99 Bottles

May 24–July 12, 2025
Juror’s Reception: Friday, June 6, 2025, 5:30-8:30pm, Award Presentation: 6:00pm (RSVP via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16T52Y3TYW/)
Join us for the Juror’s Reception to meet exhibiting artists and juror Rachel Rearick, and enjoy a craft beer tasting with St. Pete Brewing Co. and beats by DJ CUB!

Florida CraftArt presents 99 Bottles, an exhibition that takes a fresh look at one of the most familiar and functional forms—the bottle. While bottles are designed to carry liquids, they also carry layered meanings: symbols of celebration, preservation, indulgence, healing, or even memory. This exhibition invites artists to explore the bottle not just as a vessel, but as a powerful metaphor, reimagined through the lens of contemporary fine craft.

This vibrant summer exhibition drew nearly 400 entries from artists across 20 states, each offering their own take on the bottle as both form and concept. Juried by Rachel Rearick, Executive Director of Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, 99 Bottles playfully nods to the well-known—if famously repetitive—road trip song, while transforming the bottle into a symbol ripe for artistic exploration. With a BFA in Printmaking and a Master’s in Public Administration, Rearick brings both a creative and strategic eye to her curatorial work—making 99 Bottles as dynamic as it is delightful. Whether playful, contemplative, or urgent, the works in 99 Bottles speak to the endless potential of a simple form, reimagined by artists who push the boundaries of tradition and technique. Join us at Florida CraftArt this summer and see how something as familiar as a bottle can surprise, delight, and spark new ways of seeing.

 

Juror’s Statement by Rachel Rearick
“It was an honor to be asked to serve as the juror for the 99 Bottles exhibition at Florida Craft Art. There were an incredible amount of entries submitted, which made the process enjoyable and at the same time quite difficult. I was particularly drawn to a number of works, and had the intention of making selections that would allow for the opportunity to showcase as many small collections from individual artists as possible. Taking the title into play, it became important to me to try and create a mass of bottles, while also selecting objects that would have a visual conversation with one another. I hope that viewers enjoy this grouping of bottles, and I want to thank all of the artists that participated.”

 

Guest Juror
Rachel Rearick is the Executive Director of Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA, and has a demonstrated commitment to creating inclusive spaces in the arts over a career that has focused on building partnerships which leverage support for the advancement of artists. Previously, Rachel served as the Arts and Culture Manager for Allegheny County Airport Authority; the Arts, Culture, and History Specialist for the City of Pittsburgh; and was the Co-Founder of KuratedPgh, a retail gallery that focused on fine art and functional craft. Rachel serves as the President of the Board of Directors at Shiftworks Community + Public Art and is an artist member of both the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Print Group. She holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Gannon University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Edinboro University.

 

99 Bottles is generously sponsored by:
Hal Freedman and Willi Rudowsky
Kathryn Howd and Edward Rucks

 

Award Winners:
First Place: Discarded (I), Elizabeth McAlpin
Second Place: Chasmistes Reliquary – relic: Truckee River, NV, 2022, Jeff Downing
Third Place: Coral Encrusted Bottle No. 1, Robert Kokenyesi

 

Participating Artists: Christopher Archer (Goffstown, NH), Kara Artman (Hilton Head Island, SC), Lisa Bagley (Seminole, FL), Catherine Bergmann (Dunedin, FL), Jorie Berman (Tampa, FL), Anne Bernard-Pattis (Highland Park, IL), Savanah Conrad (Ann Arbor, MI), Barbara Dibble (St. Petersburg, FL), Jeff Downing (San Rafael, CA), Trevor Dunn (Jacksonville Beach, FL), Gary & Debbie Greer (Safety Harbor, FL), Justin Groom (St. Petersburg, FL), Kathleen Gunning (Charleston, SC), Jay Hatfield (Palm Beach Gardens, FL), Jillian Heusohn (Tallahassee, FL), Benjamin Johnson (Chesterland, OH), Robert Kokenyesi (Godfrey, IL), Jaylei Lamb (Iowa Park, TX), Kristina Latraverse (Indialantic, FL), Madeleine Marino (Cambridge, MA), Joanna Mazurek (Palm Harbor, FL), Elizabeth McAlpin (New York, NY), Kylie McConnell (Cumming, GA), William McKinney (Kirksville, MO), Cortney McNamara (Tampa, FL), Elizabeth Neily (Gulfport, FL), Dakota Parkinson (St. Petersburg, FL), Susan Perl (St. Petersburg, FL), Frank Pishkur (Joplin, MO), Lisa Ramudo (Tampa, FL), Nadine Saylor (Kearney, NE), Jon Stein (Cincinnati, OH), Mary Surber (Guyton, GA), Angela Tilley (Norfolk, VA), Michael Tracy (Farmville, NC), Marc VandenBerg (Dearborn, MI), Sofia Vidal (Boca Raton, FL), Amanda Westenberg (St. Petersburg, FL), Hammond Whiting (Kirksville, MO), Heidi Wineland (Lakeland, FL), Craig Wood (St. Petersburg, FL), Rebecca Zweibel (St. Petersburg, FL)

 

 

 

Downloadable Press Release

 

 

CUTLINES
1. Benjamin Johnson_Optic Sequence 3.jpg, Photo by Benjamin Johnson
Optic Sequence 3, Benjamin Johnson’s glass bottle pulses with optical precision and rhythm.
2. Elizabeth McAlpin_Discarded (V).jpg, Photo by Elizabeth McAlpin
Discarded (V), Elizabeth McAlpin’s ceramic bottle transforms single-use plastic into a lasting reflection on our environmental legacy.
3. Rebecca Zweibel_Abstract Bottle II.jpg, Photo by Rebecca Zweibel
Abstract Bottle II, Instinctive and richly layered, Rebecca Zweibel’s ceramic bottle captures the dance between form, color, and texture.

 

 

Questions? Contact gallery@floridacraftart.org or call 727-821-7391.
Contact Liz Cooper for sponsorship opportunities at liz@floridacraftart.org or 727-821-7391.