
SPL SPOTLIGHT
Mayor Henderson, a former Gulfport Poet Laureate who
happens to front a fantastic blues band - Sun Dog City - with his
what draws people to town. “This city lets you be who you are
and even encourages you to be the person you want to be. It is
an intimate place with a caring community of people from all
Gulfport’s waterfront has been drawing visitors since the early
line Shore Boulevard near the Historic Casino Ballroom and
shops like Bo’Tiki, Zaiya ArtiZen Market, and Gulfport Beach
town’s most famous annual gathering, an irreverent costumed
Wendy Ohlendorf
Ohlendorf atelier & Mermaid Mercantile
Gulfport Community Arts, Founder
summer and highlights the social calendar for many locals
auction of works by local artists with the proceeds going to local
charities.
New businesses are opening regularly along Beach Boulevard
and both Sea Dog Cantina and Gulfport Brewery will soon add
town. The future looks bright for the arts in Gulfport. This quirky
community-based town will highlight its place as a creative
force on the Tampa Bay arts scene while holding true to the
irreverence and laid-back lifestyle that locals love and visitors
envy.
James Briggs is Owner & Creative Director of Carroway + Rose, a
businesses in Pinellas County, Charleston, SC and Santa Fe, NM.
tagline. Ohlendorf takes this motto seriously - as a
lifelong artist herself, she strove to design a curriculum
for the local arts community that was enjoyable as
Tucked away in
well as a real hands-on learning opportunity. Classes
the back corner
range from life drawing and painting to mixed media
Spotlight
of The Village
and experimental techniques, as well as TED-style talks
Courtyard you will
and art history. This month GCA expands to foreign
languages, dramatics, and writing.
bustling storefront
of Ohlendorf,
“Gulfport is a town rich in artists and creative
atelier, Mermaid
Mercantile, and
share that passion for art deeper into the community .
the classroom
While creating a learning center that reaches beyond
of Gulfport
Artist Community Arts.
to subject matter that encourages them and sparks that
Accomplished
desire to stretch themselves and their own possibilities
couture fashion designer Wendy Ohlendorf brought her
ideas to Gulfport just 3 years ago from Portland, Oregon.
designs on runways and in her studio-storefront there.
dress designs for both local clients and her following in
Today, Gulfport is home and that storefront in The Village
Portland. You can see many of her designs on display
Courtyard is where Ohlendorf is creating community
in that little storefront with big artistic ambitions in the
Courtyard. It is evident in Wendy’s fashion design style
and at least a dozen rotating classes every month, with
art and design with her love of textile to create visually
impactful works of wearable art. First Friday and third Saturday monthly 6-10 pm – Gulfport
Art & Gallery Walk along Beach Boulevard
or drop by the Gulfport Welcome
Center at 3101 Beach Boulevard.
s n style
visually
If You Go
Left, Larry Enlow and Maureen Kilroy, founders of the Enroy
Foundation, hold musical and arts events monthly in Gulfport.