53rd Gasparilla Festival Of Arts To Showcase Hundreds Of Artists

TAMPA, FL — For the past couple of months, Tampa Bay residents have been introduced to a 1940s glamour girl named Sunny.

The stylistic nostalgic painting of Sunny has appeared on posters, billboards, in print and online advertising and other materials publicizing what's become Tampa Bay's largest and most prestigious art festival.

Now art lovers will have a chance to meet Sunny's creator. Self-taught Tampa Bay artist Michelle Mardis will be among the hundreds of artists from across the country on hand at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in downtown Tampa during the 53rd annual Gasparilla Festival of the Arts.

Each year a work of art is selected to be featured on festival promotional materials and this year that honor went to Mardis who based Sunny on her own glamorous grandmother.

Mardis is known for her clean, minimalistic and bold artwork reminiscent of the mid-century aesthetic movement. Best known for her original dog paintings collected by art and dog lovers around the world, Mardis included "Sunny" in her latest series of artworks featuring the beach and lake houses she has fond memories of visiting as a child growing up in Tampa Bay.

Expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors, the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts will take place Saturday, March 4 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Artists working in ceramics, digital media, charcoal, ink, fiber art, glass, jewelry, mixed media, oils, pastels, watercolors, photography, printmaking, sculptures and wood will vie for the $15,000 Raymond James Best of Show Award and $77,000 in other prize money.

Festival highlights include:

The Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts Chalk Walk. Since 2010, commissioned chalk artists have produced realistic 8- by 8-foot chalk drawings to the amazement of festival attendees.

Carmada returns to the festival with artists painting a car on-site while families explore other colorful hand-painted cars on display.

Attendees will have an opportunity to pick up a paintbrush and help decorate the NOMAD Art Bus by NOMADStudio, sponsored by Morgan Auto Group, Tampa Hybrids and Mother Kombucha.

Attendees will also have a chance to watch glass artist Duncan McClellan of DMG Mobile Glass Blowing Unit demonstrate his glass-blowing process.

An interactive structural element created by the Center for Architecture & Design (CA+D) the AIA Tampa Bay (American Institute of Architects) and affiliated organizations will be showcased.

The Art Collectors in Training (ACT) program will offer children ages 6 to 14 a chance to meet, view and purchase artwork on exhibit from artists participating in the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts.

The Community Outreach Village of the Gasparilla Festival of Arts was established to give festival goers an opportunity to enjoy and purchase the artwork of special artists, such as artists with disabilities who participate through organizations such as Arts4All, Pyramid Inc. and the MacDonald Training Center.

The Art Collectors in Training will teach youngsters the importance of appreciating and collecting art, while GFA’s Young Artists Expo will display the Hillsborough County Elementary & Middle School Poster Art Contest winners and allow up-and-coming teen artists from regional high schools to show their artwork and possibly win prize money for themselves and their schools.

The festival will showcase the work of emerging Tampa Bay artists representing a diversity of styles and media. The Emerging Artists Program recognizes and features the artwork of up-and-coming artists who wish to establish themselves in a professional visual arts career. The GFA provides each emerging artist the use of an individual booth and a $350 expense allowance. Their artwork will also be reviewed by the festival award juror Allison Glenn, who will choose one artist to receive a $1,500 Emerging Artists Award.

The Local Artists Spotlight Program was established in 2020 by the Gobioff Foundation to highlight five local artists in remote studios at the festival. The artists will invite festival guests to ask questions and watch as they practice their craft, taking an idea and transforming it into a finished piece of art during the two-day festival. This year's spotlight artists are Alyssa Marie, Margherita Tibaldo, Felipe Lopez, Jenipher Chandley and Mishou Sanchez.

Additionally, the festival will offer live entertainment on two stages including songwriters/singers, bands, the University of Tampa Dance Team, break-dancers, an aeralist, poetry readings, and performances by the Sgammato Music School and the School of Rock Music. Click here for a full list of entertainers.

Food and beverage vendors will be located throughout the festival grounds with beer and wine available for sale at three locations.