WADA Artist Member, Junkyrd, and his contribution to the WADA Art Tubs Project

I am a full time visual artist. I work with multiple tools and mediums like canvas, wood and even skin as far as tattooing. Most of my work is acrylic on canvas and one can describe my work to be abstract and impressionistic. I’m aware of popular culture and paint what’s on my mind in the moment, influenced by history. The majority of my work shows movement with layered brush strokes. Also, music is critical to my process from start to finish. I rely on hip hop, jazz and live instrumentation to fuel my drive. Art is the getaway to my imagination, challenging me and channeling my youth.

As I grow, I continue to pay homage to what art has done for me beyond talent and practice. My goal is to shed light on the inspiration all around us and continually shift perceptions by pushing limits of 2 dimensionality. My art helps express feelings words fail to describe in our complex and dynamic world. Art can bridge the gaps of cultures, backgrounds and people from all walks of life. Art has allowed me a space to explore and interpret the world around me.

I have my work in galleries in Florida such as Lulu Laboratorium and non-profit organizations such as Youth Concept Gallery as a way to give back to communities and educate others on the importance of art in life.

In art, like Bob Ross said, “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.”

Smile - Fary Charles - Visual Artist

WADA Artist Member, Zoe Perez, and her contribution to the WADA Art Tubs Project

Zoe Perez created the rendering of the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement for the WADA Art Tubs Project. 

Zoe’s Artist Statement

Creating awesome art is my passion. I use my computer to create most of my art but I love painting as well. My creativity started when I was very young and as I have gotten older I have been able to explore so many types of art. This project was so much fun and I haven't done something like this before. I hope that you are inspired to go and create your own works of art. Thank you for letting me share my work with you! 

Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement by Zoe Perez

WADA Youth Outreach to Local Elementary Schools in Collaboration with Foundation for a Healthy St. Pete

The Warehouse Arts District Association is wrapping up the development of WADA Art Tubs for selected K-5 art teachers to use in their classrooms to support their established curriculum.  The project focuses on six art focused buildings in St. Petersburg with remarkable architecture.

 “Tubs” exist for math and science and not yet for art. The goal is to provide an art experience that supports the established classroom structure by sharing WADA resources and highlighting the talent of 15 WADA member artists. 

All will fit in a plastic tub, the size a 5-year-old can carry independently, with artisan crafted wooden blocks of various shapes and architectural details, natural finish and sealer for easy cleaning and disinfecting.

The four sides of each WADA  Art Tub has a photograph, simple line drawing and artist rendering of each of the six art-focused St. Pete buildings. Each tub will include an artist statement and headshot for all 15 commissioned artists involved as well as varied directions for each grade level and descriptions of each building. 

The art-focused inspiration buildings are:

Dali Museum

Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum

Museum of Fine Art

Museum of American Arts and Crafts Movement

Royal Theater

Palladium  
 

Considering the impact of COVID on schools, our best hope is to launch the tubs for the Fall 2021 school year.

Dear Warehouse Arts District Association Members

• For the last year, I volunteered as Membership Chair of the Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA) and I spent the last four years on the Board, serving in many different capacities during that time. I wanted to let you know that I am stepping down from both positions, but I leave truly excited about all the good things that are on the horizon for the district and the association.  

  Despite a difficult year that evidenced the necessity for flexibility and resilience, WADA had many accomplishments in 2020.  WADA was established in 2014 with a goal to advocate for artists and the arts community and provide affordable artist studios. We originally bought five old warehouses. Soft Water Studios was the original space that was operational, along with MGA Sculpture Studios next door.  After years of fundraising and hard work, WADA opened the ArtsXchange studios in September 2017. In 2019, WADA acquired an adjacent strip of commercial spaces we call The Shoppes and renovated several of them to rent as additional studio space. 

  We now have about 40 artists with studios on the ArtsXchange compound and another approximately 240 artists who are not on site. This year we installed pavers, added landscaping and streetlamp lighting, with electrical outlets and water spigots, which enabled us to begin holding an Outdoor Marketplace. In July, artist and WADA Board Member Ya La Ford collaborated with a group of students from Mt. Zion Christian Academy to create a mural “Community Woven Revealed” on the ArtsXchange campus. 

