A waterfront architectural photograph by Keir Magoulas showing Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida on July 3, 2023. Captured in a wide horizontal shot across the Garrison Channel, a small blue-and-white motorboat cruises along the water in front of the modern multi-story glass-and-masonry Tampa Convention Center facade. Tall palm trees line the waterfront walkway, with high-rise hotels and city buildings set against a clear sky illuminated by warm late-afternoon sunlight.Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida on July 3, 2023. Credit: Keir Magoulas

Tyler Sirota’s Art Fair Tampa was never going to be easy to pull off, but the 33-year-old has been unwavering in his push to stage what’s billed as “the region’s first major indoor fine art fair.”

Last week, he told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he had to change contractors charged with building booths for the hundreds of artists expected to display their work at Tampa Convention Center.

Now, what Sirota called a “miscalculation” by the new contractor is forcing him to postpone Art Fair Tampa’s opening from tonight to Friday.

“It’s the last thing we want to do,” Sirota, art curator at the Epicurean Hotel in South Tampa, told CL today. “But we want to be able to deliver on what we promised to the artists and guests.”

Now, anyone with a ticket to the VIP collectors night will come on Friday, Oct. 16 from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is still slated to cut the ribbon on the new opening night, too.

Art Fair Tampa will still be free and open to the public Saturday-Sunday, with doors opening at 10 a.m. each day.

Sirota said two artists have dropped out after this latest hiccup but that he’ll fill their spots with artists on a waiting list and that he doesn’t anticipate any empty booths. Roughly 100 artists are still on the official website.

“We’re just rolling with the punches as we get hit with them,” Sirota added.

There’s no cover for Art Fair Tampa at Tampa Convention Center on Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 17-18, and tickets to the VIP collectors night on Friday, Oct. 15 are still available for $50.

As previously reported, Sirota expects to fill the 75,000-square-foot West Hall at the Tampa Convention Center, hoping to give artists and supporters a more affordable alternative to more established festivals like Spectrum Red Dot where a booth can cost anywhere from $9,000 to $20,000 (and tickets starting at $30).

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