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Cover Story
An invasion of art
[Photos courtesy of Gasparilla Festival of the Arts]
T.P. Speer and Deborah Banyas, Oberlin, Ohio, mixed media. |
By LENNIE BENNETT
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 27, 2003
More than 300 artists will be represented at one of Florida's top outdoor shows, the annual Gasparilla Festival of the Arts.
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TAMPA -- The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, one of Florida's premier outdoor art shows, opens Saturday and continues through Sunday in downtown Tampa. It has had a colorful 33-year history, and we're not just talking about pigment.
In the 1960s, before it officially became Gasparilla, the art exhibit was held during the Florida State Fair, near the livestock exhibits. While all agreed that the venue created an interesting demographic, the show was caught between patrons who wearied of walking around cow pies, and those who objected to nudity in some paintings. It moved downtown in 1970, where it had a slow start, exhibiting only 140 artists -- which is how many applied -- and prize money was less than $4,000.
Mary Watson, Prospect Heights, Ill., jewelry.
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How times have changed. This year, more than 300 artists were selected from a field of about 1,200 applicants, and awards total more than $61,000, the largest purse in the area, with best of show winner taking home $15,000.
All festivals that aspire to purvey fine art have to grapple with the reality that the most innovative works rarely are commercial. What's more, their creators have little interest in renting space, setting up a booth and enduring the deprecations of some viewers if they can't sell their art. But Gasparilla's lucrative award provides enticing bait even for them.
So you will find, among the beautifully executed but essentially decorative works, art that Jennifer Hardin, chief curator of the Museum of Fine Arts and one of two experts who selected the artists, calls "of the moment."
That said, the best rule for buying art is to go with what you love. If you are serious about purchasing, do some homework. Access the list of artists on the festival's Web site (www.gasparilla-arts.com). It stars those who won prizes last year, but does not tell you which award. A caveat about awards: Judges have their own sets of preferences and prejudices, so don't consider them final authorities. Use that list, or the program available at the festival, to make notes about artists you like, and save it for reference at future festivals. Talk to the artists; they are wonderful educators about medium and technique.
Kathleen Fetters, Gordo, Ala., photography.
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All media are represented at Gasparilla, including a new one, digital art. With so much discussion about the validity of digitally produced work, especially large multiple prints, committee member Mark Feingold said that decisionmakers "worked carefully to select work that was about using digital to create rather than reproduce."
Festival hours on Saturday are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The location has shifted slightly. Anticipating construction on the Tampa Museum of Art, organizers eliminated booths on Ashley Drive, so everything is concentrated along Franklin Street, spilling into side streets from Polk Street to Kennedy Boulevard. As always, there will be lots of food vendors and a children's activity area with hands-on crafts. Alcohol, skateboards, roller skates and bicycles are forbidden. Pets are, too, but that never seems to deter some people. Parking is available at sites nearby.
Carole Hetzel, West Palm Beach, fiber.
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The weather is always a gamble. Last year, winds almost swept the festival into the river. It will commence regardless of conditions, but dress accordingly.
Jurors for the awards are John H. Neff, director of the Naples Museum of Art, and Michael W. Monroe, an independent curator and former executive director of the American Craft Council, a combination that should bring scholarship and balance to the judging. Not part of the juried show but worth checking out are the emerging artists, who are given booths and stipends for the exhibition.
One last thing: Be kind. Artists can hear those comments you make about their art as you pass them by.
PREVIEW
David Kleeman, Indianapolis, sculpture.
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Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., along Franklin Street in downtown Tampa. Admission is free. Nearby parking is available. Children's activities and food vendors are available on both days. For information, call (813) 876-1747 or go to www.gasparilla-arts.com.
SCHEDULED ENTERTAINMENT
Saturday
10 a.m.-noon: Dunedin High School Falconaires
1-3 p.m. Grupo Caribe
3:30-5:30 p.m.: Kraig Kenning
Sunday
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Gypsy Wind
1-3 p.m. Valerie Gillespie
3:30-5 p.m.: USF Jazztet
Back to Weekend
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