Supreme congrats to St. Petersburg's downtown art scene for heaping a good dose of pride onto the entire Bay area. Once famed as a quiet city of retirees, St. Petersburg has changed its image, thanks to its organized, cohesive and well-publicized artistic Renaissance. No urban center can develop an artistic heart without the ability for citizens to move from place to place in a relatively short time and with little effort. In St. Pete, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Salvador Dali Museum and the Holocaust Museum, with upstairs art galleries, form a triangle anchored by smaller galleries. At the heart of this artistic focus is Central Avenue, the critically important geographic corridor connecting a beautiful manicured waterfront with a gallery district absolutely intent on success. Along this powerful symbolic stretch are quality galleries — The Arts Center, Florida Craftsman, Central Fine Arts, M. Petty Photography and others — all within reasonable walking distance. Sadly, Gallery Enormous recently folded after adding significantly to the roster of Central Avenue art venues. The Downtown Gallery Association produces literature about the arts and plans regular gallery walks. These leisurely evening strolls foster a hefty dose of community pride and critical human interaction, a factor often lacking in city planning.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2003.