. Pete, at the Palladium. Now that’s why we support the Arts! With love to all my fellow musicians, painters, clay artists, singers and dancers, creative artists of every stripe, every kid with paper and a crayon, I am, Belinda Dumont.”
See Belinda’s surprise MUSE Reveal Video here! https://youtu.be/5yWeF3B1IlQ
MUSE Performance Arts Award Honoree - Alexander Jones and projectALCHEMY
"This is such an honor. Thank you St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and our awesome community support in St Pete"
Alexander Jones, founder and executive artistic director of the downtown St. Pete international nonprofit dance+ company projectALCHEMY, is a graduate of University of South Florida, recent MFA graduate Hollins University studying dance. Jones received training from the LINES Ballet BFA Program under direction of Marina Hotchkiss. He has had the opportunity to work with Alonzo King, Bill T. Jones in Serenade/The Proposition, and Doug Varone in The Rite of Spring. He has performed in Tunisia, Africa with the University of South Florida on behalf of the American Embassy and the Tunisian Dance Federation. A native Floridian, Jones is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association and current performer at Walt Disney World in stage shows such as Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas, Dream Along with Mickey, Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage . He is an alumnus of ArchCore40 in NYC and works closely with choreographer Jennifer Archibald as her choreographer assistant in the Florida Dance Festival. In 2012, he choreographed and directed his first evening length work entitled First You, Then The Rest at the Studio@620 in St. Petersburg, FL. In the Spring of 2013, Jones joined Yow Dance Company and had the honor of choreographing works for the company for both Spring Into Dance and the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Later that Fall, he returned to the Studio@620 to premiere his second evening-length work, Contact. Jones participated in Project GenYes! at the Studio@620 made possible by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation premiering his third evening-length work, Uncovered: Power of the Being at the Studio@620. In 2016, Jones became the Artistic Director of Collective Soles Dance making it his mission to connect the Tampa Bay area through collaboration. The following year Alex was one of the resident choreographers at the Florida Dance Festival where he premiered his latest work behind the Front. Jones is on faculty as an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa teaching techniques classes that help students prepare for both concert and commercial stages. Community and collaboration are at the forefront of Jones’s dance works with the company, as well as in and around St. Pete. He serves as the Dance Artists in Residence at the Studio@620, assisting in dance programming alongside Bob Devin Jones.
See Alex & ProjectALCHEMY’s surprise MUSE Reveal Video here! - https://youtu.be/YRtZZ4NwY78
MUSE Art & Technology Award Honoree - Mikhail Mansion
"I'm deeply honored to be awarded this year's Muse Award for Art + Technology by St. Petersburg Arts Alliance. I'm always amazed at the level of support this area extends to the creative community; it's rewarding to know that my contributions are too becoming part of that legacy. Especially proud of my team, and those artists making Fairgrounds St. Pete a leading art and technology destination, and at The Factory St. Pete, The Dalí Museum and also those building Crab Devil over in Tampa (respect). The sky is the limit for Tampa Bay when it comes to art + tech + innovation!"
Mikhail Mansion is an interdisciplinary artist, technologist, entrepreneur and educator. He started his career working on prototype weapons systems in the United States Air Force before transitioning to industry projects. Applying his engineering skills creatively, he developed a range of imaginative projects for clients like Vogue, Forbes, HBO, Samsung, Toyota, Twitter, Google and others. Working across disciplines, Mikhail served as a technology advisor and researcher on several grants by the National Science Foundation, Knight Foundation and National Endowment from the Arts. Now, Mikhail serves as the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Fairgrounds St. Pete, an immersive art and technology museum that features works by over 60 Florida-based artists. He is also a co-organizer of OK! Transmit, a free and open art and technology meetup, that brings together the art, science, and technology communities to share innovative ideas through talks, presentations, workshops, exhibits, and performances. His passion for art and technology shines through in his work as an educator as well. He is an adjunct professor at Ringling College of Art & Design and the University of Tampa, and has previously taught at a number of other prestigious institutions.
