TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida State Fair is much more than rides, food, and games. It’s a chance for local businesses and artists to get their faces and names out there in front of a whole new group of people.
St. Pete Ceramics has been around for less than a year, so getting the opportunity to put their talents on display in front of thousands could be a game changer for artists like Ethan Fielder.
Fielder’s life has come full circle. Just a few years ago, he was tucked away in the back of a food truck, and now he’s front and center at the fair.
“To come from there, when I was working in the background kitchens, to now be here presenting my work and my art is really just an exciting feeling,” said Fielder.
Fielder is joined by Beth Miranda, both of whom are among 17 artists to make up a new community clay-oriented business called St. Pete Ceramics.
"What we do is we are trying to promote artists that want to become professionals, so our dream was from passion to profession,” said Miranda.
Over the next several days, these artists are striving to break the mold when it comes to name recognition.
“It’s so great because our biggest challenge is getting our name out there. Like, how do we become one of the many? How do people know us? St. Pete Ceramics is brand new, we have a lot to offer and this is exposure to so many people,” said Miranda.
Every hour one of the artists will be holding clay demonstrations.
“So, I’ll be throwing bowls today, a couple bowls. I’ll be doing bottles at some point, espresso mugs, a little bit of everything,” said Fielder.
For those wishing to try their own hand at it, there are plenty of opportunities to get creative, with tables of clay to play with.
“We basically want St. Pete to be on the US map of clay places because clay is like, I don’t know, it's family, it’s fun,” said Miranda.
These artists just hope some of these fairgoers have enough interest to visit them in person in St. Pete.
“It’s been nice with my intimate knowledge with this medium to really be able to touch base with people, face to face, and kind of share those questions that they might have and pass them a card and say, ‘Hey, come take a class with me,’” said Fielder.
Here is everything you need to know to view tonight's Lunar Eclipse, the first since 2022.
