Neighborhood News Bureau

Day: June 30, 2015

In a once-gritty industrial area, they create art

Courtesy of Five Deuces Galleria

Story and photos BY PHIL LAVERY
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – Drawn by low rent and abundant space, artists have flocked to the northern flank of Midtown in recent years. In once-empty warehouses, they are painting on canvas, sculpting in copper and blowing hot glass into objets d’art.

One of the converted warehouses is called Five Deuces Galleria, a three-building complex of studios and galleries at 222 22nd St. S that is a production center for art and aspirations.

Meet four of the artists who work there.

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Melissa Harasz

She comes from a family of artists and painters and has been painting since she was 9. Now 55, Harasz swims competitively and specializes in underwater scenes.

She pays a little more than $400 for an air-conditioned studio.

She says she likes the vibe of the Warehouse Arts District and its proximity to downtown.

“My process begins with a photograph. Once I study the photo, I’ll allow my imagination to take over.”

This oil-on-canvas painting of a man swimming underwater is typical of Harasz’s work.

This scene is one of her favorites.

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Maureen McCarthy

Art was just a hobby for her until her divorce a year ago.

Now she restores furniture full time and paints with oil on canvas.

After looking all over town, McCarthy, 44, decided to rent a studio at Five Deuces.

“There were studios where the rent was cheaper, but they felt cold. I looked for three weeks and settled on this place. My studio has got a warm feeling to it, which is very conducive to my creative process.”

McCarthy likes to paint landscapes, like this scene of a Florida sunset.

This is an old living room table made new, an example of the small tile pieces that McCarthy likes to use in her restorations.

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Sean Alton

Alton, 55, works with copper and glass sculpturing. “We get a lot of foot traffic” at Five Deuces, he says. It “has a good draw, being in the Warehouse Arts District. It’s a pretty cool place.”

“I consider myself a surrealist sculptor, incorporating people with animals in a non-sexual way. I started working with metal as a jeweler. In 1995 I left that job and began experimenting with copper sculpting, eventually adding glass to my sculptures.”

In copper sculpting, a mass of copper is melted in a kiln, usually several times. Once the cooper is removed, Alton does the enameling, which is adding class to the surface. Here is a finished copper sculpture with enamel.

In this 2-foot-long piece, an alligator is eating a person alive.

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Jim Corp

He has been a woodworker, a fisherman, a real estate developer and a business owner. Now Corp, 68, is an artist who says his work is half digital, half oil-on-canvas.

“The process of creation between digital prints and hand paintings are different, as one requires a computer and the other is by hand. How I find my inspiration, however, is pretty much the same. Even working with digital prints, coming up with an idea and then manifesting that into something tangible, is exactly the same as painting by hand.”

This is one of Corp’s digital prints. Its abstract style is a theme in most of his digital work. The printer he uses is expensive and requires a special ink toner.

This hand painting has the look of Andy Warhol. Notice the Campbell’s Soup cans at the bottom.

June 30, 2015
Up and down the Deuces: new businesses, new hope

Story by REBEKAH DAVILA
Photos by REBEKAH DAVILA, CANDICE RESHEF,
ZACHARY GIPSON-KENDRICK and LAUREN HENSLEY
NNB Student Reporters

ST. PETERSBURG – When Mac Arthur was a teenager, he and his friends liked to gather at Jesse Henderson’s sundries store on 22nd Street S and Ninth Avenue.

It “used to be a soda pop shop,” he said. “It is where we used to bring our girlfriends to hang out and dance.”

Arthur, now 60, said he has lived in the Midtown area for years. “I grew up here. I attended what is now John Hopkins Middle School and Gibbs High School.”

When he turned 18, he said, he left and joined the military “because the biggest issue in Midtown was that there weren’t any opportunities for young black men at the time.”

The soda pop shop is gone now, like virtually all the old businesses. But when Arthur stopped to shop at a small grocery on 22nd Street earlier this month, he noted signs of change up and down the street, which locals still call “the Deuces.”

“There are a lot of businesses opening up around here, and hopefully it will change the area for the better,” said Arthur.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

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The newest business is Deuces BBQ at 911 22nd St. S. It opened April 15 in one of four buildings that entrepreneurs Elihu and Carolyn Brayboy are restoring.

