Photo courtesy of the Morean Arts Center
One of the most anticipated exhibitions of the year is on view at the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg. Fresh Squeezed 9 is a showcase of emerging artists in Florida.
For the past nine years, Chief Curator Amanda Cooper culled the exhibition from a pool of applicants. This year, there were 100 and the quality of work was very high, she said.
Cooper narrowed down eight artists to each display small bodies of work for this year’s show. While it’s hard rejecting so many artists, Cooper said she often plugs some of them into other shows throughout the year.
“I almost use it as a way to see what’s going on in the state and what we can do,” Cooper said.
Caroline Crawford and Norbert Gonsalves
Photo courtesy of the Morean Arts Center
This year, two of the artists’ works are on display across the street at the Chihuly Collection, which is presented by the Morean Arts Center. The idea was to encourage more crossover between the two spaces, according to a press release.
In an intimate gallery, Gainesville-based artist Caroline Crawford’s luminous paintings of figures in swimming pools are paired with Tampa artist Norbert Gonsalves’ colorful ceramic sculptures that play with negative and positive space.
Ryan Toth
At the Morean, the show begins with the wildly Florida-esque paintings and sculpture of West Palm Beach artist Ryan Toth. Playing with the notion of the “Florida Man” narrative, Toth creates colorful chaos he describes in his bio as “Lilly Pulitzer in a hurricane.”
His sculpture, “Get Off My Lawn” features a python strangling a taxidermied alligator, atop plastic flamingoes and a kiddie pool. The action is echoed in a cheekily-titled mixed media piece, “Freshly Squeezed Out.”
Arts All Around!
The Gabber Newspaper covers live theater and art across South Pinellas.
Mary-Helen Horne
The Tampa-based artist and printmaker’s body of work is a meditation on trees as “sacred and precious,” but threatened by deforestation and development.
Stella Arbeláez Tascón
Fresh Squeezed 9 at the Morean Arts Center.
Photo courtesy of the Morean Arts Center
The Orlando-based artist takes a personal approach to her breathtaking piece, “To My Own Self I Am True.” Rendered in charcoal and pastel, the piece depicts her transformation after personal turmoil that she made by walking the Florida National Scenic Trail. (It ranges from Big Cypress to Pensacola.)
Looking for more things to do in St. Petersburg? Check out The Gabber Newspaper’s full calendar of events.
Benedicta Opoku-Mensah
Photo courtesy of the Morean Arts Center
Originally from Ghana, the Gainesville-based artist plays with the strict gender roles that exist in her home country. Apparently, women can’t be sculptors. Opoku-Mensah defies that notion by building feminine objects like shoes out of wood, placed on a found bicycle (women are also discouraged from riding bikes). Additionally, a very funny video installation shows her dressed up to go out, then stops by the workshop to build herself a wooden purse.
Hannah Keats
It’s best to let Keats explain her mixed media wall hangings herself. “My work explores the interconnectedness of natural and digital systems, inspired by coral, fungi, and marine life.”
Lily Capierseho
Born and raised in Sarasota, her paintings evoke nostalgic scenes of American life. Using a variety of media including paint, pastels and colored pencils, the works have a collage-like quality.
Photo courtesy of the Morean Arts Center
See Fresh Squeezed 9
Fresh Squeezed 9 is on view through June 26. The Morean Arts Center (719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg) and the Chihuly Collection (720 Central Ave., St. Petersburg). moreanartscenter.org.
Want More Business News?
For more business news, subscribe to our weekly newsletters. Make thegabber.com your homepage to stay up-to-date on all the news happening in Gulfport, South Pinellas, and the Beaches.
We’re the calm during the storm. No hype, only help!
Bookmark The Gabber Newspaper’s storm coverage page for quick access to relevant tropical storm updates. No hype, no guessing, just updates on shelters, sandbags, and closures. And sign up for text alerts to get real-time guidance and prep advice when there’s a named storm heading our way. Also, check out our downtown Gulfport and beach web cams.
