Dale Chihuly Chandeliers
10 1/2’ x 33 1/2’ x 10 1/2’ Chihuly Collection
presented by Morean Arts Center St. Petersburg, FL
that introduced “modern” art to Tampa
Bay audiences. The longevity of galleries
from the 1980s, such as Brad Cooper in
Ybor City; Cathy Clayton and Nuance
Galleries in Tampa; and the Allyn Gallup
Gallery, since 1991, in Sarasota, all show
that there can be sustainability. In St.
Petersburg, art galleries seem to have
come and gone; although a vibrant art
scene, particularly for fine art crafts and
including auction houses, is currently quite
strong. In Pinellas County, however, one
art gallery has stayed the test of time, Syd
Entel Gallery in Safety Harbor.
The Tampa Bay area has emerged as a
wonderful environment for artists – from
students to amateurs; national artists who
have relocated here; and our honored
Florida professionals. We have evolved into
a nurturing and supportive community
with great pride for the creative artists
who, in the past 40 years, have shared
their artistic visions. Artists, such as
George Pappas, Syd Solomon, William
Pachner, Jimmy Ernst, David Anderson,
Robert Hodgell, Craig Rubadoux, Theo
Wujcik, Rocky Bridges, Carol Mickett
and Robert Stackhouse, again, to only
name a few, have become symbols of the
growth and quality of the visual arts in
our communities. Two artists in particular,
Christopher Still, one of the most respected
artists in Florida for his interpretive vision
of our state, and James Rosenquist, an
international artist who generously lends
his support locally, also serve to represent
the Tampa Bay area as our only inductees
in the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. All of
these artists and so many more, from art
educators to practicing artists, improve
our lives every day.
While the Tampa Bay area is not
internationally recognized for its art,
I would say that one of our greatest
strengths, beside our valued artists, is the
quality of the historical art collections we
have in our museums. From the largest
collection of Greek and Roman antiquities
in the Southeastern United States (at the
Tampa Museum of Art) to the remarkable
Baroque collection and emerging Asian
art (at the Ringling Museum of Art); and
from a stellar collection of Salvador Dalí
and related exhibitions to a collection
that documents the development of the
photographic arts (at the St. Petersburg
R. Lynn Whitelaw
Museum of Fine Arts); as well as, in 2018,
the opening of the finest collection of
American Arts and Crafts in the world,
we have so much to be proud of. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: R. Lynn Whitelaw
has worked in the visual arts in the Tampa
Bay area since 1975. His positions have
included as founding gallery manager for
what is today known as Gallery 221@HCC,
Curator of Education at the Tampa Museum
of Art, founding director and chief curator
of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at St.
Petersburg College, and he has served on
numerous art-related boards and committees.
In 2015, he received the distinguished
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida
Association of Museums.
56 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 2016
TERRY RISHEL