St. Pete’s arts community is blooming, literally. On May 24th local artists James Oleson and John Taormina opened up Bloom, a 7,000-sq.-ft. multi-purpose, multi-level gallery event space at 910 5th Ave. N. The communal, self-reliant space features multiple galleries and nine artists’ studios that currently host two photographers and seven painters. “We are building a home for St. Petersburg,” says co-founder and local artist John Taormina. “We want a place where everyone can do their own thing, see the things they want to see.” From skate ramps to long music sets to art cars to performance art to skillful construction labor, everything here remains an art form. facebook.com/BloomUnderground
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2014.