Images courtesy of Victoria Lim (left) and Localtopia (right)
University of South Florida Saint Petersburg’s graphic arts seniors will have a stand for vistors to purchase their art at Localtopia on Feb. 24. Every year, all seniors in the graphic arts program participate in this event, to show and sell their work to the community to help raise money for the class’s thesis showcase.
Localtopia brings together various small business and community organizations throughout the area, to create the largest “community celebration of all things local.” The 11th iteration of the event is this weekend in Williams Park in St. Petersburg.
The graphic arts seniors have been prepping for this showcase for months, preparing the work they’ll be selling. The items they’ve created span from hand-stitched bandanas to tote bags to clay earrings.
“We’ll have a tent where we’re going to be selling a lot of our products that we make ourselves,” said Carlos Miramon, concentrating in graphic design.
“None of [the art is] outsourced, it’s all gonna be made by hand, by ourselves, with the tools we got in the [graphic arts] building.”
Miramon, who specializes in printmaking, has been working on creating bandanas for the last month.
Similarly, Victoria Lim, a fellow graphic arts senior with a concentration in illustration, has spent weeks creating and prepping her work to sell at Localtopia. She made over 40 tote bags and 100 stickers to sell at the department’s booth.
For many students, Localtopia is extremely important, as it’s a way to get their work out there, and also make money.
“Getting your art exposed, having the experience, such as being able to be involved in a market, selling to people, social interaction and, the obvious, which is money to fund the thesis,” Lim said. “If we don’t get money to fund our thesis, we don’t have a thesis, or we all pay out of pocket, which realistically, many our students are already broke and paying out of pocket for so many things,” explained Lim.
The graphic arts department had a long conversation discussing how they’ll be splitting the money the students make at the event. They decided that a large percentage will be going towards funding the thesis showcase, and the rest will go directly to the student that sold their work.
Alongside the graphic arts students, Localtopia will feature over 300 vendors that are small business and organizations from the Tampa Bay area.
The event is Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Williams Park, with the entire block’s streets closed for the event.
The graphic arts’ end-of-year student thesis showcase will take place on April 26.
