(kms) – With the Fairgrounds St. Pete the city of St. Petersburg is consolidating its position as the unofficial cultural capital of Florida: The new art project represents an escape from reality and inspires with interactive and meaningful art installations. Visitors can immerse themselves in a world of art, play and joy that is full of discovery.
The art project celebrates Florida
At Fairgrounds St. Pete, the works of artists are combined with technical solutions to create a world that celebrates “weird, wacky and wonderful Florida”. On the 1,400 square meter exhibition space in the Warehouse District of St. Pete, over 60 artists, many of them from the region around St. Pete / Clearwater and Tampa Bay itself, were able to fill the opening exhibition with their works. The exhibition is structured in such a way that the visitors themselves can become part of the respective story or narrative through interactive technologies.
From the “Mermaid Star Motel” to “Floridarama”
The range of works of art is huge. In the large former warehouse you will find various exhibits such as colorful murals or the Mermaid Star Motel, a model installation inspired by South Beach in Miami: In order to present its art deco style as authentically as possible, the Fairgrounds team has one own retro sign designed. The artwork combines the story of tourists discovering Florida with elements of mermaid mythology. Every single room in the motel has its own story to tell. Another example from the multifaceted exhibition portfolio is Floridarama: The installation includes 20 different dioramas by artists who take the viewer into 20 small parallel universes.
„From the beginning, Fairgrounds St. Pete has strived to be innovative in storytelling, art, and technology. We look forward to building on traditional art experiences by immersing our visitors in a playful narrative that celebrates the weird, wacky, and wonderful aspects of Florida. Every visit to the fairground will be a new adventure“, Says Liz Dimmit, CEO and co-founder of Fairgrounds.
Liz Dimmit’s aim with this project is also to offer artists from Florida a platform to present their works to a large audience. After working in the New York financial industry for over 17 years, she returned to the St. Pete / Clearwater area. At the time, she knew that her next project should be of an artistic nature and also knew that something could be made out of an empty warehouse. However, she did not have an exact implementation in mind. After finding a suitable hall, she teamed up with Mikhail Mansion, a locally known artist and design engineer. Today he is responsible for the technological implementation and the linking of art and interactivity in the fairgrounds.
St. Pete strengthens its reputation as the secret capital of culture in Florida
For years, St. Pete has developed into the secret cultural capital of Florida thanks to its diverse portfolio of art and culture. The new and innovative Fairgrounds project consolidates this again. In addition to numerous interesting and interactive museums such as the Dalí Museumwhich is the largest collection of surrealist artists outside of Europe Imagine Museum or that James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, you can also find a large open-air gallery in Downtown St. Pete: Alone in the direct city center you can find over 90 colorful muralsmade by local, national and international artists. Every year St. Pete also hosts a designated festival – the SHINE Festival – during which the open air gallery in the Sunshine State is constantly being expanded.
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