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We recently had the opportunity to interview one of our very own, Fairgrounds St. Pete’s Assistant Experience Manager and FLORIDARAMA artist, Amy Ilic-Volpe. Her diorama The Panther Pathway, is aptly titled, as that’s exactly what it depicts!

Amy is a St. Petersburg, Florida native. She is an intuitive artist and maker, who is intrigued by mark-making and fluid applications of color and shape. She lets her mediums speak through her and she engages with them in free and loose movement. She often allows the process of art-making to be the true representation of art; the beauty is in the experience. Her artwork evolves as a visceral and emotional practice. Amy loves sunshine and adventure! She creates to make people smile and hopes the color and fun energy in her work does just that! Amy has been a member of  Fairgrounds St. Pete’s Experience Management Team since April 2021.

Read on to learn more about what the experience of being part of our inaugural exhibit is like for her!

What do you want the public to take away from experiencing the FLORIDARAMA diorama you have created for Fairgrounds St. Pete?
AMY ILIC-VOLPE: I hope it sparks curiosity and wonder and encourages viewers to consider maybe Florida has a deep connection to possibilities and the unknown. 

What inspired this FLORIDARAMA?
AI-V: I am always moved by energy and color and Florida is an unending well of wacky inspiration.

How did working within the confines of a diorama box affect your approach?
AI-V: I am very interested in installation and immersive spaces and I liked being able to bring an idea into 3D and would love to move from mini to a life-size format. I attempted to visualize this miniature format as a model for a potential life-size space. 

How did thinking about Florida influence your artwork and approach in creating this diorama?
AI-V: Florida is such a strange and wonderful mix of oddities, from people to nature and animal life. How did Florida become this wacky place? My piece poses the question, “What if Florida was the epicenter, for this world, of wormholes into the multiverse?” Could Florida be a gateway between our world and the beyond?

What inspires you as an artist?
AI-V: As a native of St. Pete I’m inspired by sunshine and the easygoing vibe of my hometown. I appreciate fun, travel, adventure, experimentation and process. 

What is your favorite FL destination or landmark?
AI-V: My favorite landmark growing up, which is sadly no longer, was the airstream sculpture on the side of I-4 between Tampa and Orlando. I miss seeing it on that drive, now. 

Where can we see more of your work?
AI-V: On my website: https://amyilicvolpe.com/ and on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_ilic_volpe/

To see Amy’s work at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Fairgrounds St. Pete FLORIDARAMA Artist Saumitra Chandratreya. His diorama Consumed by Everglades, features iconic Florida elements that depict an abstract cautionary tale of an alternate future for the Everglades.

Saumitra Chandratreya is a fiber-installation artist who lives in St. Pete, FL and Chicago, IL. He was born in Mumbai and he considers Bangalore, India his other home. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017 with a Master of Design in Fashion, Body and Garment. He has a BFA in Textile Design from the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, India. Saumitra was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from St. Pete Arts Alliance in 2020, Emerging Artist Grants from Creative Pinellas in 2018 and he was one of the emerging artists at the 2019 Gasparilla Festival of Arts. In addition, he was one of the selected artists for the inaugural Qinfolk Festival in Ithaca, NY and a finalist exhibited at the Union League Club of Chicago for Luminarts Cultural Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship Show. He was awarded the Shapiro Graduate research fellowship at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was nominated by his department for the James Nelson Raymond Fellowship. Saumitra’s works have been collected both nationally and internationally and his art has been written about extensively in the local media. 

Read on to learn more about what the experience of being part of our inaugural exhibit is like for him!

What do you want the public to take away from experiencing the FLORIDARAMA diorama you have created for Fairgrounds St. Pete?
SAUMITRA CHANDRATREYA: When I was thinking about the subject and theme for my diorama, I wanted to create a small world inside the confines of the given space. I usually work pretty large, so working on a smaller scale and within the constraints was a challenge.  

I depict a scene in the future where we have left the Florida peninsula and the Everglades have taken over the state. The fauna have adopted our lifestyle and there are palm trees growing upside down in the sky. I show alligators carrying sugar packets which represents the presence of the sugar industry in the Everglades. 

I want people to think about Florida’s wetlands. They are essential for our survival. We need to protect them with everything we can because if they are gone, our current environment is doomed. I have created my diorama with mostly plastic objects that are readymade. It’s an on the nose discussion about material culture and capitalism.

What about being a part of Fairgrounds St. Pete’s inaugural exhibition is most exciting to you?
SC: There are a couple of things actually. I was very excited about getting to make this diorama; I like challenging myself by dabbling in different mediums and getting to create this diorama was a great way to flex my creative muscle to work with ready-made objects.

