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Nationally Recognized Ceramic Workshop Returns to Morean Center for Clay

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The Florida Heat Series attracts artists from around the country

The Morean Center for Clay’s 5th Annual Florida Heat Surface Workshop kicks off Wednesday, February 7, and runs through February 10.
The 5th Annual Florida Heat Surface Workshop invites some of the country’s leading ceramic artists, including Linda Sikora, Mike Helke, Michael Hunt, Naomi Dalglish, Peter and Lori Pincus, Shoko Teruyama, Ben Carter and Adam Field, to demonstrate their talents and approaches to designing a well-thought-out pottery surface. The workshop covers all firing and surface approaches, including but not limited to glazing, slips, underglaze, decals, scraffito, mishima and more.
Matt Schiemann, Clay Studio Artist Program Manager at the Morean Center for Clay, said, “The Florida Heat Surface Workshop brings together eight different artists from around the country. You would be hard pressed to find another workshop that would bring together such diverse and knowledgeable ceramic artists in one location.”
This workshop coincides with the 5th Annual Florida Heat Surface Workshop Presenters’ Exhibition opening Saturday, February 10, from 5pm-9pm for Second Saturday ArtWalk. The exhibition runs through March 31 and is free and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm, at the Morean Center for Clay located at 420 22nd Street South, St. Petersburg, Fla., 33712.
This workshop follows the conclusion of the Florida Heat Woodfire Workshop where more than 1200 ceramic pieces were loaded and fired in the Center for Clay’s 500 cubic foot wood kiln.
Wood firing ceramics is unique in that the piece is fired in an anagama kiln allowing the ashes from the wood, which fuels the anagama, to interact with pieces during firing. The ashes settle on the ceramic pieces to create a unique, natural glaze.
The Florida Heat Woodfire Workshop was attended by more than 30 participants learning from some of the nation’s top wood fire artists including John Balistreri, Chris Gustin, Nancy Train Smith and Matt Long.
The Morean Center for Clay hosts a variety of ceramic workshops throughout the year, drawing together a community of ceramic artists on the local, national and international level.
“Florida Heat Surface is a workshop that is beneficial for both the beginner and the advanced ceramic artist. I really believe you can’t afford to miss this workshop and the amount of knowledge that will be shared by this group of artists,” said Schiemann.
For more information on the 5th Annual Florida Heat Surface Workshop and for a full schedule of each day, please visit MoreanArtsCenter.org or call 727.821.7162 ext. 2310.
The Morean Arts Center, with roots dating back to 1917 as the Art Club of St. Petersburg, focuses on an innovative, community-oriented approach to art and art education. The mission of the Morean Arts Center is to connect people with art and to contribute to the economic development of the region. Operating under the Morean Arts Center includes the Chihuly Collection, Glass Studio & Hot Shop and the Morean Center for Clay.

Chihuly Collection Celebrates One Year in the Central Arts District

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The Chihuly Collection presented by Morean Arts Center is celebrating its first anniversary since relocating to the Central Arts District from Beach Drive.
The Central Arts District is a vibrant area of Downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., filled with diverse businesses rooted in the arts.  Its reach encompasses the range between 3rd Street to 9th Street and 1st Ave North to 1st Ave South.
Home to the Central Arts District since 1999, the Morean Arts Center owns and operates the Chihuly Collection, a local non-profit serving the community in art and art education. Dale Chihuly’s passion for art education was the catalyst for bringing the Chihuly Collection to St. Petersburg. All net proceeds support and sustain the educational programs and exhibition programming at the Morean Arts Center.
With the locations now in close proximity, the large fan base of Dale Chihuly has the convenience of viewing local and regional contemporary art, broadening the reach of the Morean Arts Center and its featured artists.
Since re-opening in its new location, the Chihuly Collection has seen an influx of visitors wanting to view the reimagined installations, as well as the temporary exhibitions featuring glass artists from around the country. Also included with general admission is admittance to the Morean Glass Studio & Hot Shop to view live glass blowing demonstrations with local artists. Those demonstrations provide visitors a glimpse into the technique and precision it takes to create a hand-crafted glass piece.
The Chihuly Collection is located at 720 Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg and will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 14. The first 100 visitors (in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Morean Arts Center) will receive a gift bag with $30 in Chihuly merchandise, including a DVD of Dale Chihuly’s installations and work in the Hot Shop.
Also on view at the Chihuly Collection: SOLAS: Light Informs Glass, featuring internationally renowned artists Richard Royal, Paula Stokes and Eric Mead. Entrance to SOLAS is included with general admission. This is the closing weekend of this show, on view only through 5pm on Sunday, October 15.
The Chihuly Collection is owned and operated by the Morean Arts Center, a local 501c3 organization. The Morean Arts Center, with roots dating back to 1917 as the Art Club of St. Petersburg, focuses on an innovative, community-oriented approach to art and art education. The mission of the Morean Arts Center is to connect people with art and to contribute to the economic development of the region.
The Centennial Celebration of the Morean Arts Center, known in 1917 as the Art Club of St. Petersburg, will continue throughout 2017, celebrating 100 years of fostering art, artists and the future of the city as a major arts destination.