Time was when barbecue was a fixture on the Deuces. For years, John “Geech” Black served up barbecue with his special, secret sauce from a stand on 22nd Street and Eighth Avenue.

Geech’s closed in the early 1980s, however, and Deuces BBQ owners Patrick “PT” Collins and Kevin Egulf hope to resume the tradition.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

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“One of the really unique things about Deuces BBQ is that we use pecan chips to smoke all of our meat,” said restaurant manager Tim Richardson. “That isn’t typical, and it makes for a great tasting product.”

Deuces BBQ serves barbecue chicken, baby back ribs, spare ribs and pulled pork. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

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Two doors north of Deuces BBQ is Chief’s Creole Café, which opened last year in a building that once housed Sidney Harden’s grocery store and the Washington Beer Garden.

Candice Reshef | NNB

Rebekah Davila | NNB

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The Brayboys, who grew up in Midtown and remember when 22nd Street was the vibrant main street of the black community, own this building, too. They also run the restaurant, which features the nickname of Elihu Brayboy’s take-charge mother – Chief – and some of her Louisiana recipes.

Candice Reshef | NNB

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Diners at Chief’s can choose between the tastefully appointed dining room and the courtyard outside.

Zachary Gipson-Kendrick | NNB

Rebekah Davila | NNB

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One of the Brayboys’ first tenants was Carla Bristol, who opened Gallerie 909 at 909 22nd St. S in April 2014. The gallery showcases the work of African-American artists, and the exhibits rotate every few weeks.

Bristol has made her cozy shop more than a gallery. There are impromptu musical sessions, photo shoots, wine tastings and spoken-word performances.

Zachary Gipson-Kendrick | NNB

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Up the street, at 642 22nd St., is another restaurant. Sylvia’s Queen of Soul Food, which opened in November 2013, is an affiliate of the famous Sylvia’s in Harlem. Like its namesake, it serves home-style soul food. It is open six days a week, with a jazz brunch on Saturday and a gospel Sunday brunch.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

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Above Sylvia’s is the Manhattan Casino, which in its heyday hosted everything from school proms, civic club meetings and society teas to performances by black entertainers like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington who were barred from whites-only venues.

The Manhattan closed in 1968 and for many years stood vacant. The city eventually bought and restored it, and the new Manhattan opened in October 2011. It promises “affordable elegance in the heart of St. Petersburg” for meetings, banquets, special occasion parties and wedding receptions.

Candice Reshef | NNB

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For years, residents of Midtown complained that the neighborhood lacked a grocery store. That meant people had to shop at higher-priced convenience stores or find transportation to a full-services grocery outside the neighborhood.

In 2005, Midtown finally got a Sweetbay Supermarket in a shopping center that the city spent $7 million to assemble at 22nd Street S and 18th Avenue. It was named Tangerine Plaza. To the dismay of residents and city officials, Sweetbay abruptly pulled out in early 2013.

But Walmart put a Neighborhood Market in the space in 2014, bringing an estimated 100 jobs. The shopping center is now called Midtown Plaza.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

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St. Petersburg College has offered classes at 1048 22nd St. S since 2003. But on Aug. 1 it will cut the ribbon on a new three-story, $15 million Midtown Center at 1300 22nd St. S that will quadruple the space and serve far more students.

The college has also bought a gym and community center across the street. It intends to establish a community outreach center there.

Earlier this month, workers were putting the finishing touches on the building’s exterior and installing desks and furniture in six regular classrooms, three computer labs, two science labs, a career center and a bookstore.

The building is named for the late Douglas L. Jamerson Jr., a Midtown native who served as a state legislator and state commissioner of education.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

Lauren Hensley | NNB

Lauren Hensley | NNB

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In recent years, artists have discovered Midtown. Now at least 200 of them are working in studios sprinkled around the northern part of the area.

Long-empty warehouses that offered abundant space and cheap rent were the initial attraction. Now a nonprofit organization of artists in the Warehouse Arts District has bought six old buildings at the intersection of 22nd Street S and Fifth Avenue that it intends to turn into studio space with reasonable rent.

The president of the nonprofit is Mark Aeling, a sculptor who moved his MGA Sculpture Studio from St. Louis to Midtown in 2005. His studio provides distinctive sculpture pieces to clients all over the country.

