Fairgrounds St. Pete is peeling back the curtain on its newest exhibit.
"The Bait Ball" is an immersive environment drawing inspiration from schools of fish and human mosh pits. Created by Tampa native Devon Brady, this new exhibit is set to wow visitors once unveiled to the public on Thursday, January 25.
The installation will occupy a never-before-seen space of the museum and place viewers inside a larger-than-life fishtrap passageway among a fantastical undersea experience celebrating the power and beauty of one of the lynchpins of Florida’s aquatic ecosystem, the lowly mullet. Taking the form of an 8-foot tall zoetrope, an early form of animation technology, it features a repeating fish sequence that allows guests to get a fish-eye view of a bait ball—a phenomenon in which small fish swarm together forming a spherical shape—and transported to a new, underwater reality. Brady’s multimedia masterpiece blends 3D printing, light and motion, soundscapes, and more to give the illusion of fish swimming alongside guests.
Fairgrounds St. Pete is no stranger to local art, boasting the work of more than 70 artists, most of them local, in its 15,000-square-foot space.
“The Bait Ball,” though new to the iconic destination, has been showcased once before in Tampa Bay at Gasparilla Arts Festival in 2022. Now, the artwork has found a permanent home in one of the region’s most unique experiences.
“The introduction of ‘The Bait Ball’ to Fairgrounds St. Pete aligns with not only our uniquely Florida narrative, but our commitment to championing local artists and giving them a platform to share their work —especially installations as extraordinary as this,” said Liz Dimmitt, CEO and Co-Founder of Fairgrounds St. Pete. “Our team is beyond fortunate to have collaborated with Devon to give this work what we feel is its perfect home, and we can’t wait for our community and visitors to become as inspired by this experience as we are.”
The museum’s team takes a hands-on approach to collaborating with artists to incorporate cutting-edge, immersive technology that inspires and offers new ways to experience the arts, making it the natural place for “The Bait Ball” to land.
“This project presented me—and hopefully fellow creatives—with an opportunity to push the boundaries of STEAM by bringing in a mathematical practice,” said artist Devon Brady. “I could not be more thrilled to have ‘The Bait Ball’ take on its own exhibit in Fairgrounds St. Pete, giving the work a chance to reach its full potential and captivate guests in a whole new way.”
Since Fairgrounds St. Pete opened in 2021, the museum has experienced continuous growth, having added numerous installations including the “Electric Sky Lounge” and its latest showstopper, “Shrimpfinity by Milagros Collective,” with more on the horizon. The team plans to continue enhancing the space through immersive add-ons, seasonal activations and more while maintaining the exhibits that visitors know and love.
“The Bait Ball” will be a permanent installation at Fairgrounds St. Pete, and guests do not need to purchase an additional ticket to experience the new exhibit. General admission tickets are available for purchase at Fairgrounds.art.
