ST PETERSBURG – The art has been hung, classrooms are organized and humming with the sounds of students learning and creating, offices are operational and Creative Clay is ready to celebrate its new space.
On Saturday, September 9, coinciding with St. Petersburg’s Second Saturday ArtWalk, Creative Clay will welcome visitors for a formal unveiling of its new digs, a summer labor of love that has produced a beautiful, bright new space with larger classrooms, a performing arts room with dozens of instruments and enhanced gallery space.
Festivities begin at 5 p.m. with a ribbon cutting with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Creative Clay artists and staff. Events will continue until 9 p.m. and include a champagne toast with mini cupcakes from neighborhood bakery Swah-rey, live music by local duo Chant the Trees, gallery, thrift store and classroom tours and a chance to see the non-profit’s current member artist exhibit, “New Beginnings.”
“We’re thrilled to be celebrating our new beginning with the community, who helped to get us to where we are now, in a more spacious art center with the ability to serve 35 more people per day under one roof,” said Kim Dohrman, Creative Clay CEO.
Rounding out the celebration will be an unveiling of a new venture: Creative Thrift, an in-house thrift store that will sell donated items such as kilns, art books, paint, frames and canvas bags to creative supplies and materials. Patrons are invited to browse and pay what they wish. Creative Thrift will allow artists to learn skills of managing a store, organizing merchandise, pricing goods for sale and greeting customers. Proceeds from all sales go directly back to Creative Clay’s programming.
Visitors who would like to begin their art experience earlier on Sept. 9 are invited to register to attend one of two workshops hosted by Winter Haven folk artist Don Stone. Workshops will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $45 per person and includes materials. Visit Creative Clay’s website for more information and to purchase tickets.
Creative Clay’s vision is to make the arts accessible to all. Its mission is to help people with disabilities achieve full and inclusive lives through access to the arts by providing expressive, educational and vocational experiences.
Creative Clay is located at 1846 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. Visit www.creativeclay.org for more information. Like on Facebook; follow on Instagram @creativeclaystpete and on Twitter @creativeclay.