Duncan
McClellan
Wheat Piece,
2005; glass
20 x 14 in. dia.
The Dali Museum,
which houses the largest
U.S. collection of the art-
ist’s work, is a major draw
to St. Pete, but visitors
will also be rewarded
with a thriving, diverse
craft scene in the city.
F O R D E C A D E S , V IS IT O R S H A V E
come to St. Petersburg, Florida,
to enjoy warm winter weather,
some of the nation’s best beach-
es, and sunsets over the Gulf
of Mexico. For baseball fans,
spring training in nearby cities
offers another draw. More and
more, however, there’s a new
reason to head this way: the
city’s emerging role as a craft
destination.
What first attracts travelers
might be the Chihuly Collection,
a permanent installation by glass
master Dale Chihuly on the city’s
glamorous Beach Drive. Or the
Dali Museum, which in early
2011 moved into a jaw-dropping
new building designed by Yann
Weymouth. What keeps them
looking: a lively and growing
artistic community.
Visitors can watch artists
blowing glass in a hot shop,
see clay artists at work, and
stop for lunch in a gallery where
food is served on plates made
in the studio out back. Around
town the offerings range from
the finest work by internation-
ally known virtuosos to cre-
ations by local artists you can
meet and chat with. Every
spring the city hosts the juried
Mainsail Arts Festival, whose
2011 event hosted about 250 art-
ists, and there’s no shortage of
weekend outdoor events fall
through spring.
“If crafts are your thing, this
is a really rich area,” says Diane
Shelly, executive director of
W ■*
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