The collective Gala Corina features work from a record number of artists this year.
By RICK GERSHMAN
Published November 11, 2005
Nueva Vida means "new life," an appropriate title for the seventh annual exhibition by the Tampa arts collective Gala Corina. The event, which runs today through Nov. 19, has a new president, several new organizers and other changes in store, including application for not-for-profit status.
"We have a lot more going on than in years past," said Amy Kroslak, the collective's president. "It really is a breath of new life. We're putting together the tools for Gala Corina to continue beyond us. We want to establish Gala as a force that will go on in future years."
Nueva Vida features a record number of participants in Gala Corina's largest space to date: Seaboard Square, a 10,000-square-foot warehouse at 120 S 11th St. in the Channel District. About 115 artists will display their work. There will also be music and theater performances, plus a fashion show tonight. The event is free and open to the public, though organizers ask visitors for a $2 donation at a door. Parking is available on either side of 11th Street and in the Channelside parking garage.
Painting, photography and sculpture are among the disciplines on display, and a design competition challenges artisans to create projects that fit Tampa's vision as a "city of the arts."
Gala Corina has come a long way since creator John Langley launched the event in 1999 with 22 artists in a hallway outside his renovated cigar factory apartment in Palmetto Beach. Recent exhibitions have drawn more than 3,000 people.
Langley remains involved with Gala Corina, taking the title of vice president this year, Kroslak said. Her husband and father-in-law are artists who have been involved with the collective.
"Gala can be very expensive to put on, and we do it all on a volunteer basis," she said.
The exhibition is open from 5 to 11 p.m. today, but hours vary throughout the week. See www.galacorina.org/events/ for more information.
Tonight's schedule includes sets by musicians Palmino, Chained to Waves and Tribal Style, a performance by Jobsite Theater, spoken word and the "4-D Movie & Fashion Show."
At 7 p.m. on Monday, Nueva Vida will hold its "Slide Slam," in which participants are invited to discuss their work among fellow artists. That event also is open to the public, with an open invitation to "friends, potential buyers and anyone else who has an interest in good art."
Tampa artists traditionally have found it challenging to draw crowds to individual exhibitions, which is why Gala Corina is so important, Kroslak said. It has "a little something for everybody.
"We have so much diversity that it will appeal to everybody in some shape or form," she said. "It's important to have diversity because in Tampa we need that cultural push."
