Credit: Ysabel Flores
The Morean Arts Center has been juicing fresh Florida talent for a whole decade through its “Fresh Squeezed” emerging artists series.
Sixty-four artists from 27 Florida cities have been featured over the past 10 years. This year, eight artists and two additional artists in the Chihuly Collection special exhibition space were selected from nearly 150 applicants to bring a mix of painting, sculpture, glass and immersive installations to Tampa Bay.
Alberto Alonso (Winter Haven) explores estrangement and connection through work shaped by his separation from Puerto Rico, reflecting the complex feelings of homesickness. For Ysabel Flores (Tallahassee), the focus turns to Filipino American identity, examining the systems and structures that inform her view of a homeland she has never inhabited.
Meanwhile, Angelina Palmisano (Maitland) centers her paintings on life’s small, beautiful moments, capturing friends, family and love with tenderness and subtle humor.
Color and playfulness define Clancy Riehm’s (Largo) editorial-style works, where imaginative natural scenes come through as whimsical and unmistakably Florida. Similarly, Gwen Mehler (Fleming Island) paints vibrant, large-scale portraits of threatened and endangered birds to highlight their beauty and promote awareness.
Taking a more immersive route, Jamie Rodriguez (West Palm Beach) crafts installations entirely from foam, clay, plaster and wax to explore humanity’s relationship with the natural world. In a different medium, Gillian Probert (St. Petersburg) uses carved glass vessels to translate human emotion. Kimberly Vorperian (St. Petersburg), draws on Armenian and Eastern European folk traditions, integrating found materials and her experience farming in Florida.
Fresh Squeezed 10: Emerging Artists in Florida runs April 11-June 25, at the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg.
The two artists featured in the Chihuly Collection are on view through July 19.
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