‘Forbidden Fruit’ Art Show Tackles Topics Banned In FL Schools

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The latest art show at The Hive St. Pete, a pottery studio and arts center, is inspired by the Florida education system, beleaguered in recent years by new laws that have limited how many topics, particularly surrounding gender and sexual orientation, can be taught or discussed in the classroom.

The show, “Forbidden Fruit,” features works across various mediums from 13 artists, and will be on display at The Hive through the end of August.

The opening reception, coinciding with St. Petersburg’s monthly art walk, takes place Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m., at the studio, located at 559 49th Street S.

The Hive hosts a monthly showcase of works — open to submissions from both studio members and the public — each with a different theme.

“Forbidden Fruit,” tackling the politicized topic of Florida’s educational system, coincides with the start of the new school year in the state.

“We feel pretty strongly about a lot of the things that are happening in the Florida legislation that maybe have to do with schools, or how it affects people's lives, but definitely primarily in response to the way that we hold knowledge in schools and what we choose to or not choose to talk about,” Emmett Freeman, studio manager, told Patch. “That was kind of the main thing. What is being banned in school conversation and how does that affect people in the world?”

While the artists could have touched upon any topic affecting schools today, many submissions focused on gender and sexuality, he added. “It’s really interesting how that ended up. People really responded to what is happening in the schools and what it personally looks like to them and how we’re not allowed to talk about these things.”

Freeman recognizes the power of art as a form of protest and expression.

“The thing is to make people ask questions, right? Art is a pretty palatable way to be confronted compared to someone protesting outside of your business or something like that,” he said. “You’re confronting someone that way, but with art, you’re asking them, ‘Hey, come and observe and think. Use your knowledge.’”

All the pieces selected for the show are “very conceptually driven and powerful,” he said. “It’s not just (artists) making things that they think look cute or aesthetically, formally pleasing. Everyone is making a statement through their work.”

The Hive has put a call out for entries for next month’s show theme, "Corazón y Sazón,” which puts a spotlight on Latin American culture within the United States for Latin American Heritage Month.

“We’re trying to continue this community energy, you know. How do we represent the people that matter? Or don't have a voice and how do we use a platform to give that voice to those people and let them use it,” Freeman said.