Florida CraftArt’s 23rd Festival celebrating fine art is happening Saturday December 5 along Central Avenue, and will feature 18 meticulously selected artists. This is a condensed version of its typical annual event, which would see more than 100 artists set up shop along Central Avenue between 5th and 6th Streets North.
This year’s festival, free and open to the public, will be held outdoors by the Florida CraftArt gallery at 501 Central Avenue and directly across the street in the parking lot of Regions Bank. Jurors for the 2020 festival selected 36 artists total, 18 of which will be displaying and selling their award-winning work on each of the two bookending Saturdays before and after the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Celebrate fine craft are outside in St. Pete
“Thanks to major support from The Red Apple Group and Regions Bank, we are thrilled to be able to move forward with our 23rd festival of fine craft,” says Tyler Jones, Board President of Florida CraftArt. “It ‘takes a village’ to stage our annual two-day festival, and this year, that village was adversely affected by Covid. However, as our mission is to help fine craft artists, we were determined to not let our artists down, and ultimately found the way forward with creating the smaller event we are calling “CraftArt With a Twist.” The event spotlight artists and their work and it presented to festivalgoers in a safe, responsible way.”
Long dedicated to engaging and mentoring the next generation of fine craft artists, Florida CraftArt also features the talents of six emerging artists (representing ceramic, mixed media and glass) with the support of the DMG School Project. Showing and selling their work at the festival alongside the nation’s best fine craft artists, each “Emerging Artist” receives a free booth, a professional photography session sponsored by Brian James Photography, and postcards sponsored by Color Concepts. Additional Emerging Artists sponsors are Kevin Beck, Michael and Andria Graham, Kathryn Howd and Edward Rucks, David and Becky Ramsey, and Robert F. and Alexandria Welker.
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18 exceptional artists lining up outside Florida CraftArt
On Saturday, December 5, from 10am to 5pm, the final festival day will feature the work of these fine craft artists:
- Ceramics: John Kellum, Sarah King, and Glenn Woods
- Fiber: Nneka Jones
- Jewelry: Trina Cahlander, Kristie MacGregor, Luis Perez, Wendy Thurlow, and Barbara Umbel
- Mixed Media: Holly Apperson, Cindy Hirt Pardue, and Artists of ArtLofts
- Sculpture: John and Sandie Formato, Randy Pardue, and Benjamin Peterson
- Emerging Artists: Esther Aall (ceramics), Robyn Crosa (mixed media), and Mary Ann Ziegler (glass)
To learn more about the festival, become a sponsor or become part of Florida CraftArt’s partially tax-deductible Collector’s Circle starting at $250, visit Florida CraftArt online, or call (727) 821-7391.
Admission is free to Florida CraftArt which is located at 501 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg.
Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am-4pm.
A nonprofit founded in 1951
Florida CraftArt is a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 and headquartered in St. Petersburg. Its mission is to grow the statewide creative economy by engaging the community and advancing Florida’s fine craft artists and their work.
Fine craft art is presented in its 2,500-square-foot retail gallery and curated exhibitions are featured in its adjacent exhibition gallery. Twenty artists’ studios are on the second floor in ArtLofts. Florida CraftArt is the only statewide organization offering artists a platform to show and sell their work.
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