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Mail Art Show Delivers

Posted Aug 28, 2009 by Angus Shafer

Updated Sep 4, 2009 at 12:48 PM

I headed out to St. Pete last night to check out Chromatophore at Studio 620. The 2nd annual Mail art show currated by St. Pete local Jennifer J. Zoellener.

The show was all art mailed to Jennifer. There was work from everywhere.

I arrived about 20 minutes after the doors opened and there was a great turnout all ready despite the down pour outside.

This show was very refreshing. There was work from all skill levels and mediums.

There was a “Pass it along” table where people could make their own mail art.

Box of materials to make your own art.

I added a doodle from my sketchbook.

Jamie and Alana Kosharek work together on a piece.

Here are some of of my favorites from the show.

Local arts sticking together.

Same reason I got into art blogging.

These pieces where all mailed by someone from New York. If their was a best of show I would of voted for these. (UPDATE: These were done by David Berube.)

If you ever get a chacne to check out studio 620, make sure to look at the small post office “museum” in the back. It’s worth the trip to St. Pete itself.

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Up close with {5}art:

Posted Aug 27, 2009 by Angus Shafer

Updated Aug 27, 2009 at 12:40 PM

The gallery’s director Tracy Midulla Reller was kind enough to answer some questions about the history of {5]art. Tracy also gave me a sneak peak of some of the work that will be hanging at the gallery’s first dual venue show that opens Friday night. (The photos will be spread throughout the post.)

The show features the work of Fresno G25 from Fresno, CA in the main gallery and Keith Thomas ‘Haven’t I Seen You Online?’ in Project [5]. Their will also be hosting a one-night exhibition of Rion Sabean and April Childers recent works in our reception area.

Work watiting to be unboxed and hung.

TART: Who or what is [5]art?

[5]art: [5]art is dedicated to nurturing both established and emerging local, national, and international artists via exhibitions and events held primarily in their West Tampa gallery. [5]art promotes artists working in all media and organizes exhibitions that engage the local community through the visual arts.

The [5]art affiliates listed below are the most active. While all members have some type of designated ‘duty,’ we really do all work together to get it done. We will all work with each other on pretty much and task at hand. Of the 5 of us that are currently involved, Kurt and I have been at it the longest with [5]art.

Tracy Midulla Reller, Gallery Director received her BFA from The Atlanta College of Art in 1997 in Studio Art. She continued her studies at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida where she completed her MFA in 1999. In 2000 Reller moved to Tampa, Florida where she currently resides, to teach at The University of Tampa, St. Petersburg College and Hillsborough Community College offering studio art classes. She currently holds a full-time tenured faculty position at Hillsborough Community College in Ybor City. Reller’s work can be seen in various venues throughout the United States and in parts of Canada. She served as a panelist for the 3-dimensional visual arts Individual Artist Grant for the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.
T. Hampton Dohrman, Business Manager is a finance professional who devotes his free energy to providing business and logistical support to area arts organizations. He holds a degree in accounting from the University of South Florida, has served as a business advisor in numerous creative nonprofit organizations, and also manages the Artists and Writers Group, Inc.
Kurt Piazza, Exhibition Curator is a graduate of the University of South Florida where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Electronic Media. Piazza lives and works as an independent curator in the Tampa Bay area and has been curating shows for [5]art and other local arts groups for many years. He previously served as Registrar and Exhibitions Coordinator for the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, Florida from 2004 until 2006. As a professional visual artist, he has exhibited at Art Basel Miami in the PooL Art Fair at the Cavalier Hotel. His early works, mostly paintings, explore the arrangement of color, gesture and form. His recent video and installation work examines themes of voyeurism and psychological caprice, while his works on paper deal with algorithmic compositions of line, shape and form.
Jasmine Rippy, Project Coordinator is a gallery coordinator at [5]art. She helps organize exhibitions and events. Rippy also has recently become involved in grant research and fundraising efforts. Jasmine is a full-time art student, studying at USF and working toward her BFA.

Lisa Harasiuk, Special Projects Coordinator
Lisa Harasiuk is the gallery coordinator for side and special projects. She used to run three04 gallery in West Tampa. Harasiuk also helps to organize and prep for exhibitions and events. A full-time art student, she currently is studying at UT working toward her BFA.

We also have two wonderful volunteers or interns that do quite a bit and help with receptions and gallery prep work. They keep us up and running as well:
Laura Mendes HCC art student & Ashley Niven HCC Art student

Friday, August 28, 7-10pm at 1906 N Armenia.

Some of the work from Fresno G25

TART: What is the history of [5]art?

[5]art: In 2000, Robbie Land, Jen Saavedra, Sophia Nakis, Ron Ricard, and I hosted a photography exhibition in a Channelside warehouse etitled [5]art. The mission of the collective at that time was relatively similar to that of our current group. The event we hosted aimed to create and nurture the local art community and bring smaller niches together.

In 2005, Tyler Jopek, John Francis Russell, Diran Lyons, Kurt Piazza, and I hosted a fundraiser for Silver Meteor Gallery. This was the beginning of a long run of exhibitions. The exhibition record is lengthy, and it can be reviewed on our website: http://www.five-art.com.
We really haven’t stopped hosting exhibitions since then. We have changed as a group, as people have had other opportunities in different cities or have followed new paths, but all past members have stayed supportive and remained involved in some way or another.

Some nice drawings.

TART: What does [5]art have coming up?

[5]art:In addition to our exhibition calendar, we have a cinema series coming up (the Sleep of Reason Cinema) Series:
Sleep of Reason Cinema Series was begun in 1994 by Artist/Curator Brian Taylor to provide a contemporary venue for a delirious brand of cinema which originated in Europe in the 60’s and 70’s and which includes Gothic Horror, Pulp Italian crime dramas generically known as “Giallo”, Zombie and Cannibal films, and a whole host of other uncanny and transgressive arthouse and grindhouse endeavors which defy proper description. The series has now re-emerged as a monthly series alongside special events at Gallery [5]art in west Tampa and is curated by Brian Taylor and photographer Bradley Paul Valentine.

This piece of vellum has some nice words written and will be accompanied by a fish bowl. I am interested to see how it plays out.

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“Insert Metaphor Here” Photos

Posted Aug 18, 2009 by Angus Shafer

Updated Aug 18, 2009 at 12:17 PM

I stopped by RedLetter1 on Friday night before heading out to the Skate Park of Tampa. Here are some photos of the work by Adam 5-100 and Seth Armstrong.

Works by Adam 5-100

These photos do not do justice to Adam’s work. I really suggest trying to check these out in person.

“Corner”
Stenciled enamel on wood