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Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida on July 3, 2023. Credit: Keir Magoulas<\/p>\nTampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida on July 3, 2023. Credit: Keir Magoulas<\/p>\n
Tyler Sirota\u2019s Art Fair Tampa<\/a> was never going to be easy to pull off, but the 33-year-old has been unwavering in his push to stage what\u2019s billed as \u201cthe region\u2019s first major indoor fine art fair.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, he told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/a> that he had to change contractors charged with building booths for the hundreds of artists expected to display their work at Tampa Convention Center.<\/p>\n Now, what Sirota called a \u201cmiscalculation\u201d by the new contractor is forcing him to postpone Art Fair Tampa\u2019s opening from tonight to Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the last thing we want to do,\u201d Sirota, art curator at the Epicurean Hotel in South Tampa, told CL today. \u201cBut we want to be able to deliver on what we promised to the artists and guests.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Art Fair Tampa will still be free and open to the public Saturday-Sunday, with doors opening at 10 a.m. each day.<\/p>\n Sirota said two artists have dropped out after this latest hiccup but that he\u2019ll fill their spots with artists on a waiting list and that he doesn\u2019t anticipate any empty booths. Roughly 100 artists are still on the official website.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just rolling with the punches as we get hit with them,\u201d Sirota added.<\/p>\n There\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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).<\/p>\n Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t