Florida’s landscapes, flora, and fauna have inspired its residents and visiting artists for centuries.
Now, thanks to a partnership between Creative Pinellas and St. Pete-Clearwater Airport, a sample of contemporary Florida-inspired art greets travelers as they fly in and out of PIE.
The partnership isn’t exactly new—the two organizations started working together in 2022, bringing new murals by Bay Area artists Leo Gomez and Laura “Miss Crit” Spencer to PIE Gate 12.
But this spring, they expanded the partnership with a new exhibition space located post-security in the area of Gates 7-11. Sightline Gallery opened in April 2025 with artwork by contemporary Tampa Bay-based artists Elizabeth Barenis, Matthew Drennan Wicks and Babette Herschberger.
Choosing the artists was easy for independent curator Katherine Gibson. What was difficult, Gibson told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, was envisioning the space as a gallery.
“The space wasn’t white, and there was no lighting, so it was very dark,” said Gibson. “I had my doubts in the beginning.”
“First, we’d have to paint it if they’d let us, which they did,” Gibson added. “And then we’d have to go for an artist who could carry the weight of a large space and a large piece, and Elizabeth can definitely do that.”
Barenis is known for her large, colorful palm fronds, which she started painting in 2016. Seeing half a dozen of her fronds and flowers stretched across a 33-foot green wall definitely gives Florida vibes.
“The reason I do palm fronds is because I’m in Florida,” Barenis told CL. “I wanted to do something that people here would appreciate and want to bring into their homes to reflect the outside and bring it in. I just found a different way to represent the palm fronds so we can still have that tropical feel, but in a contemporary way.”
Once Gibson secured her main artist for the largest wall, she considered what types of works would communicate with Barenis’ Florida flora in an interesting way, before landing on a series of Wicks sculptures that resemble patio chairs.
Together, they provide the illusion that one is sitting in the shade of Barenis’ palm trees, hence the show’s title, “Made in the Shade.”
In a different corner of the airport, Gibson paired more of Wicks’ chair-like sculptures with a garden of Babette Herschberger’s colorful ceramic vessels.
Herschberger’s work, although fully embracing Miami’s coastal color palette, is the least direct in its Florida references. But, as Hershberger points out, not all contemporary Florida artists are creating Florida scenes. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to show this side of Tampa Bay’s contemporary art scene.
“There’s not a lot of contemporary exhibition space, from my perspective, in St. Pete or Clearwater,” Herschberger told CL. “So to have another layer to represent that type of work really helps. It illustrates that not everyone here is doing really representational work of flora, fauna and water.”
“Sightline” opens just in time to greet Tampa Bay residents and visitors going to and from their summer vacations. So if you’re traveling out of PIE this summer, stop by Liquid Provisions bar & restaurant, grab a drink, and sit in the shade of Elizabeth Barenis’ palm trees. And if you like the art, you’re welcome to purchase it using the QR code next to each piece.
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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2025.
