This Saturday, 18 fine craft artists will be featured in Florida CraftArt’s 23rd annual festival. Because of the pandemic, it will be a smaller version of Tampa Bay’s highly anticipated annual fall festival that typically showcases 100 fine craft artists and attracts collectors and enthusiasts alike each fall in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg.
This year’s festival, free to the public as always, will be held outdoors by the Florida CraftArt gallery at 501 Central Avenue and directly across the street in the parking lot of Regions Bank. It is the perfect opportunity for people to purchase quality, handmade original gifts created by Florida artists.
Tyler Jones, Board President of Florida CraftArt, says, “As the only statewide organization promoting fine craft artists, this event is made possible with major support from the presenting sponsor The Red Apple Group, and sponsorship by Raymond James and Regions Bank. The event spotlights artists and their work and it will be presented to festivalgoers in a safe, responsible way.”
Long dedicated to engaging and mentoring the next generation of fine craft artists, Florida CraftArt also features the talents of six emerging artists (representing ceramic, mixed media and glass) with the support of the Duncan McClellan and the DMG School Project. Showing and selling their work at the festival alongside the nation’s best fine craft artists, each “Emerging Artist” receives a free booth, a professional photography session sponsored by Brian James Photography, and postcards sponsored by Color Concepts. Additional Emerging Artists sponsors are Michael and Andrea Graham, Kathryn Howd and Edward Rucks, David and Becky Ramsey, Tricera Capital, and Robert F. and Alexandria Welker. Media Sponsors are Creative Loafing and Tampa Bay Times.
On Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the work of these fine-craft artists will be featured:
Ceramics: William Kidd, Suzy Pease, Harry Welsch, Andrew Wender
Fiber: Leeann Kroetsch, Robert Stadnycki
Jewelry: Marc Aune, Charles Bahringer, Linda and Carl Caristo, William Carlie, and Lynn Hardesty
Metal: Javier Dones
Mixed Media: Artists of ArtLofts, Anne Ross Oliva
Sculpture: Terry Andrews
At the dawn of their career, these artists are mentored and exhibiting for the first time in an outdoor art festival.
Emerging Artists: Tyler Quintin (ceramics), Diana Hirschhorn (jewelry), and Janna Kennedy (mixed media)
Admission is free to Florida CraftArt which is located at 501 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Florida CraftArt is a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 and headquartered in St. Petersburg. Its mission is to grow the statewide creative economy by engaging the community and advancing Florida’s fine craft artists and their work. Fine craft art is presented in its 2,500-square-foot retail gallery and curated exhibitions are featured in its adjacent exhibition gallery. Twenty artists’ studios are on the second floor in ArtLofts. Florida CraftArt is the only statewide organization offering artists a platform to show and sell their work.
