One of the biggest art exhibitions in Tampa Bay (by both attendance AND sheer size) is coming back to St. Pete this spring. The outdoor, international juried art show Embracing Our Differences announced its 2025 exhibit season, including a month-long run in St. Petersburg’s Poynter Park this March 1-31.
The celebrated art show returned to St. Pete last spring for the first time in 21 years, and we’re thrilled to hear the news that the once-annual exhibition is back as a yearly tradition for the city. Well over 400,000 people visited Embracing Our Differences last year, exploring the amazing, larger-than-life pieces by artists and students from across the globe. As St. Pete continues to burnish its reputation as one of the country’s greatest cities for the arts, exhibitions like this truly stand out. This year’s rendition will be must-see.
- What: Embracing Our Differences Outdoor Art Exhibition
- Where: Poynter Park, 1000 3rd St. S.
- When: March 1-31, 2025
- Hours: Park opens 30 minutes before sunrise to 11:00 p.m. daily
- Admission: FREE!
Since getting its start in Sarasota in 2004, Embracing Our Differences has used the power of art and prose to promote inclusion, kindness and respect. Much of their work is centered around their annual international art exhibition, a juried exhibit consisting of 50 billboard-sized works of art, each accompanied by an inspirational quote.
Embracing Our Differences is an enormous exhibition in both physical and emotional scope, presenting a brilliantly illuminating collection of work that seeks to unite a world facing so many fractures. Each year, tens of thousands of entries pour in from across the world, and this year’s exhibition is set to be one of the best and biggest yet.
Beginning on March 1, Poynter Park and the Bayboro Harbor waterfront will become the epicenter of that work and inspiration. The park is located at 3rd Street and 9th Avenue South along the southern portion of the USF St. Pete campus.
This year’s exhibition features artists from 46 different U.S. states, 122 countries, and 511 different schools across the globe. The selected works were handpicked from over 10,000 submissions, more than 65% of which were from students.
“This vibrant artwork beautifully merges St. Pete’s vision to be a City of the Arts and a place that celebrates intentional inclusivity in every corner of our city,” St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said of the exhibit’s return. “Education through art is a critical approach to learning and I am thrilled they chose St. Pete this year.”
“EOD’s exhibitions celebrate the power of art to promote respect, kindness, and belonging in the community and beyond,” added EOD Executive Director President & CEO Sarah Wertheimer.
For the length of the exhibition, Embracing Our Differences is free to view. There is also an exhibition in Sarasota from January 19 through April 13 in Bayfront Park. Learn more at embracingourdifferences.org.
As the exhibition gets closer, we highly recommend keeping an eye out for dates for the Embracing Our Differences guided tours. Groups of 10 or more can also schedule private tours, and it makes for an excellent field trip for local schools. There’s also a planned community celebration March 8, so mark your calendars.
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