As an artist Mikhail takes interest in using technology to translate the hidden forces and phenomena embedded in the world around us into poetic expressions that invite discovery and play. His work seeks to mix digital and physical forms in order to provide interactive shared experiences that connect people to nature and to each other. His creative work has been exhibited at de Young Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, V&A Museum, Renwick Gallery, deCordova, Ringling Museum, Miraikan - National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Biomuseo, LEXUS INTERSECT-TOKYO, Pyongyang Winter Olympics, Currents New Media Festival, Ars Electronica, Meow Wolf among others.
See Mikhail’s surprise MUSE Reveal Video here! - https://youtu.be/OsDejI_YVSQ
MUSE Visual Arts Award Honoree - Catherine Woods
"Surprised and delighted! Having recently installed the SunRunner art glass panels, it is wonderful to be honored at this time. Looking forward to the MUSE party, and sharing the love with my fellow award winners!"
Catherine Woods is a nationally recognized artist known for her large-scale architectural glass and metal installations. She is the principal of C Glass Studio LLC, which has been creating artwork for the public sector since 2002. Catherine's work can be found all over the United States, from St. Pete to Reno, Nevada. She has completed a range of projects, including gateway signature sculptures, suspended artworks, in-ground artworks, and temporary projects, each of which takes into consideration the personality of the community and honors the architecture of the site.
Catherine's work has been featured in national publications such as Sculpture Review and Public Art Review, as well as local publications, Tampa Bay Magazine, St. Pete Life and the Tampa Bay Times. She has been recognized by Americans for the Arts' prestigious public art competition, Year in Review.
See Catherine’s surprise MUSE Reveal Video here! - https://youtu.be/KuBKw4Nl9O4
Get your MUSE 2023 tickets today!
St. Petersburg arts leaders recall efforts in the late 1980’s to produce an annual event that featured area galleries. Wayne Atherholt recalls, “In 1986, they launched the Holiday Art Tour, which was primarily a retail shopping event at museums, galleries, and other nonprofit arts organizations.
THE EARLY DAYS
Three years later, the first Saturday night Gallery Hop was organized, eventually becoming an annual event that morphed into Art Express. The event grew and eventually became part of an Artworks! Festival that began in 1987and ran until 1992, celebrating art, music, theater, and dance.
Michele Tuegel writes, “The Florida Craftsmen Gallery (now Florida CraftArt) moved to 501 Central Avenue in 1995 and soon after coined the phrase “Renaissance of the Arts” to describe the changes that were taking place in the City. The Arts Center (now Morean Arts Center) moved to 719 Central Avenue in 1997, and within a year, the two organizations became known as “the anchors for the Arts on Central.”
Mike Shapiro recalls, “In 1996, the DAA produced a Gallery Hop in conjunction with the Festival of States. The next year, galleries and restaurants collaborated to create a themed gallery walk called “Taste of the Arts.” Collaborative efforts among galleries led to the formation of the Downtown Arts Association (DAA) in 1998 (incorporated, 2002). The initial DAA boundaries were Tampa Bay to the east, 9th Street to the west and 5th Avenues North and South.”
The DAA launched an inaugural monthly gallery walk in October, 1999 with 18 galleries participating. Mary Ann Marger, St. Petersburg Times Art Critic, wrote, “Just having fun, folks. And that’s what the Downtown Arts Association hopes art lovers and others will be doing when they attend the first monthly gallery walk, scheduled for each second Saturday, beginning the ninth of October - tomorrow. And somewhere along the way, that ambulating audience may become enchanted enough with something to buy it. The walks are a revival of monthly open houses several years ago.” (10/8/1999) In 2003 the new Craftsman House Gallery at 2955 Central Ave. expanded the arts business footprint into the Grand Central District on the west end of downtown. The DAA extended its western boundary to 31st St., and in a 2005 DAA brochure, Craftsman House owner Jeff Schorr referred to St. Petersburg as “The City of the Arts.”
