ST. PETERSBURG — An opening reception for two new exhibitions will take place on Friday, Feb. 6, 5 to 9 p.m., at The Werk Gallery, 2210 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg.
Presented in the Main Gallery will be “ECHO,” which stands for “educational holistic collaborative opportunities.” This exhibit will feature works from four esteemed faculty members from the Pinellas County Center for the Arts, including Steven Beverage, Ted LoCascio, Brian McCallister and Amber Quimby.
PCCA is renowned for its curriculum, the passion of its instructors, and the alumni it has produced — not least of which are three of Werk Gallery’s staff. With this year’s PCCA visual arts faculty exhibition, each of these artists explores how their artwork serves as an “echo” of their own individual life experiences. Also, by teaching and mentoring young artists at PCCA, they celebrate their contribution to the ongoing artistic echo within the greater St. Pete community. As a team, they aspire to create educational, collaborative, and holistic opportunities for their students at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts.
This exhibit will also include an art marketplace featuring select PCCA students, for one night only during the opening reception.
In the Gabinetto Gallery, guests will find “A Heart for Every Moment,” featuring St. Petersburg artist and curator Wasíl. This exhibition will adorn the walls in a mixed-media outpouring of 30 years of his expressions of love, loss, and everything between — every work in the shape of an assemblage heart made from a wide variety of materials.
Wasíl’s work is a synthesis of painting, installation and sculpture that combines unusual materials like up-cycled housing insulation, bamboo skewers and mica, with more traditional materials like acrylic paint, powdered pigments and fibers. With an artistic intent that seeks the spiritual in all things, Wasíl’s work is informed by a wide variety of personal experiences. He grew up in a small Pennsylvania town, serving as an altar boy in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, was exposed to Eastern philosophies while earning his Bachelor of Arts at San Francisco State University, and delved deeply into the nature of consciousness while earning his Master of Fine Arts in the John F. Kennedy University’s Art and Consciousness program. In addition to his robust studio practice, Wasíl also serves as curator at Forever Florida Real Estate in St Petersburg, where he has produced 24 exhibitions of highest quality since 2023.
The Werk Gallery and Object Lab was born from the passion and overflowing collection of Fritz and Matthew Faulhaber. It is a locally focused art venue with an international scope. The gallery displays a variety of art experiences; from its series of community-oriented, large group shows to solo shows by internationally established contemporary artists. The gallery is open Wednesday, noon to 5 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Visit thewerk.gallery.