FEAST Pinellas Comes To Safety Harbor Next Week

FEAST Pinellas, a microfunding program designed to help support emerging artists in Pinellas County, is coming to Safety Harbor next week. 

The event, a collaborative effort between Creative Pinellas and the Safety Harbor Museum and Cultural Center, will take place at the museum on Thursday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20. 

Three local artists will vie for the chance to win the financing in order to help get their proposed projects off the ground: Laura Kepner (writing); Heather Richardson (mosaic art); and Janet Lee Stinson (dance). 

“FEAST Pinellas is a partnership between Creative Pinellas and the Museum & Cultural Center,” facility director Shannon Shafer told Patch. 

“It’s another great partnership to support the arts in Safety Harbor and bring more visitors to the center.”

According to a press release for the event, FEAST “uses the communal aspect of dining to develop personal relationships with area artists and pools small dollar contributions to create a meaningful cultural investment fund that supports ambitious and exciting arts projects.”

The release also states the fourth FEAST event in the series is focusing on the “vibrant arts scene in Safety Harbor.”

Kepner, who has organized a number of writers groups in town and is currently collaborating on a history book about Safety Harbor, is hoping to bring a writers conference to town.

“My goal is to organize Safety Harbor’s first literary festival,” she said.

“I’d like to get some writers and poets here, put on a conference, and get them to spend some time here.” 

At the event, each guest will be given tokens that will be used to vote for how they feel the money should be given out. One hundred percent of the money taken at the door will be handed out to support art projects in Safety Harbor. 

Shafer said the museum board will be assisting with providing food from local restaurants, and there will be a cash bar, with the proceeds to benefit the museum.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, and I feels like best way to go about it,” Kepner said. “It’s a great way to promote arts in our community.” 

For more information and to get your tickets for the FEAST Pinellas event, visit the Creative Pinellas website at creativepinellas.org/feast.

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