Since this experience is a novel idea in the Tampa Bay arts scene, I feel really good about an arts destination as exciting as Fairgrounds St. Pete. It’s great to be a part of this amazing adventure and to be able to have my art displayed to an audience that may not see it otherwise, due to lack of access, awareness, etcetera.

Who or what inspired your Fairgrounds St. Pete FLORIDARAMA?
SC: I have been interested in creating art that points to the effects of climate change and our hand in turbo-charging (pun intended) the heating of the planet’s environment. Ever since I moved to Florida, I have been interested in the Everglades and how they affect the overall climate in the state and how their destruction could lead to a massive catastrophe. The materials used in the diorama are a comment on my own chronic dependence on online shopping.

What is the most significant influence in your art practice?
SC: Nick Cave, Nari Ward, Sheila Gupta, Sheila Hicks, William Morris, Felix Gonzalez Torres and the Contemporary Indian craftspeople.

Besides Fairgrounds St. Pete, do you have an upcoming project you’d like to share?
SC: I have an ongoing project with my friend, Kevin Mooney, titled Secret Language of Intimacy. I am part of the Mize Gallery 7 years of Shine show that opens on October 22 and the Creative Pinellas’ Arts Annual in November. Also, I’m a member of the Education Committee for the Warehouse Arts District Association and we do monthly events that are geared towards the community.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
SC: I would say to younger Saumitra to never take a no for an answer, career wise. To fight to make a space in the art world wherever they are, with whatever tools they have and whatever medium they choose. To always believe in themselves and to find the acceptance for who they are within themselves as early as they can.

What is your favorite FL destination or landmark?
SC: Miami – I know this is a cliché answer, but being in Miami feels like being in Mumbai, where I grew up and it truly feels like home.

To see Saumitra’s work at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Fairgrounds St. Pete FLORIDARAMA Artist Judy Vienneau. Her diorama, Florida Family Picnic, is a tranquil scene of an afternoon picnic, taking place water-side on a sunny Florida day.

Judy Vienneau is a mixed media artist who lives and works in St. Pete, FL. Her work explores the world of 3D mixed media sculpture with a finely tuned graphic sensibility. The twisted representational wire forms are infused with a bold linear thrust, informed with a commentary on contemporary times. By combining training in traditional sculptural techniques in metal, clay and stone with a concurrent background in graphic design and illustration, Judy demonstrates her expertise as a wire sculptor and recalls Alexander Calder. Her most recent body of work combines Acrylic paintings, collage and fabric as backgrounds for wire figures; these new works also depict her love of social commentary. Vienneau describes her wire sculpture technique as “drawing in space”. Judy has a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art & Design in Boston. She has exhibited in galleries and juried exhibitions throughout Florida and the Northeast. Her artwork is part of private and public collections nationally.  

Read on to learn more about what the experience of being part of our inaugural exhibit is like for her!

What do you want the public to take away from experiencing the FLORIDARAMA diorama you have created for Fairgrounds St. Pete?
JUDY VIENNEAU: In my FLORIDARAMA “Florida Family Picnic” I created for Fairgrounds St. Pete, I expanded on my personal experience of canoe trips I have taken on the rivers of Florida with my family. I have incorporated Florida wildlife that I encountered, and combined that with some elements of fantasy. My hope is that the public will get a sense of that visual story when viewing my piece.

What about being a part of Fairgrounds St. Pete’s inaugural exhibition is most exciting to you?
JV: I am excited to be part of this unique art installation that highlights the Florida experience and be among the very talented local artists chosen to participate in this project.

Who or what inspired your Fairgrounds St. Pete FLORIDARAMA?
JV: My love of nature and the beautiful native Floridian landscape, along with my personal interaction with it, inspired my FLORIDARAMA.

What is the most significant influence in your art practice?
JV: My artistic medium is primarily wire sculpture. I have been creating wire sculpture, both 3-dimensional and in relief, for over 25 years now. I am heavily influenced by the work of Alexander Calder and also my studies in traditional figurative clay modeling which informs my figurative sculptural work.

Besides Fairgrounds St. Pete, do you have an upcoming project you’d like to share?
JV: I will be participating in the Creative Pinellas Arts Annual 2021 Exhibition this upcoming November, where I will be showing new work.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
JV: I would like to point out to my younger self that life is short and to seize the moment. I would tell me not to waste time on self-destructive behavior, anger and negative actions.

What is your favorite FL destination or landmark?
JV: The Florida State Parks with campgrounds are often destinations for me, particularly around the Suwannee River and its tributaries. Rainbow Springs State Park is a favorite.

To see Judy’s work at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.