With most galleries clustered on Central Avenue, banners were made designating the area as Gallery Central. Restaurants, bars, and other businesses supported Gallery Central, as it was a boon for most of them. The DAA made bumper stickers that said, “Take a Walk on the Art Side.” As the DAA grew, the geographical boundaries began to expand, and trolleys were booked for special events. However, during the economic downturn in 2008, Jeff Schorr recalls that the DAA ran at a bare minimum keeping Gallery Walk going. The 2009 brochure included only 10 galleries that participated in the 2nd Saturday Gallery Walk.
Emerging Arts Districts
ArtWalk and the arts districts developed hand in hand; and St. Petersburg’s welcoming and aspirational arts community grew as artists moved here. “Pioneering” artists such as Duncan McClellan (DMG Glass) and Mark Aeling (MGA Sculpture Studio) moved into the Dome Industrial Park. Mark and others renamed the area the Warehouse Arts District and founded the ArtsXchange and the Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA) in 2012, expanding the city’s arts footprint and adding studios to what was historically a gallery event. In 2013, the DAA became the Arts Association of St. Petersburg (AASP); however, in 2016, AASP sunsetted and its members came under the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance umbrella.
In 2013-14 the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance “named” the Beach Drive area the Waterfront Arts District; and with Florida CraftArt, named the 600 block and adjacent blocks the Central Arts District. Arts leaders further up Central Ave. later named their area the EDGE District (Entertainment, Dining, Galleries, Etc.) which bordered the Grand Central District that also had artists moving in, including some from Salt Creek whose building was sold and turned into a parking lot.
Artful Social Media
Facebook was instrumental in helping organize and promote the arts districts and ArtWalk. Tracy Kennard, owner of Your Virtual Footprint, started posting about ArtWalk on Facebook and Twitter in February, 2012 and on Instagram in 2015. “As a founding board member of the Warehouse Arts District Association with a background in social media marketing, I saw the value in using Facebook and Twitter in early 2012 to drive traffic to the various venues on Second Saturday ArtWalk. Almost immediately some venues moved from having 50 ArtWalk guests to almost 500 the next month. Social media allowed us to reach our local St. Pete community and beyond to cities and counties within driving distance.
“ArtWalk became THE event of the month through targeted, colorful, and descriptive social media posts that created interest, curiosity and most of all, arts advocates. To this day we continue to use social media marketing to expand our audience, build connections and go beyond our borders, touching the lives of art collectors while welcoming new artists into the area.”
Trolleys Link the Arts Districts as One Arts Destination
In 2012, WADA and the DAA began working with the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership to charter trolleys, design the routes, and determine stops. The trolleys were promoted as a free, convenient, and safe way to visit all the districts. Mark Aeling writes, “In 2012 with the help of City Council member Jeff Danner, WADA introduced the trolley component into the ArtWalk in an effort to familiarize the community with some of the lessor known arts establishment hidden away in the warehouses of the district. Leasing trolleys from the Downtown Partnership was instrumental in the development of the district. The original trolley route circulated within the district boundaries, however after experiencing significant success it was expanded into a second trolley line that ran downtown and met at a shared location for transferring routes. This plan evolved into one route with 2 trolleys when the Arts Alliance took over responsibility for planning the trolley.”
However, without centralized organization, it was difficult to manage the process and pay for the trolleys without centralized organization. In August, 2013 the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance convened an organizational meeting of arts district leaders. Executive Director John Collins offered to provide management and marketing for Artwalk, including fundraising to pay for the trolleys. The proposal was accepted and an ArtWalk steering committee was formed with representatives from each arts district. They developed guidelines for participation by galleries and studios, and changed the name from Gallery Hop to Second Saturday Artwalk St. Petersburg.
