For Immediate Release April 8, 2021
Florida CraftArt presents:
Awards presented at Epicurean Delights Exhibition of Fine Craft
Exhibition runs through May 8, 2021
Epicurean Delights is a juried exhibition showcasing 80 deliciously handmade fine craft objects by 32 artists that will delight the foodie in all. At the opening, the show’s judges Dr. Jennifer Hardin and Emmanuel Roux presented the awards and commented on the work.
“Greek philosopher Epicurus taught that the way to a happy life was about sensation – a communal way of getting together – dining and conviviality,” Dr. Hardin said. “The works in the exhibition deal with what you put on the table, what you have on the wall that relates to food, and friendship. Common meals were very important to Epicurus and I think we all look forward to dining with our friends in the very near future. Our criteria for the awards was originality and craftsmanship.”
The beautifully crafted blown-glass orange by Portland, Oregon artist Steve Hagan was awarded Best of Show. “This is such an exceptional piece,” said Emmanuel Roux, “and it is a symbol of Florida. The technique is stunning.”
Steve Hagan was an Artist in Residence at Duncan McClellan Gallery and created the orange using individual canes that he pulled 40-feet to create murrini to combine in the piece.
First Place went to Tampa-based ceramicist Kimberli Cummings for a beautifully painted majolica tureen featuring prancing roosters from Ybor City.
“Electric Tea Party Jacket” by Gulfport artist Elizabeth Neily won Second Place. The judges said that it was the kind of jacket that one would wear to a dinner party to be noticed, as if you were with Gertrude Stein.
Third Place was awarded to Eric Folsom of Gulfport for a hand-forged brass and copper serving set with a hanging bracket.
Honorable Mentions were given to Diana Hirschhorn (Lakewood Ranch) for a necklace “Sea Cabbage,” Nick Reale (St. Petersburg) for wooden “Dinner Seating for Two,” Jennifer Rosseter (St. Petersburg) for a ceramic plate “Coyote Woods,” Karyn Kozak (Gulfport) for “Wide Millefiori Teapot,” and Mei Ling St. Leger (Clearwater) for “Double Sided (Reversible) Stitched Shibori Table Runner.”
In the gallery are also fiber works by Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild members who have stitched, painted, embroidered and quilted abundant aprons, napkins, and fiber objects for sale as a fundraiser for its scholarship program.
“As engaging the community is part of Florida CraftArt’s mission, the public is invited to attend the exhibition and programming free of charge,” said Florida CraftArt’s Board President Tyler Jones. “For instance, on April 20, Dali Museum Curator of Education, Peter Tush, will present “Dining with Dali” based on Dali’s cookbook.”
Widely renowned for his award-winning chocolate, Bill Brown, the owner, chef and artist of William Dean Chocolates, will lead a virtual taste-bud tour during the virtual chocolate tastings on April 27. From Madagascar chocolates to French gourmet blends, the chef will explain the wildly different flavors and origins. Prior to the event, people can purchase gourmet chocolate samples at Florida CraftArt or William Dean Chocolates, 2790 West Bay Drive, Belleair Bluffs, Florida.
The show runs through May 8. People can vote for their favorite work of art in the Florida CraftArt Exhibition Gallery and on Facebook. The exhibition’s sponsors are Mark Anderson and Keith Bucklew, William Dean Chocolates, along with support from Perry and Lisa Everett, the City of St. Petersburg, and Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs.
Florida CraftArt is located at 501 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.FloridaCraftArt.org or call (727) 821-7391. Fine craft art is presented in its 2,500-square-foot retail gallery and curated exhibitions are featured in its adjacent exhibition gallery. Florida CraftArt is a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 and headquartered in St. Petersburg. Its mission is to grow the statewide creative economy by engaging the community and advancing Florida’s fine craft artists and their work. Florida CraftArt is the only statewide organization offering artists a platform to show and sell their work.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Tuesday, April 20, 6 p.m. Dali Curator of Education Peter Tush lecture: “Dining with Dali.” Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83641081277
Tuesday, April 27, 6 p.m. Chocolate tasting with William Dean Chocolates founder.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86210456438 Prior to the event, purchase gourmet chocolate samples at Florida CraftArt or William Dean Chocolates, 2790 West Bay Drive, Belleair Bluffs, Florida. Visit WilliamDeanChocolates.com.
Contact:
Katie Deits, Executive Director
Florida CraftArt
501 Central Ave.,
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-821-7391
FloridaCraftArt.org
CUTLINES (More images of work available on request.)
FCA Hagan, Steven Orange side.jpg
Best of Show was presented to Portland artist Steven Hagan who created this orange in glass at Duncan McClellan Gallery.
FCA Cummings_YborRoosters.jpg
Tampa artist Kimberli Cummings won First Place for a majolica tureen featuring Ybor City roosters.
FCA Folsom, Eric bronze and copper serving set.jpg
Eric Folsom from Gulfport won Third Place with this bronze and copper serving set with a hanger.
FCA Neily, Elizabeth-Electric Tea Party,jpg
Gulfport artist Elizabeth Neily was awarded second place for her exuberant jacket entitled “Electric Tea Party.”
FCA Jennifer Hardin Emmanuel Roux judges of Epicurean Delights.jpg
Jennifer Hardin, Ph.D., and Emmanuel Roux were the judges of the art exhibition “Epicurean Delights” at Florida CraftArt. They are standing behind the First-Place winner, a tureen by Kimberli Cummings.
FCA Peter Tush_Dali Headshot.jpg
On April 20 at 6 p.m. Dali Museum Curator of Education Peter Tush will present “Dining with Dali” on Zoom.
FCA Les Diners de Dali.jpg
Food and surrealism make perfect bedfellows: sex and lobsters, collage and cannibalism, the meeting of a swan and a toothbrush on a pastry case. The opulent dinner parties thrown by Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) and his wife and muse, Gala (1894–1982) were the stuff of legend. Luckily for us, Dalí published a cookbook in 1973, Les diners de Gala, which reveals some of the sensual, imaginative, and exotic elements that made up their notorious gatherings.
FCA William Dean Chocolates Chef Bill Brown and chocolates.jpg
On April 27 at 6 p.m., William Dean Chocolate owner, chef and artist Bill Brown will lead a virtual taste-bud tour during the chocolate tastings on Zoom.
ARTISTS IN THE FLORIDA CRAFTART EPICUREAN DELIGHTS EXHIBITION
- Gerri Aurre, Jupiter, Florida
- Travis Blanton, Vero Beach, Florida
- Sue Cannon, Apopka, Florida
- Kimberli Cummings, Tampa, Florida
- Joyce Curvin, Palm Harbor, Florida
- Tom Davis, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Eric Folsom, Gulfport, Florida
- Brenda Gregory, Tampa, Florida
- Steven Hagan, Portland, Oregon
- Lauren Hill, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Diana Hirschhorn, Bradenton, Florida
- Annette Kapfer, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Karyn Kozak, Gulfport, Florida
- Carina Krehl, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Pat Lafaye, Safety Harbor, Florida
- Laurie Landry, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Elizabeth Neilly, Gulfport, Florida
- Victoia Nikkel, Pinellas Park, Florida
- Suzy Pease, Gulfport, Florida
- Susan Peloubet, Tampa, Florida
- Joseph Poltorak, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Nick Reale, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Shelly Steck Reale, St. Petersburg
- Jan Richardson, St. Petersburg
- Jennifer Rosseter, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Carol Shelton, Tampa, Florida
- Mei-Ling St. Leger, Clearwater, Florida
- Deborah Thorton, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Pamela Joy Trow, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Mary Ann Ziegler, Largo