Neverne Covington’s drawing, Portrait of Bob Devin Jones (detail), 2005. (Pictured below left: Covington’s Portrait of Dave Ellis. Pictured below right: the complete portrait of Jones, which measures 45″ x 88″.)

Since April, St. Petersburg’s Studio@620 has been unfurling a series of events designed to celebrate the multidisciplinary arts venue’s fifth birthday. Following a gospel brunch, film screening and theatrical shorts, Friday’s art auction - to be held at St. Petersburg Clay Company - benefits the Studio while offering local collectors a chance to purchase works by some of the area’s artistic luminaries.

Neverne Covington, a St. Petersburg-based artist whose longtime studio space at Jannus Landing makes her a neighbor as well as a fan of the Studio@620, contributes two large-scale portraits of the nonprofit’s co-founders, Dave Ellis and Bob Devin Jones. Recalling her first encounter with Jones (while attending a performance of his play, Uncle Bends: a home-cooked negro narrative, at Eckerd College), Covington remembers thinking, “Who is this person? We need to keep him around…”

Mission accomplished—thank goodness.

Of Ellis, she adds: “I was smitten with the originality of his vision. … And I cannot leave out Bob’s partner, Jim Howell, whom – I have heard – sprouted the original concept for the place and whose work behind the scenes, whether it is grilling chicken in the alley or housing an out-of-town guest, makes 620 chug.”

Since 2004, the Studio@620 has paired diverse artistic endeavors including film and spoken word festivals, concerts, plays, performance art and a popular social justice round table series with distinctive touches like homemade brownies (routinely on hand at events).

“As a visual artist, one of the many aspects of 620 that excited me is that because it is a multidisciplinary arts venue, people who would be there for a play, or a musical, or a theatrical event would see visual art, too. It enables a visual artist to reach a much wider audience,” Covington says.

Salt Creek Artworks curator Lance Rodgers serves as auctioneer (and a participating artist); other featured artists include BASK, Kevin Brady, T.W. Curtis, Carol Dameron, Paul Eppling, Craig Kaths, Dominique Labauvie, Timm Mettler, Chad Mize, Charlie Parker, Brian Ransom, Babs Reingold, Herb Snitzer and Catherine Woods– as well as artists from St. Petersburg Clay Company.

The auction is free to attend. Preview begins at 7 p.m., with bidding to commence at 8 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres provided by Pane Rustica; live music by the  Spaghetti Quartet.