Natalie Blake in Studio

Natalie Blake is currently in the studio creating three murals for the Encore! development in downtown Tampa. This partnership with the City of Tampa, Bank of America and Tampa Housing Authority has led to commissioning Natalie from an open call to artists to highlight the historic Central Avenue.  Natalie is a ceramicist who carves imagery out of slabs of clay using the ancient technique of "sgraffito" meaning "to scratch".  The tiles are then fired and glazed prior to installation.  Natalie will be installing her murals at the end of March.  www.natalieblakestudios.com

American Legion mural

Passers-by may notice a new mural being painted on the walls of the American Legion building on the corner of Kennedy Blvd & Dale Mabry Hwy.  The Tampa Post 5 chapter partnered with several corporate organizations and the City of Tampa to commission Heather Tabman to paint the patriotic mural.  The mural is a nod to Flanders Fields, a generic name of a group of battle fields during WWI in southern Belgium, and references Canadian Lieutenant Colonel, John McCrae’s poem of remembrance, In Flanders Field. 

An American Journey

This mural by Mike Parker illustrates the experience of Ybor City, past and present. At 300 feet long, this mural is quite likely the largest mural in Florida.  With the help of the City of Tampa, the community of Ybor City did a remarkable grassroots campaign to make this mural happen through cash and in-kind contributions.  Read more about the mural, "An American Journey."

Zig Zag moves to Convention Center

Linda Howard's sculpture Zig Zag has a new home.  The  8’ sculpture, had been installed at the Straz Center since the 1990s, but needed to be relocated. When assessing her sculpture, Linda Howard suggested to powder coat white the originally brushed aluminum sculpture, since the sculpture needed maintenance and needed cleaning up.   Those restorations to the sculpture have given the sculpture a new sheen and the sculpture pops in its new location. The new white sculpture can now be found at the entrance to the Riverwalk at the Tampa Convention Center by the Sail Pavilion.