ST. PETERSBURG — In honor of its fifth anniversary, FloridaRAMA will expand its immersive art experience with Artstream, a mobile museum housed inside a vintage Airstream trailer. The expansion will also include eight new artists and their installations as well as a Diorama Trail.
Five years in, FloridaRAMA has outgrown its walls, so it found some that roll.
Visitors can see Artstream, the new installations and the Diorama Trail for the first time at FloridaRAMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at FloridaRAMA, 2606 Fairfield Ave. S., St. Petersburg. The family friendly arts festival will feature more than 100 local artists and vendors, giving visitors the chance to meet the artists, explore their work, wander the immersive exhibits and experience the latest additions to FloridaRAMA. Advance tickets are $10 and include admission to FloridaRAMA, day of tickets are $15 and children 10 and under are free. Tickets and additional information are available at www.FloridaRAMA.art.
“Five years ago we built an experience and invited guests to step inside our artist made world,” said FloridaRAMA CEO Liz Dimmitt. “Now we’re making that idea mobile. FloridaRAMA’s Artstream expands our narrative and installation footprint and creates more opportunities for us to commission artists and share their work with communities across Tampa Bay. We are especially excited to bring FloridaRAMA’s magic to schools, festivals and community events.”
Artstream Expansion
Artstream extends FloridaRAMA’s reach beyond its home inside The Factory St. Pete, bringing art, storytelling and interactive cultural experiences directly into local communities. Through the mobile initiative, FloridaRAMA will partner with schools, community organizations, festivals and events to make arts and culture more accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds, while expanding its footprint and creating new installation opportunities for artists. At its FloridaRAMA Fest debut, Artstream will feature new works by local artists Merritt Horan Capurro, Brigitte Coovert, Tyana Hancock, Emilie Hernandez, Latonya Hicks, Kostar and The Rug Lord. The commissions span a range of styles, materials and personal stories, from surreal Florida landscapes to nostalgic local landmarks and miniature interiors.
New Inside FloridaRAMA
Inside FloridaRAMA, two new artist installations join the world of the Mermaid Star Motel, expanding the experience’s narrative and its celebration of all things Florida. Florida native and Ringling College of Art and Design graduate Clancy Riehm brings four colorful wildlife portraits to the Fountain of Life room, featuring members of the Original Guardians, or The OGs, a distinguished group of wildlife leaders who have banded together to protect wild Florida. The series depicts a manatee, dolphin, black bear and gopher tortoise in playful poses and colors, and Riehm’s illustration and graphic design background informs a bright, approachable style that helps visitors connect with familiar parts of the natural world. Chris Van Vooren’s “Cream of Florida Soup,” a sculpture made from found materials, takes up residence above the Mermaid Star Motel’s ice machine, offering guests a tongue-in-cheek moment and a reminder of FloridaRAMA’s habit of hanging art in unconventional places and encouraging visitors to look beyond traditional gallery walls.
Diorama Trail and Trinket Trade Trail
FloridaRAMA Fest visitors can also explore FloridaRAMA through the new Diorama & Trinket Trade Trail. The Diorama Trail leads guests through miniature worlds created by local artists and creative community members, inviting them to explore The Factory’s campus to discover creativity around every corner.