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Experience Ybor's Resurging Art Scene During ARTWalk

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 2, 2008

TAMPA - TAMPA - Slowly but surely, Ybor City's art scene is experiencing a resurgence.

That's how it seems to Brad Cooper and Walter Romeo, two longtime Ybor residents and artists who have seen new artists and ventures revitalize the community in recent years.

As a way to bind the various art-related entities, Cooper and Romeo founded the Ybor Art Association this year. The alliance, in partnership with the Ybor City Development Corp., is hosting a monthly event called Saturday ARTWalk to let the community experience the art scene.

The next event will be from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday.

"With ARTWalk, our goal is to bring together the creative venues and help them build business, grow in momentum and attract other creative ventures to locate in Ybor," Cooper, owner of Brad Cooper Gallery, wrote in an e-mail to The Tampa Tribune. "We want to be a contributing force to make Ybor what it should be: a vital cultural neighborhood where visitors and residents know they can go to purchase a serious work of art or fine craft."

Romeo said another goal is to emphasize shopping and paint a different picture of Ybor.

"The nightlife is no problem here, but the daytime has been slow in Ybor," he said. "Our mission was to get people to come back to Ybor, especially to buy art, of course. We just want them to know it's a great place to shop.

"And we want to make this a family event, to dispel some of these notions people have that Ybor is unsafe or rowdy or whatever," he said.

"The intention is to include all the businesses in Ybor and to help retail sales generally. There will be some discounts and good pricing on the art. As we get more sponsorship and get more of the businesses involved, there will be more specials."

Eight new artists can be found in the Ybor Art Colony, a collective that rents studio space above King Corona Cigar Factory at 1523 E. Seventh Ave.

"Artists have had studios in these same rooms for over 35 years," Cooper said. "And the new ones are continuing the tradition."

Noah Deledda, 29, is among them. The Palm Harbor native, who came to the colony three months ago, creates impressionistic oil paintings.

"I stress composition and color rather than subject matter," he said.

Deledda and three other colony artists each will offer one of their paintings at Saturday's ARTWalk.

"The studio will be open, and we might be doing a live painting, too," he said.

The art association has more than 20 members, exceeding its founders' expectations.

"We were surprised," Romeo said. "Brad and I have been here since 1990, and a lot of artists were living and working here then. But then things started shifting a little bit. So we kind of forgot about the art scene here for a while. And now it seems artists are coming back, galleries are opening up and we even have a few museums."

A good place to start the ARTWalk is at Cooper's gallery, 1721 E. Seventh Ave., or at Romeo Gallery, 1515 E. Seventh Ave.

Call Romeo at (813) 495-4649 or Cooper at (813) 248-6098 for information, or go to www.discoverintown.com/default.aspx?s=v and follow the "In-Town Happenings" link for a map and list of venues.

History And Art Combine In Show

July is the month for the annual miniature re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg at Nuance Galleries, 804 S. Dale Mabry Highway. The timing is deliberate: The historic three-day battle took place this week in 1863.

Gallery owner Robert Rowen, an avid Civil War historian, has collected a full battlefield in miniature, complete with hand-painted lead figures, cannons and historically accurate terrain, all laid out on an 8-by-13-foot table.

Rowen will change the battlefield during the exhibit, making it follow the changes that occurred during the battle. He is always happy to talk about the battle and the diorama with visitors, particularly youngsters.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, Rowen and other local military historians will begin a series of discussions about the defining Civil War battle. The talks will continue at the same time on Saturdays through Aug. 2.

At 12:45 p.m. Aug. 2, the American Spirit Fife and Drum Corps will give a field demonstration outside the gallery and discuss the role the group's predecessors played in the Civil War.

The gallery's walls also will sport artwork depicting Civil War scenes by artists Rick Reeves, Robert Summers and Don Troiani and 19th century maritime art by Geoff Hunt, Robert Taylor and David Thimgan.

The exhibit will continue through Aug. 5 and the diorama through Aug. 15. All exhibits and talks are free.

Call the gallery at (813) 875-0511 for information.

Hot Weather Yields Cool Art

Clayton Galleries hits the summer season with "Hot Summer Show I," the first of its yearly group shows by gallery artists, running today through Aug. 2.

Included in the show are works by David Audix, Donne Bitner, Douglas Boutilier, Peter Brown, Jeanne Cameron, Robin Cody, Lynn Davison, Virginia Derryberry, Benjamin Dimmitt, Billie Hightower, Cassandra James, Susan Klein, Carl Knickerbocker,Jeffrey Kronsnoble, Bruce Marsh, Kate Norris, George Pappas, John Reimer, Stacy Rosende, Craig Rubadoux, Claudia Ryan, Roberta Schofield, Suza Talbot, Joyce Ely-Walker and Kathy Wright.

There will be no opening reception for this exhibit. The gallery is at 4105 S. MacDill Ave. Call (813) 831-3753 for information.

Correspondent Esther Hammer can be reached at (813) 259-7662 or ehammer@tampatrib.com.

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