When you walk into the Gallery at Creative Pinellas to see Tongue & Groove: Exploring a Common Visual Language, I hope you take a moment to appreciate the visual wit of its title wall. Notice how the lowercase “g” and capital “Groove” are perfectly linked in the lettering; follow the gold line that underlines “Groove” and extends to the end of the wall, smoothly interrupted by a square painting by that features a stripe of a similar color. This front wall vignette conveys the playful essence of the show as a whole: two artists, Babette Herschberger and Ry McCullough, sharing works that exist seamlessly together and are chock-full of unexpected delight.
Tongue & Groove is curated by Katherine Gibson of ArtHouse3 and pairs works that are polished and framed with works that have rough, jagged edges in vignettes across the gallery space — and it all works. The textures dance from soft and smooth to unfinished and coarse coupled with adventurous lines and vibrant colors; works are displayed at eye level, ankle level, and even on the floor, beckoning you to notice how you shift position to see them. No medium is off limits and no limits have really been established; the chemistry these works all have individually is amplified as a whole and results in a special kind of magic, one that is bright and familiar. The show has an inherent Florida buoyancy to it, something imperfect and cheerful and surprising.
This might be explained by the artists and their connection to the Sunshine State. Herschberger recently moved to St. Petersburg from Miami, a city known for its dynamic arts and culture. Her work “Cortadito (homage to 30 yrs in Miami)” is a series of hand-built ceramic espresso cups, varying in size and priced from $20-$45, spread across a rustic wood table and named for the espresso-and-warm-milk beverage. McCullough is an assistant professor of art in the Department of Art + Design at the University of Tampa and is founder of the Standard Action Press Collaborative Zine Project; zines can be purchased for $5 in the gift shop section of the show.
My favorite vignette, which is hard to choose, is in the first room of the exhibition and features four works: a small collage from McCullough is perched on a cubic shelf at ankle level; a large square mustard-yellow painting hangs on the wall to the right of it at eye level; a chipped, burnt orange metal fold-up chair sits in front of these two works; and a wrinkled swath of pale blue canvas rests on the floor next to the chair. This selection appears simple in form but is quite exciting in its curation as it asks the viewer to bring a bodily awareness to the space.
The works in this show might provoke a kind of response along the lines of “My child could do that!” I have a few blanket responses to this sincere reaction. Some artists embrace the notion that their works evoke a childlike sentiment; art that appears to be elementary or simple in its creation might have actually been made with precise technical skill, which raises subjective questions about what it takes to make art; the point is that your child didn’t make this but maybe they want to — or maybe you should try it out, and I mean that wholeheartedly. Approach this show with an open mind and a willingness to appreciate its colorful details if perhaps you’re not one to gravitate towards abstract elements in art.
The Gallery at Creative Pinellas, located in the former Gulf Coast Museum of Art, is a lofty arts space of 10,000 square feet in Largo and is situated in Pinellas County’s Pinewood Cultural Park with the Florida Botanical Gardens, Heritage Village, and the Creative Pinellas Arts Business Incubator. There is something for everyone here, and plenty of parking. Don’t be discouraged by the location in Largo; it is no further a drive to St. Pete from Tampa, and my beloved St. Petersburgers will find it after a serene jaunt down tree-lined roads. It makes sense for this county facility to be more geographically centered, and helps balance out the arts-loaded downtown St. Pete scene. We’re in the middle of a typical Florida summer that oscillates between scorching and soaking: grab an iced coffee down the road, take a stroll through the shady paths around the area then retreat in the air-conditioned space of the gallery to nurture your love of fresh air and refreshing art.
This article appears in Jul 18-25, 2019.