Tampa's Gasparilla Festival of the Arts showcases work of emerging artists
TAMPA, Fla. - For 15 emerging artists, this weekend's Gasparilla Festival of the Arts represents the chance for thousands to see their work.
"We want to make sure that when they finish festival weekend, they're leaving the program with more than just knowing how to be a festival artist," Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Emerging Artist Committee Member Clay Hollenkamp said.
Dig deeper:
That preparation comes in the form of various Zoom lessons on topics of the business world of art. Those include taxes, marketing and networking.
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"We've had so many mentoring sessions," artist Brielle Sharrett said. "There are so many things you don't know to be honest."
Sharrett learned about opportunities that many artists don't think about, like contacting interior designers for chances to display their work. Sharrett describes her style as imaginary realism, focusing on narratives.
"I love to hear what people think the story is, so I'm hoping that's what happens. I'm hoping that somebody approaches me, and they can relate to it. It reminds them of something, something they've listened to, read or experienced. I would love to hear that from them," Sharrett said.
What they're saying:
Fellow artist David Anderson has a jokingly blunt response to what he hopes for this weekend.
"I just hope there's a lot of people with checkbooks," Anderson, the woodturner from Matrix Woodturning, said with a laugh. "This is exciting. I'm hoping everyone has a good show."
Mixed Media Collage Artist Becky Wanamaker is a librarian by day and artist by night. With a hole punch and glue, she repurposes all kinds of paper to create her pieces.
"I just love seeing people look at the art, and they're taken by how it looks overall, and then when they get up closer, and they start looking, they find things. It's like a little treasure hunt," Wanamaker said. "I hope that they see something that resonates with them personally, and that they take some home."
Printmaker Abby Knauff also hopes people take the time to examine her work.
"My work is a lot of moments frozen in time, and it allows you to look at that and contemplate in a way that you don't normally get to do in real life when those moments come and go so quickly," Knauff said.
What's next:
The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday at Tampa's Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
Applications for next year's Emerging Artist program open in October. For more information about the program, visit here.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered from interviews with local artists, including some participating in the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Emerging Artists Program.