City leaders hope fashionable art exhibit attracts businesses to downtown Clearwater
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Downtown Clearwater storefronts are dressed up hoping to attract new business. The city put the latest installment of its wearable art exhibit on display in vacant downtown storefronts last week.
"These are storefronts that have been chronically empty and an eyesore," Lina Teixeria, the curator of the exhibit and an artist showcasing work in the display, explained. I'm truly honored to have this opportunity to combine my two passions - which is my city and my art. This is how I give back."
Last year, the city of Clearwater and the Community Redevelopment Agency commissioned ten artists to create unique art involving fashion that could be displayed in store windows. Each one has its own theme and inspiration. The artists have their own techniques and use their own material, so each storefront is unique.
"In my mind, wearable art is a transformation of fashion, it doesn't necessarily make sense. It is not necessarily easy to wear," shared Teixeria. "Anything that you can wear but make it into an art form itself. It’s quite a unique discipline. It’s not very mainstream, but I think it’s one of the more exciting forms of art."
Officials say the exhibit is a way to showcase local artists, keep people interested while walking downtown and get businesses to move into those vacant storefronts.
"What I envision is that every street-level storefront is filled with a robust business," shared Teixeria. "I want to see the streets filled with a rich tapestry of people."
The wearable art exhibit is displayed in downtown Clearwater along the 500 and 600 blocks of Cleveland Street.
LINK: The exhibits are featured on the Community Redevelopment Agency’s virtual art map, which can be found here.
The map highlights Clearwater's murals, sculptures, and other public art throughout the downtown area.
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