  Regarding membership, a year ago, founding Board Member extraordinaire Teresa Sullivan and I conducted focus groups to determine what our members valued and needed from us.  From what we heard, we developed these priorities:

1. Strengthen community (among artists and to the broader community)
   
2. Promote artist members (social media, website, regular member exhibits)
   
3. Improve communication with members (membership meetings, newsletters, social media groups)
   
4. Tighten administrative processes (updated benefits, updated website, def ined member levels, automated renewal processes)

Here’s a recap of what we’ve done related these priorities:

1. Strengthen Community

2. Improved Communications 

 3.     Promoting Members

Given all this growth, thank goodness we were able to hire new staff: Audrie Cuddy-Ranon is the new WADA Director of Operations and is holding regular office hours from 10 – 5pm, Monday – Friday in the Burka Lounge at the ArtsXchange. 

I am thrilled to have been a part of WADA for so long and intend to stay part of the community and volunteer.  A new membership chair should be forthcoming in the near future, but for now, should you have questions or concerns, you can continue to reach out to me at joinwada@gmail.com or to Audrie at audrie@whereartismade.com.

Let’s hope for an amazing 2021. 

Sincerely,

Caryn Nesmith

Sally Dee is the proud owner of a successful public relations and marketing firm known as Playbook Public Relations. Sally had an unconventional 8 year route to achieving her success. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, she excelled in golf and basketball in high school. She left Syracuse for Tampa to attend the University of South Florida where she was an Academic All-American and graduated Cum Laude in 1994. Sally then proceeded to enjoy a successful career on the LPGA tour. After golf, she worked at various companies until going back to USF to pursue an MBA and graduated in 2011. In 2012, she founded Playbook Public Relations, LLC. 

Sally became involved with the Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA) through friends at Smith and Associates. She has been an active member of WADA since its inception. Supporting WADA, Sally not only attended but provided the PR for the groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremony, as well the grand opening of the Studios at the ArtsXchange in 2017. 

Living and working in Tampa, Sally supports the Warehouse Arts District Association from across the Bay. “I urge businesses to support the arts,” Sally says. “Art is what makes a region great!”  When she isn’t attending a Warehouse Arts District function, you can find Sally at work at Playbook Public Relations, 3105 W Granada St., Tampa, Florida, 33629.  In the market for public relations or marketing needs? Check out Sally Dee at www.playbookpublicrelations.com.

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See the works selected for the WADA Winter 2020 Member Show "Imagine" and view the exibit in the Burka Lounge at the ArtsXchange on view from Dec 12, 2020 - Feb 1, 2021.

Jewelry by Paola Nesmith, Memories

Mirella Cimato, All That Jazz

Amy Howell, Justice

Joan Tripp, Orion

Richard Randall, Happy

Shelly Augsbury, Dinner Plans

Barbara Bachner, Standout Out

Barbara Bachner, Standing Alone

Pamela Joy Trow, Lost and Found

Teresa Sullivan, Spinning Ideas

Teresa Sullivan, The Moon and the Sea

Dakota Maphis, Kabloom

Darlene Meisenholder, Deja Vu

Francine E. Michel, Ph.D., Autumn Coconuts

Francine E. Michel, Ph.D., Cedar Tree

Mark Mitchell, Christmas Wish

Mark Mitchell, Child's Play

Laura Haura, Imagine

Cheryl Mansfield, Loves Me Not

Mj Dicus, I'll Meet You There

Monrico, Fantasia Ascending

Gabriela Valencia, Metamorphosis

Gabriela Valencia, 100 Years of Revolution

Sue Johnson, The Conversation

Jim Gigurtsis, Significance

Steve Pennisi, Out to Sea

Don Silvestri, Grandpa's Workshop

Lesley Tinnaro creates unique and beautiful hand-forged sterling silver jewelry with precious and semi-precious stones. She has been a full time artist since 1994 with a few breaks between 2002 and 2007 to raise her children. 

While she was lucky to go to a high school that had a very strong art program, when she went to college her father advised her that art was not a good major, so she chose history.  She continued to take art classes including ceramics, gesture drawing, theater makeup, pretty much anything that she could fit into her schedule around her major. After college "history jobs" were hard to find and she found herself in restaurant management where she was miserable! With her sister-in-law she started messing around with jewelry components  and she really enjoyed it. It wasn't long before they discovered a local jewelry supplier that carried sterling silver and they would buy 1 oz at a time and experiment. They learned in a very hands-on fashion, while making lots of mistakes along the way (there was ONE book at the library and no youtube to learn from). That first year Lesley destroyed about 2 lbs of silver! Her silversmithing education was furthered when she met Eve White who had a graduate degree in Fine Art jewelry from New York. Eve White  took Lesley under her wing and taught her more techniques as well as introducing her to art shows and small markets.

Lesley  finds inspiration from a number of different places. She really enjoys looking at ancient jewelry and metalwork. East Asian metal work has some beautifully clean lines that she admires.

