55th Annual Festival Season Starts Behind the Scenes
While the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts doesn’t start until next March, plans are already underway for the upcoming event. In mid-May, members of the GFA Festival Committee members and organization leadership met at the Baisden Gallery in Tampa to fulfill a long-time tradition of the “Passing of the Chairs.” GFA 54 Co-Chairs Cindy Banua […]
Arts program “roared” to Miriam Zimms during her battles with cancer, tapping into hidden creative talent, changing her life.
Story by Sarah Worth, Gasparilla Arts. Challenges bring opportunities. It’s a cliche that says a lot yet can’t truly convey the enormity of challenges Miriam Zimms faced while battling cancer and then the pure joy she found in the artistic opportunities that later grew out of that experience. In 2010, while working as a consultant […]
Meet the Selection Jurors for GFA55
The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is pleased to introduce our esteemed group of Selection Jurors and our Emerging Artist Juror for the 55th annual Festival. Main Show Selection Jurors Leslie Elsasser Curator of Education, USF Contemporary Art Museum and USF Educator Leslie Elsasser serves as Curator of Education at the USF Contemporary Art […]
Applications are now Open for Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts (GFA) Emerging Artists Program
Tampa, FL – The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts (GFA) is excited to announce that the Emerging Artists Program (EAP) applications open on October 1st. This unique program, held as part of the renowned festival, provides a platform for emerging artists from across the country to showcase their work, often for the first time […]
GFA Announces New Board Members for 2024–2025
Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is pleased to welcome ten members to the Voting Board of Directors. GFA warmly welcomes Cindy Banua, Sean Patrick Bevil, Kimberli Cummings, Eileen Goldenberg, Rebecca Hagen, Charlie Kemmerer, Jacob Labutka, Maxine Stull and Jenn Versaggi to its esteemed Board of Directors. Eric Page was elected to a second term on […]
Call for Artists: Applications for Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts 2025 Are Open
The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is accepting applications from artists for the 2025 festival, to be held on March 1–2, 2025. The Festival welcomes applications from local, national and international artists.
My Thi Nguyen
As a graphic designer, my current focus is blending artistic innovation with strategic communication. I aim to create visually compelling designs that captivate and convey meaningful messages effectively. I do collaborate with other people and entrepreneurs to build my experiences. Transitioning to a role as a creative director, my goals extend towards shaping comprehensive brand […]
Natasha Rivera-Alvarez
As an artist, I, Natasha Rivera Alvarez, am driven by a passion for exploring diverse mediums and pushing the boundaries of expression. Over the past two years, I have immersed myself in printmaking, photography, and digital art, using each medium as a vehicle to delve into emotional and dark subject matter. I thrive on experimentation […]
Victoria Mercado-Lues
My work explores tension and balance with precariously stacked ceramic towers. I create hand-built, sculptural, abstract work. My work draws on making multiple pieces at a time where I focus on how the fluid process of working in tandem sparks a singular vision to bleed into the next. The technical side focuses on balancing wedged […]
Gianna Ritornaro
My creative practice is driven by my passion for variety, exploration, experimentation, and spontaneity. Using mostly acrylic paint, spray paint, oil pastel, and unconventional tools, I engage in an experimental painting process, learning how to understand and embrace the nature of uncertainty. My work is shaped by my ability to respond to distinct brushstrokes and […]