In March 2014 the Arts Alliance developed the marketing mantra: Five arts districts equal one arts destination. Media releases stated, “The Waterfront Arts District, Central Arts District, the EDGE District, Grand Central District, and the Warehouse Arts District become one arts destination, with trolley transportation providing a safe and fun way to visit the galleries and studios, some open to the public only on this special night.”
An Arts Alliance intern designed an ArtWalk logo and SPAA printed large display signs. The signs had extra white space so that each studio or gallery could decorate their sign as they wished. Volunteer Jeff Danner constructed eight-feet-tall easels so that the signs could be displayed on sidewalks and be seen above parked cars.
Media releases from the Arts Alliance went out monthly to an extensive media list. An advance release was sent to participants so that they could personalize it to promote their specific shows, amplifying marketing every second Saturday as Opening Night for the visual arts the city. Studios and galleries began to plan their show openings on second Saturdays, knowing that collectively they would draw more visitors. Such consistent promotion led to coverage in monthly magazines and travel columns that require long lead time publishing schedules. The Arts Alliance also began branding St. Petersburg as a City of the Arts, encompassing the growing arts districts, and performing arts venues and museums.
With frequent and consistent messaging, ArtWalk began garnering widespread monthly local media notice. On August 8, 2014, The St. Petersburg Times published, “ArtWalk brings diverse communities closer through the arts and visitors to St. Petersburg. People will take a safe trolley to creative places they would not otherwise visit. It is critical that we build upon this early cooperation and make an investment in capacity building for the artists and creative businesses that are helping brand St. Petersburg as a City of the Arts.”
SPAA identified ArtWalk as an economic driver for sponsors and funders. They collected monthly visitor numbers from the participants, and trolley drivers counted ridership. While somewhat inexact, the figures over time showed consistent trends. ArtWalk was attracting approximately 3,000 visitors every month to more than 40 galleries and studios with 200+ artists participating. In good weather, visitor numbers reached 4,000. Of course, some visitors went to more than one gallery; however, to each gallery they represented a unique buyer. Duke Energy was a welcome sponsor, and the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown also signed on.
ArtWalk has grown from a boutique event into one of the largest such arts events in the country. Local lore is that for over 20 years ArtWalk has been produced every single month. Only hurricane Irma caused a cancellation in September, 2017. However, the Covid pandemic shut down the trolleys, and the Arts Alliance implemented ways for ArtWalk to go virtual from April to September 2020. Grants were procured to film 30 gallery and studio video tours to facilitate a virtual ArtWalk on the website and on YouTube.
In March 2022 the Arts Alliance produced a new logo and signage and purchased weekly advertising on WUSF for six months before the eventual return of the trolley. Currently one trolley is providing transportation and acting as a “travelling billboard” promoting that ArtWalk has returned.
ArtWalk’s Future
St. Petersburg’s moniker as a City of the Arts is supported by a fragile arts ecosystem. An influx of developers who are purchasing real estate in areas that the arts community made cool is now causing galleries to relocate or close. Rents are becoming too high for studio owners. Ironically and sadly, the EDGE District no longer has any galleries. Condo or apartment buildings with artsy names have replaced them. A few galleries have moved to other areas outside the ArtWalk trolley route including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street.
Jeff Schorr of Florida Craftsman Gallery states, "The arts are referred to as the catalyst that sparked the renaissance of St. Petersburg. However, through it all the lack of arts funding by the city has remained consistent. ArtWalk is the sole avenue for support of the for-profit galleries."