Lesley grew up in South Florida and moved to the St Petersburg area in 1994 to be with her now-husband. 

This area has been wonderful for her as an artist.  Because of the various outlets for arts from small markets to large shows, she was able to learn the business side almost at the same time she was learning her craft.

She joined the Warehouse Arts District Association because it fosters multiple levels of art creation.  She believes it is extremely important to have that community to inspire and guide the next generation creators. She hopes to meet other folks that enjoy metalworking as much as she does. Belonging to a group of artists can create an atmosphere where you inspire and push each other to the next level. 

Visit Lesley's website: http://lesleytinnaro.com

                                                       ****************

Written by Mirella Cimato

Michael Mincberg is originally from Washington, DC.  He came to Tampa in 2002 to attend the University of South Florida.  As a student at USF, he obtained his real estate sales license and he just started holding open houses.  He then became interested in development.  He was 19 years old when he started in sales and marketing for residential new construction and quickly moved on to bigger projects.  In 2012, he founded Sight Real Estate and Development.  

“Real estate development is half art and half science,” Mincberg says.  “People want to live and work in an area that has culture and a good vibe.”   “If you get the art part right then the math, or the science, adds up very quickly because you have created a unique product.”

Michael looks for  a neighborhood that inspires himself and others.  An area of positive energy filled with art, businesses, theaters, cafes, and coffee shops.  A positive energy in the area is what brought him to the Warehouse Arts District.  Michael joined the Warehouse Arts District Association after purchasing the old Puckett Store Fixtures building at 2430 5th Ave. South, in the Warehouse Arts District, turning the four industrial buildings with 50,000 sq feet into Seaboard Crossing, a flexible use workspace.  Mincberg says that he is cognizant of the developers important role of preserving the character and vibe of an area such as the Warehouse Arts District and that is why he is taking his time on “getting it just right” for the aesthetic of the property.  “There’s a balance to be had in how to keep that neighborhood cool while also protecting it,” he says.  “There is still a lot of work to do, but I am proud to own and be a part of WADA.”

Read more about Michael and his company Sight Real Estate: https://www.businessobserverfl.com/article/sight-real-estate-tampa-property-development-adaptive-reuse

Gabriela Valencia  was born to be an artist: She is a painter as well as a violin player. Born in Ecuador, she started her extensive artistic education in high school at the Colegio Municipal Bellas Artes Guayaquil and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising at the Universidad Laica Vicente Rocafuerte de Guayaquil. She obtained her Violin Teacher Certificate of Training at the Conservatory of Music, Antonio Neumanne, Guayaquil. Gabriela also studied semiotics in Havana, Cuba. She completed four semesters of Music Education at the Universidad de Manabi’ in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Since March 2020 she has been following the Master Studies in Cultural Management from the University Oberta de Catalunya.

Gabriela is a full time artist. She paints on canvas, wood or other. She also enjoys painting furniture.

How long have you been a full-time artist?

I have been a full time artist since 2011. I also teach violin and art.

What is your medium?

I work with oils and acrylics. I do explore other mediums as well.

How supportive do you feel St. Petersburg community is for the arts and artists?

I am from Ecuador. I have been living in the St. Petersburg area for 11 years and I enjoy it. The community in different ways is very supportive. Artists have a lot of opportunities to grow and consequently to make St. Petersburg a better place to live.

Why did you join the Warehouse Arts District Association?

I like their proposals to engage the community. I think they are doing a great job at that. The building and the studios are very well designed. I would love to be part of activities there but, being a full time artist requires having other activities in order to pay the bills.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

I think the Art Market that WADA is promoting is a wonderful idea. I was thinking about it long time ago since there is a lot of space for it. I also have some ideas for the Art Exchange to offer:

• More Art Exhibits for members
  
• An annual outdoor Art Festival
  
• More Art Demos for members
  
• More opportunities for members to do a solo show
  

*Support more art proposals that include the community…An Annual Calling for  Artists, so we can apply with our cultural project for the community. 

www.gabrielavalenciafineart.com

I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious.  - Andrew Wye

Profile written by Mirella Cimato.

Check out member artist Jabari Reed-Diop, known as iBOMS, painting a mural on the topic of algae blooms as part of the Shine Mural Festival. IBOMS uses original characters and thought-provoking symbols to bring viewers into his world. Through a variety of mediums, he challenges perceptions and creates a new narrative through the lens of his own life experience as a young African American male.  This mural is on the west side of the new Grand Central Brewhouse.

24th and Central