DUNEDIN — All month long, Stirling Art Studios and Gallery in Dunedin is giving local artists the opportunity to express what Christmas means to them.
The exhibit is called Christmas In Dunedin and consists of more than 50 artists and 120 pieces from across Tampa Bay.
From the nativity scene to frosty to snow-capped trees, curators Tarin Mohajeri and Lyle Polyak, with the TMAF Arts Foundation, say their fourth annual Christmas show is their biggest and most diverse yet.
“You’ll just see every medium possible from artists from within the community,” said Mohajeri. “They all came out, they all came together, to do something beautiful to celebrate the season.”
Artists Clarence Gardener and Teresita Hightower said it’s challenging to get their work out there for the public to see, but this show opens them up to a wide audience.
“I was extremely enthusiastic because, for me, I like to paint with really dynamic brush strokes and vibrant colors, and that’s really with the Christmas theme, thinking of the spiritual meaning of it,” said Gardener.
While Hightower's painting is more of a Florida version of a winter wonderland.
“I painted the landscape first, and then I added the little sparkles to make it more Christmasy,” said Hightower.
“There’s some amazing stories of people who have been doing this for years, and they just don’t realize the kind of talent that’s embodied in their art, and they really need that push,” said Polyak.
So far, visitors are liking what they see.
“We’ve had numerous sales already, people walking in and seeing something that’s a nice gift item for a relative or family for the season,” said Polyak.
Louis Knight, who has a studio at the gallery, said a show like this boosts the morale of the whole arts community.
“Because it brings people into us who have never been, we have people who have come into the gallery who live in Dunedin and didn’t even know we were up here,” said Knight.
Sticking with the Christmas theme, the gallery is using the show to give back to those less fortunate, asking visitors and artists to bring in canned goods, which will then be donated to the local non-profit FEAST Food Pantry.
“Definitely thrilled to have this interaction with the studio and with the community of Dunedin because we know people want to help others, so this is a great way for people to get involved and do that during the season of giving,” said Tamara Black with FEAST.
The exhibit, Christmas in Dunedin, is on display until Dec. 31.