What is past is prologue, wrote Shakespeare in The Tempest. There are over 36 years of ArtWalk history in its various formats, and I greatly appreciate the arts leaders who provided me with far more info than I could use. Further, there are dozens of others who made ArtWalk and the arts districts successful over the years. For brevity I could not include all the statements sent to me and move the timeline along. Hopefully, as ArtWalk and our arts districts evolve to meet the challenging needs of the arts community, current and future leaders have a literal foundation to build upon. Now that our arts community continues to expand beyond the original district boundaries, Artwalk must find ways to evolve to support everyone. •
Written by By John Collins. Contributors include Mark Aeling, Wayne Atherholt, Leslie Curran, Tracy Kennard, Mary Klein, Terry Marks, Michele Tuegel, Jeff Schorr, and Sue and Mike Shapiro. This article appeared in Artisan Magazine. Download PDF of article.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance along with its community partner, Kahwa Coffee is delighted to announce a collaboration that will support the building of the St. Petersburg Arts Endowment through the sale of art-wrapped coffee canisters at every Kahwa Store for preorder online beginning on November 2, 2022. On November 8th, cans will be available in all Kahwa locations.
These canisters are extraordinary since they will all be wrapped with local art, beginning with Chad Mize, a St. Pete favorite and loaded with their delicious Signature Sirocco Blend. Chad Mize is a multimedia artist, designer and muralist residing in St. Petersburg, Florida. With a love for past and contemporary culture, he takes a humorous, tongue-in-cheek approach to his designs, which include playful doodles, colorful patterns, political art and graphics with text. Mize’s work is held in numerous private and corporate collections nationally and internationally.
SPAA and Kahwa will be releasing new canisters with every season and our community can look forward to hearing about future artists that are participating in this project. Cans are filled with Kahwa signature blend Sirocco - whole or ground beans. Customers can bring an empty can back to any café and refill it with any coffee for $10.
Support the St. Pete Arts Endowment by purchasing these limited edition canisters online and at any of the Kahwa stores in our area. These special canisters are right in time for holiday gift giving and it makes it all special, since 100% of the net proceeds will be helping artists and art organizations!
Limited edition art wrapped coffee canisters make great gifts for employees, friends and family and at $24.99 each, how can you resist?!!!
Click here to purchase your art wrapped canister!
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (SPAA) partnered with museum leaders to provide an overview of the St. Pete Museum Experience to brand St. Petersburg as a city of museums! Nine museums participated in this project and include great depth and diversity in the experiences they offer to our community and to visitors. From Glass to Native American, from Fine Art to Children's...options for every interest and more. There is a compilation video that showcases all nine museums and then a video for each museum separately.
The funding for this project came from the Comprehensive Arts Strategy with support from the City of St. Petersburg, the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership. The marketing support for this project comes from the National Endowment for the Arts and Pinellas Cares grants. These videos will be shared on websites and social media, as well as being sent out to art writers, magazines and publications online throughout the country. The goal is to increase museum attendance and also invigorate tourism for the City of St. Pete.
Participating museums include the Chihuly Museum, the Dali Museum, Great Explorations Children’s Museum, the St. Petersburg History Museum, The Florida Holocaust, Imagine Museum, The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, and the Dr. Carter Woodson African American History Museum.
We love this mural by Leo Gomez, and we want to hear from you!
Email us with words, images, movement, video, anything that expresses what brings sunshine to your life!
Some examples might be:
- A 10-15 second video of you sharing an anecdote of something that makes you feel alive.
- Sharing a photo, or a piece of art you created.
- Emailing us with a quote or short poem you love.
There are so many ways to show us what brings you joy!
What you share could be included in a very special SPAA initiative: Murals In Mind. We've selected 12 local murals that inspire positive mental health, and we're excited to collaborate with media & performing artists to build creative wellness content that uplifts our community. In addition, Eckerd College assisted us by encouraging one of their staff psychologists, trained in trauma and art therapy, to be a part of this project.
Murals in Mind, a project funded by the Community Foundation Tampa Bay and Love IV Lawrence is the combination of visual and performing arts used as a healing tool for better mental health within our city. This project will be lovingly launched in 2023.
A big thank you to the sponsors of Murals in Mind!
Help us spread the sunshine and tell us what brings sunshine to your life!
Email us by November 4th, 2022 and express yourself!
By submitting your words, images, video or other offering - you have agreed to allow SPAA to use this as a part of their Murals in Mind project to share with the greater community. You will be advised if your piece has been selected.