Here, Charlotte Chieco is working on a sculpture of Benjamin Franklin for an educational exhibit in Discovery Park of America in Union City, Tennessee.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

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The northern flank of Midtown is also home to several craft breweries. They are a five-minute drive from downtown and have become favorite haunts for beer enthusiasts.

3 Daughters Brewing at 222 22nd St. S claims to be the largest craft brewery in St. Petersburg. The brew house is open seven days a week. On tap are 14 beers including Beach Blonde Ale and Bimini Twist IPA.

Rebekah Davila | NNB

June 30, 2015
Where freight trains once rumbled, artists fire up clay creations

Candice Reshef | NNB

Photos and story BY KELSEY AL
NNB Student Reporter

ST. PETERSBURG – The last locomotive passed through in 1967, but the 1926 brick depot that once helped connect the city to the rest of America is full of life.

Instead of freight cars and citrus, the old depot on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue S and 22nd Street is home to working artists and art appreciators. The St. Petersburg Clay Co. renovated the freight depot in 2000, and the Morean Arts Center for Clay leases year-long studio spaces to six resident artists. A café is open Monday through Saturday.

In the café, there are old photos, model trains and a mural depicting an active train platform. There is also a poem written by the late Rosalie Peck, who grew up in Midtown, became the first black female student at St. Petersburg Junior College and later co-authored two books on the city’s black history with journalist Jon Wilson.

The poem is titled “Remembering 22nd Street: The Way We Were.” It describes the once-bustling street when it was the heart of the black community during decades of segregation:

“It will never be the same, but before our very eyes, it may breathe life again. It may survive and surprise.”

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The depot sits alongside the Pinellas Trail, which follows the abandoned railroad corridor. The structure is unaltered, with high, sloping wooden ceilings and a large façade in the front.

In addition to the six studios, space is available for selling finished pieces to visitors, children’s summer camps, and large gatherings such as weddings and receptions.

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Artist Kodi Thompson works on his final installation at the Center for Clay. He says that his time in the studio building his portfolio helped him get into graduate school for fine arts. The freight cars, caution cones, and brick wall piece that Thompson is working on in the photo are all made of ceramics.

All six resident artists teach classes. Non-professionals in the community can rent work space by the month, enjoy the friendly atmosphere, and use the variety of electric and gas kilns. They must supply their own clay.

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Three times a year, in January, June, and October, a 21-foot outdoor Anagama kiln is fired up. The partially underground tunnel, built according to ancient Japanese techniques, is filled with burning wood to fire ceramic pieces.

Artists must envision the way that the flames, smoke and heat will move through the kiln and arrange pieces accordingly, with minimal space between works to avoid breakage. Here, artist Tyler Houston finishes glazing a piece he built to be put into the kiln.

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Over 1,000 clay artworks are loaded into the kiln, which runs 24 hours a day for 12 days. Location in the kiln affects the finish on the pieces, ranging from ashy to glossy, since each work is touched in a unique way. The results are diverse, with an organic texture that cannot be achieved with modern techniques or duplicated.

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Loading the kiln is a meticulous process that takes several hours and requires teamwork and planning. The Anagama kiln is truly a community project.

Kathleen Rumpf (not pictured) is a 63-year-old artist who says she has five felonies stemming from her political activism for peace and justice.

“When the process is finished and the pieces come out of the kiln, it’s like the opening of a tomb,” she says. Members of the center form an assembly line to unload the finished works, carefully passing and admiring each piece one by one.

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Temperatures are monitored and recorded regularly. They are expected to peak around 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. The wood that fuels the kiln is donated by tree trimming companies that have no use for their scraps. During breaks, the work crew enjoys smokes, beer and snacks.

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Loretta Lamore monitors smoke within the kiln from the rear. When visibility increases, she yells, “In the damper!” That alerts the crew up front to gear up with protective gloves and masks so they can load more wood. Approximately every five minutes, she yells, “Stoke please!” That’s the signal for reloading.

About 45 seconds after wood is added, a flame can briefly be seen rising from the chimney.

One the kiln is done firing, the pieces need to cool down for several days before they can be unloaded and admired. Some will be sold, and some will be kept by the artists for personal use.

June 30, 2015