About Fairgrounds St. Pete

Fairgrounds St. Pete is an arts destination where everyone is invited to explore an immersive world of playful art and technology exhibits based on original Florida stories.
Through a range of exhibits, events and workshops, Fairgrounds St. Pete showcases the creative innovations of artists and makers working in all mediums. Our mission is to become a cultural hub for immersive art experiences, and an economic engine for local artists and craftspeople. We believe in art for all, joy for all, play for all.
The name Fairgrounds St. Pete references traditional fairgrounds and their role as a place for exhibiting new ideas, as well as recognizing talent, creativity and innovation. Much like a county, state or world’s fair, Fairgrounds St. Pete is a place for play and discovery and a venue for showcasing, convening and celebrating Florida’s creative community and artists. In addition, the word fairgrounds is a play on words referencing our mission to compensate artists fairly while providing a unique immersive platform for creative expression.
Our Location
Fairgrounds St. Pete is located in the heart of the Warehouse Arts district, along the Pinellas Bike Trail.
800 28th St. South, St. Pete, Florida 33712
Contact Us
For press, artist and collaboration inquiries:
Join our Insiders Club, or follow us on social @FairgroundsStPete
Meet the Team

Liz Dimmitt
Chief Executive Officer / Co-Founder
Liz is a co-founder and the curator at large at Fairgrounds St Pete. She oversees the company’s operations and ensures we stay focused on our mission and vision. She has leadership experience in immersive art, cultural strategy and private equity. She holds a BA in Finance from Georgetown University and a MA in Art Business from NYU. She is an active participant in NYC’s and Tampa Bay’s cultural communities and was born and raised in Dunedin, FL.

Mikhail Mansion
Chief Design Officer / Co-Founder
Mikhail oversees the art + technology direction at Fairgrounds, A longtime artist and design-engineer, he is responsible for driving interactive media innovations at Fairgrounds, and ensuring we stay true to our mission of being both a technology and immersive arts company. Mikhail holds degrees from Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, University of Tampa; and is a veteran of the USAF. He is a native of St. Pete, FL.

Tyson Johnson
Chief Operating Officer / Co-Founder
Tyson manages and supports all operations, buildout and finances of Fairgrounds. A hands-on leader with experience in design, fabrication and entrepreneurship, he is the boots-on-the-ground, ensuring that we stay on task, and on target. He received his BA in Literature from the University of GA. Recently, Tyson has pursued metal fabrication and design in Athens, GA.

Olivia Mansion
Chief Marketing Officer / Co-Founder
Olivia directs the marketing, communications and artist relations, and works on telling the story and mission of Fairgrounds St. Pete. Olivia has a Masters in Education, English Linguistics, and Cross-Cultural Studies from Brown University, and a Masters in Entrepreneurship from The University of Tampa. She was born in Venezuela and calls St. Pete home.

James Curran
Director of Creative Technology
James Curran designs, builds and maintains technical hardware, software and AV systems throughout Fairgrounds St. Pete. He is an active member of the development community and brings 20+ years of experience designing custom hardware and software systems. James is a graduate of Saint Petersburg College with a focus on software engineering and music technology. As an artist he creates and performs experimental electronic music. He is a native of St. Pete, FL.

Kristin Hemphill
Project Coordinator
Kristin comes to Fairgrounds St. Pete with 25 years of expertise in design and creative project management. She has worked with some of the world’s leading brands overseeing commercial interior design, brand development and environmental implementation. A certified jeweler, artist and creative entrepreneur, Kristin has always had a passion for mixing materials creating unique environments that are as functional as they are beautiful. As Fairgrounds Project Coordinator she ensures project goals are met and each immersive space comes together in the most efficient, fun, and creative way possible.

