The Professional Association of Visual Artists, a.k.a. PAVA, is back at the St. Petersburg Coliseum today and Sunday.
Yes, it’s the annual Cool Art Show, in which nearly 70 artists, local, regional and elsewhere, show and sell their work. In air-conditioned comfort.
Cool Art is juried by a hand-picked squad of artists, curators and aficionados, said PAVA President Linda Stump, a photographer. “We look for several different points of view each year,” she explained. “It makes for a really interesting mix of what kind of art we have in here.”
Somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people are expected to visit the art event over its two days.
The organization, and Cool Art, were created 37 years ago, and things were on a much smaller scale then. After a few years at Eckerd College, the show moved to the USF Bayboro Activities Center.
Work by Patricia Kluwe-Derderian
“The Coliseum is not cheap, but it’s the only indoor venue that can hold us,” Stump said. “And for the participation of our members who are older, shall we say, they don’t want to go out and do a tent show outdoors.
“So we cater to the indoor thing. And there’s a sweet spot for being in July. You sure as heck don’t want to be out in the weather in July. We certainly could do a second show, but our quandary has always been where. And to do and outdoor show is a lot more expensive than doing this show, I guarantee you.”
Work by Allen Pettigrew
Cool Art has a large established clientele base that may not want to make the drive to a larger venue across town, or to (gasp) Hillsborough County.
As one of the longest-lived 501©3 bay area art organizations, PAVA finds itself at something of a crossroads.
“The Cool Art show,” said Stump, “is our big event of the year. And it’s our primary event. In some ways, we’re struggling to find other ways to appeal to the younger artists. Because they’re more sales-focused; they’re not into community service, which is what a lot of our small-venue shows are – you hang your art out there, and people learn about art. Sales are not very frequent. Those shows are basically what we call public art education.”
Younger artists, she stressed, “are the next generation. So to continue to help them get what they want out of the art world, we really need to have more than just the Cool Art Show where they actually get sales, and get what they want out of their art.”
Featured this weekend are paintings, woodworking, ceramics, photography, metalwork, glass art, fiber art, digital art, mixed media and jewelry. Find a list of participating artists at this link.
Returning is Lauren Miller’s Interactive Arts Area, where both kids and adults can create art to bring home.
Hours for the Cool Art Show are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. The St. Petersburg Coliseum is located at 535 4th Avenue N.
Show admission and parking are free.
Work by Eric Dodds