Above photo: Live body painting and costuming was done on-site at Perennial Bloom. Living works of art greeted attendees to immediately immerse them into the interactive fantasy land. Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
By Anna Bryson
The sleek co-working environment of the Station House St. Pete was transformed into a mystical dream world crawling with unicorns, circus performers and local artists Friday night.
The pop-up gallery show Perennial Bloom was a perfect encapsulation of St. Petersburg’s eccentric personality.
The showcase of visual artists, performance artists and musicians was hosted by Bloom Collective, an independent group of artists. The event was planned and organized by James Oleson and Jerry Cahill, who are both local artists.
Perennial Bloom gave the opportunity for St. Petersburg to actively experience an array of its own local eclectic art. Every inch of the venue at 260 1st Ave S. was with filled with completely immersive artwork.
“I think the best art form here is to witness St. Pete coming to its own as a city,” said Alex Paunic, a St. Petersburg resident. “I see individualism. I see people coming here to be seen and being happy with their own form.”
Displayed throughout the building’s five levels were the works of 80 visual artists, including locals Sebastian Coolidge, Chad Mize, Johnny Vitale and Carlos Culbertson, better known as Zulu Painter.
Carrie Jadus, a local artist whose work was featured at the show, said, “I feel like I’ve always been a part of this, it’s how St. Pete has evolved. The people putting on the show started this movement. It’s not new — it’s how this all started.”
Circus performers, sponsored by The Movement Sanctuary, performed on the terrace. Aerialists Taylor Roberts, Haley Phillips and Rachel “Kitty” Howard performed on a 20-foot-tall aerial silk rig hanging from the rooftop.
“It’s incredibly unique,” said David O’Berry, a St. Petersburg resident. “It’s a very interesting community and it’s so seldom to see it in this kind of focus.”
A large part of what made the experience so wildly immersive was the costumes: people slinking around dressed as clouds, unicorns, flowers, fairies, and even a praying mantis. The installation of props, costumes and live body painting was put together by Lissa Hatcher, a surrealist artist; M6FX, a special effects makeup and production business; and Oleson.
Attendees were also encouraged to dress up in costume pertaining to the ethereal, fantasy, floral theme.
Bailey Gumienny, a senior journalism and digital communication major at USF St. Petersburg, had her artwork featured in the show. Her painting portrays a woman with a snake wrapped around her neck.
“My painting, ‘New Eve,’ captures the divine feminine through reinterpretation of the biblical Eve,” said Gumienny. “With the snake and the viewer under her commanding gaze, this Eve is empowered and unstoppable.”
“I like to explore nature, sexuality and the sacred in my work. I use lots of movement and wild dashes of color to contrast the structured with the fluid,” said Gumienny.
She has exhibited her artwork around St. Petersburg and Tampa for about two years and feels that she receives a tremendous amount of support, despite being a rookie to the art scene.
“Perennial Bloom definitely set the extravaganza bar high and ignited an energy in the scene that’s really needed,” said Gumienny.
The musical ambience tied together the experience. The bands JOOSE and Sonic Graffiti performed on the rooftop terrace that overlooks the streets downtown, which were teeming with people attending First Friday.
“It’s a great juxtaposition,” said Jeremy Beal, another St. Petersburg resident. “There’s frat boys across the street, and then this here. We need that juxtaposition.”
The goal of the event was to emphasize the experience of the arts, rather than the sole aesthetics of them, according to the Facebook event made by Station House St. Pete to promote the show.
“(It’s) wonderful to see so many hardworking artists in our community get the recognition they deserve at an event that wasn’t held at a bar,” said Gumienny. “Of course bars are fun and accessible exhibition spaces, but it’s refreshing to experience an event so collaborative on such a massive scale in a new environment.”
The event celebrated St. Petersburg’s local artists and the artistic vibe that turned the city into the arts mecca that it is.
“People here are supporting their neighbors,” said Beal. “It used to be like, ‘Are we Clearwater, are we Tampa?’ Now we’re St. Pete.”
The next Bloom Collective pop-up event will be hosted by local mural artist Derek Donnelly at his studio gallery, COVE, at 5705 Park Blvd, Pinellas Park. The date is still to be determined.
