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Getting 'A Vibe Going'

Photo by KELVIN MA/staff

Greg Phillips opened the Orange Park Gallery International last fall. The former Verizon project manager says he is very much invested in developing the Arts District in downtown Tampa, where he has reached out to several business and other galleries to try to build something from the ground up.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

Updated: 02/04/2008 09:34 pm

DOWNTOWN - Gregory Phillips recently drove to Fort Myers to pick up a few pieces of art from Michael Beauchemin, an artist who grew up in the Tampa Bay area.

That's what Phillips, a native of Jamaica, likes best about his job as director of Orange Park Gallery International. He meets creative people; "different cultures, different ideas," he said.

The gallery, 1215 N. Franklin St., opened in October in the Arlington, a 1920s hotel remodeled into offices and condominiums. Orange Park occupies a long, narrow space with a skylight and track lighting to highlight the vivid paintings, drawings and sculptures.

Though he's a newcomer to the neighborhood, Phillips is busy organizing a May event for everyone on Franklin. He plans a fashion show, art walk and food fest, and is awaiting city permitting.

From 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, he's hosting a Bob Marley-themed show as part of Black History Month. The featured sculpture sits in his window - a bronze of Marley by Basile Watson.

Phillips stopped at Fly Bar & Restaurant across the street to ask owner Leslie Shirah whether her band would play some Marley tunes.

"We need to get a vibe going," he said.

Cooperation among neighbors is how Phillips, 49, sees his venture in the urban scene. Phillips, who lives in Odessa with his wife and daughter, has spent much of his adult life in New York City. He moved to Tampa from Atlanta in December 2004 as a telecom consultant.

He has long collected art, though when he tried his hand at painting, "I was not of that caliber as my classmates."

The No. 1 thing he loves about his new location: parking and more parking.

"There are lots everywhere, so that will never be a problem," he said.

For information, call (813) 333-6299 or go to www.orangeparkgallery.com.

Janis D. Froelich

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