BRAVA and the Brandon Area Arts Scene

If there is a Brandon area arts scene, it has been difficult to find at times. But suddenly, in the past few months, there seem to be signs of life. Artists and arts supporters are beginning to come together and stir things up here and there, and our recent BRAVA-sponsored Slide Slam and JPEG Jam was just one example of that. Artists attended from as far away as St. Petersburg and Tampa Palms, but many were also from right here in Brandon. Click here for an excellent article by columnist Ernest Hooper of the St. Petersburg Times, who attended the event and interviewed BRAVA's Candace Knapp and Martha Marshall.

This article also has information and links about the newly formed steering committee of the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, which will investigate the community's interest in having an arts facility for Brandon.

BRAVA Slide Slam and Jpeg Jam

Attention Artists and Art Lovers in the Tampa Bay Area: BRAVA is sponsoring a slide slam and jpeg jam, a gathering for artists, collectors, and all who enjoy art, Sunday May 7th from 7-9 p.m. at O’Brien’s Irish Pub at Kings and Lumsden in Brandon, 701 Lumsden Road West. Artists are invited to bring up to 7 slides or digital images to show your work and share your thoughts and ideas. Artists who do not wish to show their work will still enjoy a fun evening meeting other artists in an artist-friendly environment. If you want to bring jpegs, please bring a CD-R with images no larger than 72 dpi and a maximum of 768 x 1024 pixels. Contact any Brava member by following our links here for more information.

Kim Radatz Wins Best of Show at Gasparilla!

Congratulations to BRAVA member Kim Radatz who just walked away with the $15,000 Best of Show award at Tampa's prestigious Gasparilla Festival of the Arts! Although this linked article in the St. Pete Times implies that this is Kim's first juried competition, it is far from that, as evidenced by previous articles on this blog. She has numerous awards from past shows. But Gasparilla is a biggie, and now doors will be opening for her everywhere! We are all so happy for her. The winning mixed media piece is shown here, titled "The Scarlet Letter."

by Martha Marshall