Hello All- I will be visiting Florida for a week in the Kissimmee &
Tampa areas & I am wondering if anyone can
recommend some gallery sites. Thanks in advance!
be sure to see Salvador Dali Gallery in Clearwater–so close to Tampa
and a “don’t miss”
Tom McCarthy is a jeweler and teacher of metalsmithing at Penland and
JC Campbell. He lives in St. Pete and can direct you throughout the
area. Sorry, but I don’t have his phone number with me so hopefully
he is listed in the book.
Amy - there are a number of good galleries in the Tampa area. I’m
directer of the Florida Society of Goldsmiths based in St.
Petersburg,across the bay from Tampa. I’d love to meet you if you
are in the area. Write me off line and i’ll give you locations on
several galleries. Gini Rollins
Hello All- I will be visiting Florida for a week in the Kissimmee & Tampa areas & I am wondering if anyone can recommend some gallery sites. Thanks in advance!
I hope you’ll have a chance to come over to the other side of Tampa
Bay, to St. Petersburg, and see some of our galleries as well. There
are more art galleries than you can shake a stick at, but it would be
easier to grab a paper when you get here and look them up, rather than
have me try to list them all. Both the Times and the Tribune have
weekly sections that devote themselves to keeping us up to date on
such things.
Here in St. Petersburg I would hope that you’d get a chance to see
The Arts Center and the Florida Craftsmen Gallery, of course, since
both of them have jewelry as well as other things. They’re within a
few blocks of each other, downtown, and within walking distance of
quite a few other worthy destinations.
You might get a chance to see Gini (who posts here more often than I
do) down at The Arts Center, where she has an office. I go to both
places fairly often, and would not be averse to doing so to meet you
and say Howdy.
Email me with your particular interests and I’ll see if I can find
some more offerings to recommend in advance. If I know when, too, I
can let you know about shorter-duration events and openings.
Loren
The Salvador Dali Museum is actually in St. Petersburg, FL.
Gini
Sorry for inaccurate info it’s still a great gallery Dali did perfume
bottles jewelry all sorts of things not just melting clocks… in my
zeal to expand exposure for this treasure collection on Dali- I
misplaced it Geographically The whole area is ripe with
creative energy
Hi Amy, A small but incredibly inspiring place of wonder is The
Maitland Art Center, in Maitland, FL. It’s just a 30 minute drive
from Kissimmee - I-4 North. Once you’re in the Central Florida area,
you’ll find directions and hours for the center in the phone book.
They also have a website but I don’t have the URL handy. Email if
you’d like me to look it up.
Anyway, the Maitland Art Center is a sort of Mayan styled walled
complex of court yards and individual art studios. I took sculpture
classes there in 1984-85 and always drop by on the rare visit back
home. My historical info is quite rusty but I think the center was
built in the 1920s, by a painter whose name escapes me now.
They have a small gallery too but the center itself is really the
draw. There is a haunting timelessness that lingers amidst the
winding pathways that brings to mind images of Spanish moss draped
cypress branches…particularly if you go at a quiet time and tune in
to the surroundings, it’s like being transported to another realm.
If you’re planning on taking a sketchbook, the center is a great
place to relax and let ideas flow.
Not far from Maitland is Winter Park, home of Rollins College, the
closest thing to Ivy League in the South. The campus is beautiful,
situated between a scenic lake and the southern end of Park Avenue.
Park Ave is lined with unique, upscale boutiques, trendy dining and
art galleries. It reminds me of a mini-La Jolla, FL style, and
definitely a nice change from the tourist trap environs of Kissimmee.
Again, my recollections are vague but The Morse Gallery is quite
popular though I can’t remember if they house the Tiffany Glass
collection or if there is another gallery devoted to it. And if
you’re into Tiffany windows, there’s a French restaurant also on Park
Ave with the matching panes to those located in an Episcopalian
church in Honolulu, HI. I can’t remember the name, it may have
changed by now anyway, but I’m sure any Park Ave merchants can guide
you. The lunch menu used to be surprisingly reasonable - and top rate
- a real treat for all the senses…
Kissimmee doesn’t offer much art beyond the seashell/glue gun variety
but another hidden treasure trove is at the Marriott Grand Cypress
Resort. It’s just off of I-4 (which runs from Daytona to Tampa and
like the NJ turnpike, most everything is accessed from some exit or
other). It isn’t too far from Disney Village.
The Grand Cypress lobby is dotted by tables topped with the biggest
floral arrangements I’ve ever seen. Off to one side is an absolutely
phenomenal carving of a ship, I’m guessing 5x3 foot in size - all
hand sculpted from a single piece of jade, even the tiny link chain
detail that is perfectly unbroken. I haven’t been there in 15 years
but it’s such a memorable work, I can still see it clearly. I also
remember something made from mica of a heavenly sky blue/silver
variety that came from, I think Sri Lankan, temple roofs. I just
recall the mica and the how the way it was applied as one of those
things that makes your brain think in entirely new ways.
The Dali Museum is wonderful, worth the drive. I was a Dali fanatic
from an early age and regret not making it to the museum more than
once. Someday…
Hope you didn’t mind such a long reply but I lived in Orlando for 10
years and I’m glad to have had this chance to share some of my
favorite spots. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and best wishes
for a safe and enchanting journey!
Regards,
Jeanette K
I haven’t explored for jewelry/art galleries in that area, but in
Tampa, but be sure to check out the YBOR CITY warehouse area for
daytime fun and interesting renovation work, but especially for the
night spots and fun places to eat! I’m sure you’ll find some
interesting artwork there! It’s a fun night spot, but I’m sure the
galleries are in and about that area by now.
Also, ditto on the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg – it’s
FANTASTIC!
Have FUN!
ClubDeb
amy - the from jeanette k. on the sites in & around winter
park - orlando is excellent; it is my hometown area. the french
restaurant on park ave is ‘la belle verriere’ & it is just as good as
she described; i was last there when we had my daughter’s rehearsal
dinner - 50+ diners were happy with the food & the gorgeous stained
glass panels. allow time to stroll up & down park ave, it bills
itself as ‘the worth avenue of central florida’ & had boutiques
(before any other area), art in the antique shops/galleries, in
courtyards & little closet sized treasure shops.
as jeanette said, there are galleries at rollins college, a heavily
endowed liberal arts school; the semi-private knowles memorial chapel
on campus is fantastic from its bell tower to its carved wood
interior, my son’s first wedding was there BUT i still think it is
worth seeing.
like jeanette i think the maitland art center, on packwood avenue
that runs west off of maitland blvd, is a unique little enclave,
reminiscent of something in an ayn rand book, clean angles & a
certain purity. i had live figure studies there & for awhile there
was an infestation of norwegian roof rats (up to a foot in length),
so for ages the models wouldn’t hold long poses so they could look
over their shoulders.
the ft lauderdale - boca raton area on the east coast of south
florida has several museums worth visiting.
enjoy -
ive
Amy - in addition to the places mentioned in Winter Park, FL - don’t
miss Timothy’s on Park Ave. facing the park. They have a wonderful
selection of handmade artist jewelry, as well as other fine crafts.
Have fun! Gini