John-Michael Hines
Experience Manager
John-Michael enthusiastically joins Fairgrounds St. Pete as the Experience Manager, ensuring every moment a guest is immersed in the world of Fairgrounds St. Pete is enjoyable. For over two decades, he has honed in on his strong aptitude for event execution and consumer product delivery, most recently serving as General Manager of Interactive Experiences with Feld Entertainment. John-Michael is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of the Pacific.

Lindsay Collore
Office Manager
Lindsay comes to Fairgrounds St. Pete with over 10 years of finance and administration experience. Lindsay’s daily contributions as Office Manager and high level of attention to detail are integral to the success of all Fairgrounds St. Pete departments. As a Florida native, Lindsay feels right at home immersed in the weird, wacky, wonderful Florida we celebrate here at Fairgrounds St. Pete. She is an animal lover, avid reader, thorough researcher, and Delta Delta Delta sorority alumna.

Amy Ilic-Volpe
Assistant Experience Manager
With over 15 years experience overseeing and managing programs and experiences, Amy, works alongside our Experience Manager to support the entire experience operation at Fairgrounds St. Pete. Her impressive background in experiences includes working on Disney and Carnival Cruise Lines. Inspired by anything colorful and fun, she’s an artist herself, and is proud to call St. Pete home.

Imani Douglas
Assistant Retail & Ticketing Manager
As the Assistant Retail and Ticketing Manager, Imani, supervises and participates in the day-to-day operations of the box office and Fairgrounds St. Pete Shop! She comes to Fairgrounds St. Pete with more than a decade of Visual Merchandising. Prior to joining the Fairgrounds St. Pete team she worked with notable companies such as Pier 1 Imports and Home Goods. Growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley, she attended The University of North Florida and now calls Florida home.

Josh Campbell
Creative Technologist
Josh joins Fairgrounds St. Pete as a Creative Technologist Intern. He is originally from Los Angeles and has always been intrigued by recording interesting sounds. For twenty years, Josh served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a graduate of the California Institute of Concert Sound Engineering, Armed Forces School of Music and The University of Tampa holding a BFA in New Media. In addition to his degree, he is a member of the Audio Engineering Society.

Sarah Hardin
Digital Marketing & Content Specialist
Sarah joins Fairgrounds St. Pete as a passionate and enthusiastic digital storyteller with a strong background in marketing and content creation. She blends her artistic and journalistic skill sets to share compelling stories of Fairgrounds St. Pete with the world. Sarah is an avid swing dancer and underwater videographer. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Central Florida and is originally from St. Cloud, Florida.

Fenwick Wimbleton
Chief Snack Officer
A true jack of all trades, Fenwick inspects all snacks at Fairgrounds St. Pete to ensure they are safe to eat. In between snacking and napping, he greets all visitors, asks his colleagues for scritches, and snores during meetings. When not in the office, Fenwick can be found barking at squirrels in his backyard, and chasing seagulls in Fort Desoto.
Collaborators

Chris Nobels
Creative Producer

Jesse Irish
Technical Director

Stephanie Adamo
Marketing and PR Consultant

Chad Jacobs
Graphic Designer

Sam Doty
Lighting Designer

Elliot Davoren
Sound Designer

Gavin McDonald
Scenic Carpenter

Shelby Smotherman
Scenic Artist

Danny Gentry
Audio Technician

Chloe Castillo
Scenic Painter

Bryan Martina
Scenic Artist

Brian Borchers
Scenic Carpenter

Jake Oxford
Lighting Technician

Matt White
A/V/L Technician

Zoe Andrea Batson
A/V/L Technician

Olivia Sebesky
Motion Graphics Designer

Jonah Free
Immersive Exhibit / Tech Ops Lead

Sarah Carolan-Rodriguez
Scenic Artist

Olivia “Liv” Scully
Education Manager

Adam Campitelli
Shop Supervisor
Fairgrounds St. Pete Interns

Tess Oldfield
Creative Technology Intern
2020-21

Haris-Adele Peteranecz
Fairgrounds St. Pete Intern
2020