Creative Pinellas Announces Emerging Artist Exhibit

An exhibition by Creative Pinellas opening Thursday, Sept. 27 with a reception at the Gallery at Creative Pinellas will present a fresh, vibrant group of new works by 10 recipients of the organization's Emerging Artist Grant.

This second annual exhibit will feature painting, sculpture, installation and printmaking by artists Daniel Barojas, Saumitra Chandratreya, Brandie Dziegiel, Reid Jenkins, Ari Robinson, and Jonathan Talit; and dance, writing, photography and music by artists Marquis Floyd, Tenea Johnson, Xina Scuderi, and Suzanne Wieland. The public is invited to see the work of these talented and diverse emerging artists as they gain momentum in their careers.

"We are so glad to be able to showcase the incredible work these emerging artists are doing," says Barbara St. Clair, executive director of Creative Pinellas. "Many of last year's recipients went on to exhibit in group and solo shows since last year's event, and they are telling us that the emerging artist program has already made a difference in their careers. That's thanks both to the quality of their work, and to the many area curators who attended and saw their potential. We believe this year's show is going to be equally amazing and new, and we are expecting great things for all of our emerging artists in the years to come."

The exhibition starts with an opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 6 pm in the Gallery at Creative Pinellas (formerly the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo) and will feature live performances as well as the premier of the new visual art created for specifically for the show. To optimize the community's ability to see the work, the Gallery will continue to be open for the weekend through Sept 30.

The opportunity to show work is one benefit of the Emerging Artist Grant Program, which is intended to springboard its recipients to the next level of their careers. The grantees are also awarded $2,000 and assigned a professional artist mentor, who works with them throughout the grant period leading up to the exhibit.

"It's been a pleasure to watch this year's group of Emerging Artists progress, experimenting with new techniques and media, and honing their skills through their mentor pairings," says Christopher Hubbard, programs manager at Creative Pinellas. "We're delighted to cap off their grant period with an exhibit here at the Gallery at Creative Pinellas, connecting them with new audiences and we are looking forward to sharing their work with the community setting their careers on a trajectory to success."

Detailed descriptions of the emerging artists are available at the Creative Pinellas website creativepinellas.org, where they are also blogging about their progress and activities throughout the granting period, which ends Sept. 14, 2018. These blogs are posted alongside the Creative Pinellas journal, artist and venue directories, and event calendar.

For more information on this and other Creative Pinellas grants and programs, please visit creativepinellas.org.

At Creative Pinellas our mission is to facilitate a vibrant, integrated, collaborative and sustainable Pinellas County Arts Community and arts and cultural destination. We strive to be the premier Local Arts Agency, recognized locally and globally for our contribution to arts and culture. We are focused on creating vibrant communities; supporting artists, arts organizations and the creative community; supporting economic development; showcasing Pinellas County as an arts and cultural destination; and making arts and creative expression and experience available to all.

As the County's Local Arts Agency, Creative Pinellas and the programs we deliver are funded by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, Visit St Petersburg / Clearwater, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and by sales of the State of the Arts specialty license plate in Pinellas County.