This will not be your typical art show…but it is guaranteed to delight! On the night of the October 12 Second Saturday Art Walk, Woodfield Fine Art Gallery (2253 Central Ave.) will feature the first group of 16 finials – distinctive and unusual ornaments – that will soon top signposts in Historic Kenwood. The show is open to the public from 5:00 to 9:00 pm without charge. Refreshments will be served.
All created by members of the Artist Enclave of Historic Kenwood, this first group of finials includes paintings and photographs printed on durable aluminum, stained glass, a kinetic avocado, a free-form piano sculpture, a colorful pot of paint brushes, a playful “reconstruction” sculpture, and more.
Paul Barrera’s finials are prints of three subjects found in the immediate environs, including a parrot. Graphic designer Mike Toth created his avocado as a nod to the origins of the Historic Kenwood neighborhood as an avocado grove. A playful sculpture of found objects called “Home” created by sculptor Sallie Hackett Brown incorporates a red “egg” with bold aluminum salad server hands, and letters reading “Home” and “Love.”
Other artists whose work will grace signposts are stained glass artist Mike Baker, photographer Rich Pollin, multi-artist Janna Kennedy Hyten, musician William Bryant, and painters YaeL Kelley and Dwayne Shepherd.
HISTORIC KENWOOD’S PUBLIC ART INITIATIVE AND ARTIST ENCLAVE
The featured finials are the second public art initiative undertaken by this “Neighborhood of the Arts.” In the first, seven drab park benches were transformed into works of art in 2017. The finial project will ultimately place creative toppings on all 125 signposts throughout the neighborhood. A third initiative will place banners featuring images of art by Historic Kenwood artists along First Avenue North. A fourth, still under development, will create neighborhood markers – substantial pedestals built by volunteers and topped with unique pieces of local art.
All artists who created finials are members of the Artist Enclave of Historic Kenwood (AEHK). Formed in 2014 when the city created a zoning overlay district to enable artists to work, teach, and sell from their homes, AEHK now boasts some 70 member artists.
The public art initiative was conceived and continues to be developed by a committee of volunteers from the ever-inventive Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association.
WOODFIELD FINE ART GALLERY
Woodfield Fine Art Gallery, established in 2015, showcases only the original art of Tampa Bay area artists, where art enthusiasts can view and buy art that is not mass produced or tagged as collectible just because it has a number. The Gallery carries the works of both emerging as well as nationally renowned award-winning artists. Most art media are represented. Paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media combine with photography, sculpture, ceramics, and glass works to provide a complete gallery experience.
Further information is available at historickenwood.org and on the Facebook pages of Historic Kenwood and Woodfield Fine Art Gallery.