As you’ve no doubt already noticed, it’s been a summer of light posting here at Art Squeeze. It’s going to get even lighter as I travel out of the country then up the Eastern seaboard until Aug. 16. Depending on what kind of Internet access I’m able to find, there might be a post or two of arty news from far (or not so far) away. Until then, have a great summer.

Artists, looks like you will want to pair with a graphic designer on this one.

From the Pinellas County Cultural Affairs Dept.:

The Pinellas County Cultural Affairs Department, under the guidance of the Public Art and Design Committee, announces a call for artists or artist-led design teams for a $46,590 commission.  This project focuses on developing signage and a public art plan for county beach access areas within Pinellas County, Fla.  The application submission deadline is postmarked Sept. 15, 2008.

Goals for this project include the creation of a recognizable and distinctive visual vocabulary for beach access signage as well as the development of a comprehensive plan for incorporating public art into beach access areas and infrastructure elements such as boardwalks, benches, restrooms, retention walls and outdoor showers.

This request for qualifications is open to all design teams that can demonstrate a level of experience and professionalism and commensurate with this project’s scope and budget.  Interested artists and designers are directed to review complete project information and application instructions by visiting www.pinellasarts.org.

For further information, contact Mark Flickinger, program director, at (727) 453-7869 or mflickin@pinellascounty.org.

From the Arts Council:

The Arts Council of Hillsborough County is currently accepting applications through August 29, 2008 to fill four vacancies on its Board of Directors.  Terms are for four years and financial disclosure is required. Members must be qualified electors residing in Hillsborough  County, having general knowledge of the arts with specific and in-depth emphasis on one or more of the arts, as well as active involvement in the arts.  Applications are available at the Arts Council offices located at 1000 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 105 or by visiting www.tampaarts.com.

From artist Kathy Durdin:

Our next show is photography, receiving on July 12-13 (noon to 3), entry fee
$7/ item for members, $12/item non-members (membership $17.50 for the rest
of the year), limit 3 items.

After that is Hellzapoppin — receiving Aug 2-3.  This show is the opposite
of realistic — abstract, surrealist, fantasy, etc.

Our next program is July 10th, 7 PM — reception for the current
Pastel/Pencil/Drawing/Print/Collage show, plus Marcia Wilson presenting on Promoting Yourself and Your Work.

For more info, go to their website.

Laura Militzer Bryant. Beyond the Blue, 2008. Wool, rayon, nylon, lurex, wood, acrylic and copper leaf; 36″ x 54″ x 1-1/4″

Since I interviewed her earlier this year, Laura Militzer Bryant has become one of my favorite local artists. She is a smart, spunky lady, and her work– now on view at The Arts Center in St. Pete– is drop-dead gorgeous. (It will make you say hallelujah regardless of whether you’ve ever been interested in weaving before.)

Artist Profile: Laura Militzer Bryant from Tampa Bay Metro magazine, May 2008

Common Threads from Creative Loafing, May 28, 2008

On Thursday, join Bryant for lunch at the Tampa Museum of Art. Press release follows after the jump.

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Meet nationally-recognized textile artist
Laura Militzer Bryant
Thursday, July 3 at 12 p.m.

Art for Lunch
First Thursday of each month at 12 p.m.
Fee $2 / members always free

Meet St. Petersburg based textile artist Laura Militzer Bryant for a special Art for Lunch program on Thursday, July 3 at 12 p.m. at the Tampa Museum of Art’s interim location at 2306 N. Howard Avenue in Tampa. Bryant, an exhibitor at the Handweavers Guild convention in Tampa, Convergence 2008, has authored four books on knitting and color interaction. In 1984 she founded Prism Yarns, designing knitwear and developing colors for fine hand-dyed yarns.

Art for Lunch is held on the first Thursday of each month at 12 p.m. Beverages and light desserts are provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch and the museum will provide the food for thought. Admission is $2 or free for museum members.

Call to Artists: Public Art Opportunity

The Pinellas County Cultural Affairs Department, under the guidance of the Public Art and Design Committee, announces a call for artist submissions for the creation of four site-specific public artworks associated with the county’s living history and museum site, Heritage Village.

For this outdoor sculpture project, artists are invited to submit application materials and digital images for competition review. This $100,000 public art commission focuses on the creation of four sculptures that will become place markers representing the four interpretative areas within Heritage Village: Coastal Living, Agriculture, Community Life and Tourism. The postmarked deadline is Monday, Aug. 11.

