November will seem a little less eventful this year with the absence of Gala Corina from the visual arts scene. Since 1999, the unconventional art fair - typically staged inside a historic cigar factory or other unfinished structure ripe for architectural or interior design interventions - has been an annual Tampa tradition. In this, what would be Gala's tenth year, news comes that there will be no 2008 Gala Corina. However, the loose coalition of artists who organize the event plan to stage two smaller-scale endeavors in spring and fall of 2009.
In lieu of the real thing, Artsqueeze proudly presents a stroll down memory lane in the form of photos from last year's Gala Corina, in all its sometimes-wacky, sometimes-edgy, always-scrappy-and-spunky glory. Enjoy! (Click through to Flickr to read captions, including artist IDs, for the images.)
Megan Voeller is Creative Loafing’s visual art critic. She teaches at the University of Tampa and The Art Institute of Tampa, edits the weekly online newsletter of CreativeTampaBay and blogs at Artsqueeze.com.
