{"id":187037,"date":"2026-03-11T10:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T10:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/187037\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T10:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T10:28:09","slug":"usfs-centre-gallery-is-an-advocate-for-aspiring-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/187037\/","title":{"rendered":"USF\u2019s Centre Gallery is an advocate for aspiring artists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>The Centre Gallery\u2019s flexibility gives hobbyists and professionals alike the chance to share their art. ORACLE PHOTO\/JESSE MIRMAN<\/p>\n

An artist journeyed from Ukraine to Florida, visualized her experience through art and displayed it right here on the USF Tampa campus in the Centre Gallery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Centre Gallery is an art museum located on the second floor of the Marshall Student Center and operating on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of the only student-run, non-profit art museums in all of Florida, according to its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida in Shapes,\u201d held at the Centre Gallery from Feb. 16 to Feb. 26, was a solo exhibition of work by the Ukrainian-born artist Valeriia Lazebniuk \u2014 inspired by Florida\u2019s \u201cnature, light and atmosphere,\u201d according to a Centre Gallery Instagram post<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I went to the exhibition on Feb. 25 and loved it. Lazebniuk has a charmingly distinct visual style, and the way she represented Florida through a series of abstract geometric portraits<\/a> and miniatures was fascinating to take in.<\/p>\n

But more than anything else, my time at the exhibition made me think about how the Centre Gallery has helped uplift artists in USF and Tampa\u2019s larger art scene.<\/p>\n

I believe there\u2019s something valuable in experiencing art by lesser-known artists \u2014 and the Centre Gallery should be celebrated for championing them.<\/p>\n

Related: USF student designs bring fresh murals to the Tampa campus<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sanjana Nallapati, a senior econometrics and quantitative economics and health sciences major, serves as one of the gallery\u2019s directors.<\/p>\n

As a director, Nallapati reviews art submitted to the gallery and curates the themes of its exhibitions, of which she said there are six each semester.<\/p>\n

These exhibitions last for roughly two weeks and feature art submitted through an online application form on the Campus Activity Board\u2019s Linktree<\/a>, Nallapati said.<\/p>\n

Nallapati said there\u2019s usually a \u201c50\/50\u201d split between submissions from student hobbyists and submissions from non-student professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cA handful of times it\u2019s just students who do it for [fun] on the side,\u201d she said. \u201cThe other half are people who are fine arts or studio art majors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: OPINION: USF\u2019s rendition of \u2018Machinal\u2019 proves theater is thriving<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Gallery\u2019s inclusion of student and hobbyist artists sets it apart from USF\u2019s Contemporary Art Museum, which mostly exhibits world-renowned and professional artists, according to its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the Centre Gallery\u2019s openness in accepting submissions is one of its biggest strengths.<\/p>\n

Placing hobbyist art side by side with professional work alleviates pressure for artists who may otherwise be too intimidated to display their art.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the art field, especially, is super tough to grab a foothold in,\u201d Nallapati said. \u201cSo I think it helps just being able to have [the Centre Gallery, which is] not really there to have your artworks be critiqued, it\u2019s just to have them be shown.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Centre Gallery provides something even more important to artists than simply mitigating anxiety \u2014 visibility.<\/p>\n

Nallapati said the gallery staff works hard to display as many of the submissions they receive as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we managed to completely succeed this semester with every single proposal that we\u2019ve gotten so far,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re making sure all of them are getting in somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gallery\u2019s commitment to art visibility is a major help for artists looking to get their work seen.<\/p>\n

For example, I probably wouldn\u2019t have found Lazebniuk\u2019s art if it hadn\u2019t been exhibited at the gallery. But I\u2019m incredibly glad I had the opportunity to fall in love with it like I did.<\/p>\n

Related: OPINION: Why you should support the arts at USF<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although Lazebniuk\u2019s \u201cFlorida in Shapes\u201d exhibition has now concluded, the Centre Gallery still has more exhibitions planned for its spring 2026 lineup.<\/p>\n

The \u201cSaqafat\u201d exhibition \u2014 currently ongoing until March 12 \u2014 features artist Riya Ramrakhiani\u2019s take on Pakistani \u201cmemory, material and meaning,\u201d according to the Gallery\u2019s Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also \u201cSOTHIXSPACE,\u201d which Nallapati said is slated to run<\/a> from March 23 to April 2.<\/p>\n

\u201c[SOTHIXSPACE] is going to be completely black lit,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd all of our artworks are covered in neon paint, so it\u2019ll glow in the dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nallapati\u2019s description of this exhibit immediately caught my attention \u2014 and I definitely plan to attend it.<\/p>\n

And attending the Gallery\u2019s exhibitions really is the easiest way to support its growth, Nallapati said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the best thing is to honestly just walk in there,\u201d she said. \u201cCome to our opening receptions too, because our artists are always going to be there \u2014 it\u2019s always super sweet to let the artists know in-person that you really like their works.\u201d<\/p>\n

So head over to the Centre Gallery and do your part to help USF\u2019s art scene shine a little brighter.<\/p>\n

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