This request for qualifications is open to all U.S. artists or artist teams who can demonstrate a level of experience and professionalism, commensurate with this project’s scope and budget. Interested artists are directed to review complete project information and application instructions, located on the Cultural Affairs website at www.pinellasarts.org, select Public Art & Design Guidelines under the Public Art & Design tab at the top of the home page.

For further information, contact Mark Flickinger, program director, at (727) 453-7869 or mflickin@co.pinellas.fl.us.

From Jay McGee, Editor/Publisher of New Heights Magazine:

New Heights Magazine is looking for writing contributions to inform our 20,000+ readers about the art scene and happenings in Tampa’s Urban Corridor. Topics can vary, but we want to strengthen our Arts & Events section to better support our local artists and venues. We are also planning a huge 2009 UC Arts & Retail Buyers’ Guide issue for November. Erika (Schneider) from Blue Acier was kind enough to offer to design the cover and help write the main story for that issue. We will list any artists who work in the area in that issue for free, if they provide me their contact information. It would basically be what we call a “basic” listing.

Our website

Our Arts & Events section

Our writing guidelines

Here’s a short description of our purpose/area:

New Heights Magazine was established in 2006 and serves as the only publication solely focused on highlighting and perpetuating the revitalization efforts occurring in the historic neighborhoods in and around downtown Tampa and to the north; specifically Ybor, Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, Riverside Heights, West Tampa and surrounding areas (roughly zip codes 33602 through 33607). Collectively, these neighborhoods are recognized as Tampa’s historic Urban Corridor (UC).

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thanks,

Jay McGee, Editor/Publisher

New Heights Magazine

Highlighting Tampa’s historic Urban Corridor

(813) 389-8116

editor@newheightsmag.com

This call comes by way of artist Chad Cardoza:

We are currently looking for artists to participate in a benefit auction for the Gasparilla Independent Film Festival. Each artist will create one piece of art to be auctioned off at the event. The artist and the festival will split the final sale amount of the piece. The art should be either a scene from an independent film or inspired by one. The auction will take place on August 15th at the Don Vicente Hotel in Ybor City. Please submit your idea for the auction along with 2-3 samples of your work to kickstartmyart@gmail.com. All submissions are due by 07/01/2008.

St. Petersburg artist Melia White is looking for others to share a new space in St. Petersburg. Here’s her note:

My name is Melia, I am an artist/designer in St Petersburg. I am opening an artist studio/gallery in the heart of downtown St Pete! I am putting out feelers for established artists looking to share a modern space with a cutting edge vibe ala very SOHO style meets Greenwich hip. If you could, please pass along the word.

For more info, go to http://meliapix.wordpress.com/news/

Video courtesy Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts. Produced by Edit Suites.

Last week, Chicago-based marketing guru Patricia Martin landed in Tampa to talk about the ideas behind her new book, RenGen: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business.

Some of Martin’s rhetoric sounds familiar. Instead of a “creative class,” à la Richard Florida, she speaks glowingly of RenGen — short for Renaissance Generation — a multi-generational group of savvy cultural consumers who also constitute the country’s best chance for continued intellectual and economic relevance as workers. RenGen thrives on knowledge (”learn, baby, learn,” is their motto, she says), expects to collaborate in both the workplace and the marketplace, and loves to break the rules when the system is broken. RenGen’s ranks — a mash-up of Boomers, Xers and Gen Y — are filled with the mavens described in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point; their ideas and passions inspire a following.

Read the full story at Creative Loafing Tampa>>

I’d be curious to know what folks think about the idea that arts organizations are poised to thrive in an environment where corporations are eager to reach RenGen. Are there already Bay area businesses or arts organizations that are taking a RenGen approach to marketing? Who are they?

One example stands out in my mind: Florida Craftsmen Gallery, where executive director Maria Emilia has made a point of engaging local businesses in creative sponsorships of the gallery’s exhibitions– e.g., At Home With Crafts, an exhibit that incorporated collaborations with a real estate developer (Grady Pridgen), a real estate agent (Ann Rogers of Keller Williams), interior designers (Robb & Stucky), Youth Arts Corps, local artists (Lenn Neff, Mary Klein, Grace-Anne Alfiero and others) and a magazine publisher (Wendy Rosen of American Style) to transform the gallery into a model home stocked with crafts and host a series of events around the exhibit. Click here to read the story from Creative Loafing last year.

The Studio@620 also seems to do an excellent job of attracting corporate sponsors who want to reach their creative, multi-generational audience, though to my knowledge they do not collaboratively create programming with their sponsors.

Who else deserves credit for being ahead of the RenGen concept?

And, if you’re feeling brave, what can we do to get more businesses on board?