Also online today, Jen Ring wrote about Jobsite getting its start — two decades ago — at the Silver Meteor Gallery. And if you’re not super-duper into the Ybor arts scene or really tuned in to the larger arts community, you might wonder what, exactly, Silver Meteor is. The short answer: It’s one of the most prolific arts incubators in Tampa Bay. The longer answer: It’s a tiny casita in Ybor where a father-son team, years ago, had the vision of creating a small arts space where theater companies and visual artists could practice, refine and grow their craft — and their brand, all despite the burgeoning bourgeois vibe growing up around it.
Go back in time, to the mid-'90s, when Ybor City teetered on the precipice of change. A small but thriving arts community found that its talents had helped usher in what would deal a death knell to the life they knew — Ybor, it seems, was suddenly cool, and that meant higher rent. Those artists found themselves pushed out, making way for those who could afford the rent. Amidst the new movie theaters and sushi houses, one small venue also found a home in Ybor, and for 23 years, it’s remained a steadfast beacon for artists: Michael Murphy’s Silver Meteor Gallery.
What year did you start Silver Meteor?
In 1995. When we bought it, it was just a two-bedroom casita that we gutted and made one big room out of with the idea that it could always be a flexible art space.
Where did the idea come from to have that kind of space?
My father was a visual artist and had always wanted a studio/gallery. I was working behind the scenes in theater and we figured we could combine those two. We would alternate between art shows and performances so that there would always be something going on. We took a trip to New York City on the train and as we passed the houses. Dad said, “Wouldn’t it be cool to get one of these houses and make that an art space?” We bought the house in late ‘94 and opened in mid ‘95.
What was Ybor like then?
At that point it was changing. It was going away from the artist district that it was, to the party district. It was in flux. All the cool shops and stores that I liked hanging out in would end up being priced out. Quite literally, the neighbors on either side of us — on the west side was a little old black lady who’d been there forever, and Mary and Theresa Greco, who were distant cousins of Mayor Dick Greco were to the east of us, so between them you had the whole history of Ybor.
How did you find art shows and theater groups?
Usually the performance groups have approached me; it’s not like I have to go out and search. When it comes to the visual artists, it’s people I've seen in other art shows or done studio visits and think they should get a show of their own. We opened with Pig’s Eye Productions in there. That was the first theater company. Our first visual arts show was Tom Kenney, and he's now one of the principals of PP+K, an advertising agency in downtown Tampa.
What advice can you give to people who want to seek out the lessor-known artists in their community?
Go to gallery shows, art walks and creative events. Check out event pages and groups on social media then like and follow them. Visit theatretampabay.org and ybornow.com for listings of fun, interesting things to do. And read Creative Loafing, of course!
How did you make money?
We basically charge a commission on gallery sales — 30 percent-ish — and a nominal rent to cover overhead to performance groups. I work at Hillsborough Community College Ybor. I am the staff assistant for the visual and performing art series.
Who are some of the artists and theater groups you’ve incubated?
Sarah Howard, who now works at USF, and Chris Deacon, who used to teach at the Arts Institute, both had their thesis shows at the SMG. Jobsite Theater and Hat Trick Theatre, the resident companies at the Shimberg and Murray Studio theaters respectively, were in residence until they outgrew our space. LAB Theater Project is currently in residence. We’re now an outpost for the US Department of Arts and Culture, a grassroots action network inciting creativity and social imagination to shape a culture of empathy, equity and belonging.
Contact Cathy Salustri here.
This article appears in Aug 16-23, 2018.