The SPARC Exchange - City of St. Petersburg

What’s Hot
with...
The SPARC Exchange
Meeting Summary - 9/28/10
“...Maybe that is what SPARC is
about...a group to make the
business part more palatable to
the artist part.”
Mary Klein, Second Childhood Studio
-SPARC Seminar Participant
Location: Business Assistance Center / Time: 3:00 p.m.
Arts & Culture in St. Petersburg
Sophia Sorolis of the City’s Planning & Economic Development Dept. provided a
powerpoint update. To review the presentation or for more information, contact
Sophia at sophia.sorolis@stpete.org.
Diane Shelly of the Florida Craftsman House Gallery
Diane presented the following:
$30 Thursdays—Artists can have their work professionally photographed.
Technical workshops for artists, Topic include: writing about your work,
becoming a public artist and organizing an art show as a curator. These
workshops compliment topics previously presented in the SPARC exchange
as well as the workshops currently offered by the Business Assistance
Center.
Exhibit opportunities for members of the Florida Craftsman Gallery.
The Creative Arts Industries located in Pinellas Park provides displays for
Macy’s. She advised they may also allow use of their displays for artists.
Council Member Jeff Danner provided the following information:
The John Henry sculpture in Tampa is coming to the St. Petersburg
waterfront.
Arts in Transit - The objective is to work with artists to improve transit
amenities. The target areas are1st Avenue South, Central Avenue and 1st
Avenue North.
A Public Art Project is being discussed for the area of 10th Street and
Burlington Avenue.
The City is matching funds with the County Commission to bring about
the completion of the Dali Museum.
Michele Tiegle - Pinellas County Cultural Affairs Department
Shared that her department will be discontinued in October. Encouraged the
City to continue to encourage art to grow.
The Next
SPARC
Exchange
January 2011
Business Assistance
Center
440 2nd Ave. North
St. Petersburg, FL
The SPARC Exchange
(St. Petersburg Artists’
Resource Collaborative)
networking sessions are facilitated by:
SCORE®, local artists and the
Business Assistance Center
Open Forum Discussion:
Artist Charlie Parker advised he has sold St. Pete Clay and is looking for a new location
in the downtown area; Stephanie Schorer briefly discussed the Craftsman
House’s art and coffee event with Creative Clay: Scott Durfee reminded the group
of the October Art Arbor event; Diane Gugliotta shared information about her art
show, featuring jazz music, held at the Royal Theater in October; Jami Wood, a
new Exchange member described her fused glass business; Kathleen Stroud advised
her work is displayed at Catherine & Co. located a 49th Street & 29th Avenue
N.
continued...

What’s Hot
with...
The SPARC Exchange
Meeting Summary - 9/28/10
“...Maybe that is what SPARC is
about...a group to make the
business part more palatable to
the artist part.”
Mary Klein, Second Childhood Studio
-SPARC Seminar Participant
Continued…
Open Forum Discussion:
Michelle Pierre, a new SPARC Exchange member and a jewelry and accessories designer,
noted counseling and business plan assistance she received from the Business
Assistance Center. Her business is located at Bargain City on 34th Street S; Gianna
Russo from Freefall Theater attended the session. She noted the Freefall Theater is a
new professional equity theater located in the 6100 block of Central Ave. The theater
will have education center and will offer acting workshops. Gianna offered the SPARC
Exchange a hard hat tour; and Jobi Harris reminded the group of the Shopapalooza
event at Baywalk in November.
The Next
SPARC
Exchange
January 2011
Next SPARC Meeting:
January 2011
More information to follow.
Business Assistance
Center
440 2nd Ave. North
St. Petersburg, FL
The SPARC Exchange
(St. Petersburg Artists’
Resource Collaborative)
networking sessions are facilitated by:
SCORE®, local artists and the
Business Assistance Center