Two St. Petersburg galleries celebrate new digs
As the face of St. Petersburg’s Central Avenue continues to change, and with new proposed spaces at Sundial forcing retailers out, two local galleries have found larger spaces in the MLK Business District in Historic Uptown. Articles Art Gallery and Custom Framing/Leslie Curran Gallery and D-Gallerie are now next door to each other, and celebrating with a grand opening event on June 18.
Articles/Leslie Curran moves from its longtime location on Central Avenue.
“I’m excited that Articles has grown as we have taken our team to the next level,” gallery owner Leslie Curran said in a news release. “Together with D-Gallerie, our new location will be a destination with a wide selection of art available to our collectors and patrons. We will remain a staunch advocate for our artists and look forward to continued success in our new home.”
For their opening celebration, Articles/Leslie Curran Gallery will host artists Richard Seidel, who will be live painting, and Alli Arnold, who will be drawing live portraits.
D-Gallerie owner Alejandro Quintero Reina said in an email that after the gallery had to leave the Sundial complex, he operated only online. He said that he’s eager to have a physical location again.
“Both D-Gallerie and Articles are committed to making Uptown St. Pete a new art destination, offering a wide selection of art to our collectors,” he wrote.
D-Gallerie opens with a solo exhibition from iBOMS (aka Jabari Reed-Diop), titled “Be Kind to Yourself, Young Man.” In his artist’s statement, Reed-Diop explains the meaning behind this body of work:
“For me, ‘Be Kind to Yourself Young Man’ is a phrase I needed to hear more often growing up. I’ve noticed that I missed a lot of ‘life lessons’ because my father was absent in my life. As such, my art reflects my journey into what it means to have to raise yourself to be more than a boy by using fragments of what it means to be a young man in my eyes.”
Of Reed-Diop, Reina wrote: “I was in awe of such a young artist with so many profound thoughts and of his ability to translate those thoughts into impactful, meaningful artworks ... D-Gallerie passionately wants to increase iBOMS’ exposure, and more broadly, showcasing artists like him contributes to one of our core values — to bring broader exposure to St. Pete’s top artistic talents!”
If you go
The grand opening celebration happens June 18 from 6-9 p.m. at Articles and 7-10 p.m. at D-Gallerie. 1234 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg. Free. For more information, visit articlesstpete.com and d-gallerie.com.
