Celebrate the first collaboration by the Artist Enclave of Historic Kenwood and Creative Grape on June 5th at an afternoon party and opening reception for the exhibit featuring photographers Rich Pollin, Lisa Presnail, and Luci Westphal.
On June 5th –
Creative Grape (3100 3rd Ave N, St. Petersburg, Florida) will host an event –
with live music by Josh Plummer starting at 3:30pm –
and a toast and gallery talk at 4:30pm featuring the artists.
The exhibit by the three Historic Kenwood Artist Enclave photographers features a diverse selection of subjects and styles – from nature to urban themes, and from paper to canvas and metal. The show will run from June 5th to August 31st, with some rotation of work as pieces sell and get replaced with fresh work. And we’re not just being hopeful here; 2 pieces already sold before the official opening!
More about the photographers:
https://www.historickenwood.org/galleries/richard-pollin/
https://www.historickenwood.org/galleries/lisa-presnail/
https://www.historickenwood.org/galleries/luci-westphal/
Creative Grape is a unique new venue in St. Pete that offers outstanding wines and beers and delicious small plates in a modern gallery setting – just off the main drag of Central Avenue tucked into Historic Kenwood. It’s neither just a bar, nor just a gallery. It’s totally St. Pete – with its charming neighborhood vibe (mostly thanks to the welcoming staff) and that cool, ambitious draw of a big city art venue.
Personally, I’m super excited to be part of this show with these people in that location – and also about the prospect of this just being the first in a long line of art shows and collaborations between the Artist Enclave and Creative Grape.
All of this is happening so fast, I don’t have much time to process it. Shortly, after I became the Artist Liaison for the Artist Enclave of Historic Kenwood (had I even mentioned that on this blog yet?), my friend Kelly Lavieri (whom I met through the Artist Business Academy, which I also hadn’t written about yet because that Studio Tour was all consuming) introduced me to Jeff Herman. Together with chef Yusuke Ouchi, Jeff owns Creative Grape – the new art gallery and wine bar in Historic Kenwood.
Jeff and I met again not long after to talk about a possible show by Historic Kenwood Artist Enclave artists at Creative Grape. While I initially thought, we could have the first exhibit be an “all inclusive” show with a piece by each Kenwood artist who might want to participate, Jeff and fellow artist / enclave member / mentor / friend D. YaeL Kelley came up with the concept of just 3 or 4 artist and focusing on photography. And I’m so glad for that idea. Because just getting us 3 photographers and 1 gallery owner on the same page within just a few weeks and curate and set up an entire show was challenging enough. The result is quite incredible to me.
A huge thank you to Jeff, Leslie, Yusuke, YaeL – and Rich and Lisa – for making this happen and putting this show together.
I think the exhibit is exquisite. It shows an intriguing diversity – yet common bond between us three photographers. It’s a real honor to exhibit with Rich and Lisa – and feel like we’ve created something together. It’s also been wonderful for me to print and now exhibit work that predates my current nature phase and allowed me to focus on more urban themes and messages and bring forward visual stories.
For example, the photo “HOW LONG IS NOW?”
The “How Long Is Now” street art and the Tacheles building have so much meaning to me and many. It just got more meaningful to me when Sallie, an artist I deeply admire and who has become a friend, recently chose that photo out of all of my work as a gift.
The Tacheles (Jewish: speaking truth) building in East Berlin was once the central office for the SS. When the wall came down and I first visited, it was an artist squat and party destination with the entire back wall missing. When I moved to Berlin in the 2010s and took this photo, it was an official cultural building Arthaus Tacheles with artist studios, shops, exhibit spaces, cafe… and across the street from one of the biggest Jewish synagogues in Berlin.
Much to feel and think about.