O Chihuly Collection presented by
Morean Arts Center
© Shapiro’s Gallery
© Museum of Fine Arts
© Mindy Solomon Gallery
© The Dali Museum
© Florida Craftsmen Gallery
© Morean Arts Center
© St. Petersburg Clay Company
© Craftsman House Gallery
© Nancy Markoe Gallery
F lorida C raftsm en G allery,
headquarters for the statew id e
organ ization represen tin g fine
craft. In 2011, fo r the secon d c o n -
secu tive year, St. P etersbu rg
cam e in first am ong m id size c it-
ies in a reader poll o f th e top 25
arts destinations in
A m e r ic a n
S t y le
m agazine.
T h e secon d Saturday o f each
m on th, galleries on and near
C en tral A v e n u e stay open late,
and art lovers stroll, sip, nibble,
lo o k , and bu y. “I g e t hundreds
on a h ot A u g u st n igh t,” says
glass artist D u n can M c C le lla n ,
w h o se gallery is a rem odeled
w areh ouse in an industrial set-
ting. H e praises a cooperative
c ity go vern m en t “ that under-
stands that art is m o n e y.” A
recen t stu d y sh o w ed that arts
and cultural institutions attract-
ed 1.3 m illion visitors to St. P ete
in 2009 and had a total econom ic
im pact o f $23.3 m illion - and
that w as b efo re the C h ih u ly C o l-
lection and the n ew D ali opened.
T h o se tw o venu es and the
c ity ’s M u seu m o f F in e A rts are
on the w aterfront “museum m ile”
o f palm -lined streets d otted w ith
sid ew alk cafes, restaurants, and
bars. T w o popular destinations:
Sh apiro’s G alle ry, w h ich deals
e x c lu siv e ly in handm ade A m e r i-
can craft, and the n earby M in d y
Left: This historic train
station is a clay hot spot.
The building houses
St. Petersburg Clay
Company, Morean
Arts Center for Clay,
and Highwater Clays.
Below: The Morean
Arts Center hot shop
offers artists such as
Douglas Taylor Jr. a
venue to both create
and display work, like
this
N estin g B o w l S et.
078 american craft dec/jani2