Fall Exhibitions Opening at the Morean Arts Center

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Three exhibitions will be on view until October 29

The Morean Arts Center will hold a rescheduled opening reception for three exhibitions on Friday, September 22, from 5pm-7pm. Casey McDonough & Kenny Jensen: (in/af)finities, Bryce Hammond: Structure, and Josette Urso: More than Before are on view for free and open to the public until October 29, 2017.
Each exhibit showcases a unique take on the artists’ experiences and observations of the world around them.
Amanda Cooper, Curator of Exhibitions at the Morean Arts Center, said, “We feel very fortunate we were able to reschedule these opening receptions after Hurricane Irma. It’s been a stressful few weeks, and we’re happy to provide a free experience for the community to view such a diverse collection of local artists’ works.”
Casey McDonough & Kenny Jensen: (in/af)finities probes the analogous and infinitely related structures of our universe, from the microcosmic to the macrocosmic. McDonough and Jensen will hold a gallery talk on Friday, September 22, at 5:30pm at the Morean Arts Center.
Bryce Hammond: Structure exhibition records evidence of human presence in man-made environments through first-hand observations of poverty culture. This data is compiled to pollinate and present diverse techniques of expression including participatory installation, voyeuristic sound and documentation through paintings and other art objects. Hammond will hold a gallery talk to further discuss his work on Saturday, October 14, at 6pm.
Josette Urso, former resident of Tampa Bay, makes paintings, drawings and collages working directly and urgently in response to her immediate environment. Urso delights in manipulating space to create dynamic pieces governed by intuitive leaps of scale, color and wayward geometry. The public will have the opportunity to meet Urso on Friday, October 27, from 5pm-7pm.
Executive Director/CEO of the Morean Arts Center Michael Killoren said he’s excited to resume normal operations and provide a rescheduled opening to those who need a reprieve from post-storm recovery.
“The arts are a powerful force that bring us together,” said Killoren.  “After the stressful week we all had with Hurricane Irma, we are opening our doors for folks to come in, view outstanding installations of contemporary art, and engage in conversation with those around you. These installations will surely take you outside of yourself and refresh your spirit. There’s no better time to appreciate the artists who make the St. Petersburg area such a special place.”
In conjunction with these exhibits, You Can Feel What We See: Tactile Artwork by Visually Impaired Students in Pinellas County Schools will be on view from September 20 through October 20, 2017. The concept behind this show is to introduce the sighted viewer to the way visually impaired people view their world with their hands. Most of the more than 70 pieces of artwork are touchable to convey the whole picture after “feeling” the sum of its parts. The work in this exhibit is created by students in the Pinellas County school system.
In addition, the Morean Arts Center continues its partnership with the Hermitage Apartment Homes with Elizabeth Barenis + Marcia Treiger at the Hermitage on view through October 25, 2017. St. Petersburg artist Elizabeth Barenis created paintings that acknowledge and recognize beauty in nature transporting the viewer to a place of serenity, awe and inspiration. Marcia Treiger, a photographer from Bradenton, delights in nature and the signs and stories it has to tell.  The Hermitage Apartment Homes are located at 151 7th Street South St. Petersburg, Fla.
All exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, please call 727.822.7872 ext. 8, or visit MoreanArtsCenter.Org.
The Morean Arts Center, with roots dating back to 1917 as the Art Club of St. Petersburg, focuses on an innovative, community-oriented approach to art and art education. The mission of the Morean Arts Center is to connect people with art and to contribute to the economic development of the region. Operating under the Morean Arts Center includes the Chihuly Collection, Glass Studio & Hot Shop and the Morean Center for Clay.
The Centennial Celebration of the Morean Arts Center, known in 1917 as the Art Club of St. Petersburg, will continue throughout 2017, celebrating 100 years of fostering art, artists and the future of the city as a major arts destination.
Enjoy an array of Master Artist Workshops, Exhibitions, Class offerings and Events each elevated to reflect 100 years of continued excellence and steady growth for the arts in St. Petersburg.