locals show art tonight
permalink | categories: arts, cheap, entertainment, holiday, hyde park, neighborhood, things to do, worth itby Wendy Withers @ 11:01 am
With the economy tanking, the writer’s strike taking over TVland, and local leaders once again plying taxpayers with ambitious dreams about the Godzilla of sports stadiums, where can a girl go to get some cheap art?
This Friday, the answer is The Wine Exchange in Hyde Park, where eleven/17 will be holding its own art show complete with wine and different forms of paintings and sculptures by local artists. 
The showing starts at 7 p.m.
Rob Haskew, the man behind the scenes, said many of the pieces will be under $100. He’s never seen anything go for more than $1,000.
For people inclined to go to the club rather than stand around and look at paintings, there will be a DJ on hand, spinning old-school hip-hop and indie dance tunes.
On the bill for the gallery showing is a diverse group of artists. The pieces range from the cartoonish renderings of Duncan Barton to the photography of Deborah Muller.
Haskew finds artists for his shows through Myspace. He feels the site is a great place for artists to upload their portfolios and gather a following.
“I think it’s changed (the art world) for the better,” Haskew said. “A lot of artists get a lot more recognition than they would before and don’t have to spend huge exhibition fees at a gallery.”
While Haskew does charge an entry fee to cover promotional materials for his shows and takes a small percentage of sales, he says it’s still more affordable to show at eleven/17 than at most galleries in the area.
With six shows under his belt, Haskew has proven there is a need in Tampa for hip art presented in a fun atmosphere, complete with music and wine.
“Ultimately, people need to support the art scene in Tampa,” Haskew said. “eleven/17 shows are fun. You meet interesting people, and there might be that piece of artwork you’ve been waiting your entire life to buy.”
The show is also timed perfectly for holiday shopping. (Channukah is only a few days away.) It’s also a perfect place to rub elbows for a night with Hyde Park hipsters and members of the local art scene.
Tags: art scene, artists, arts, hyde park, local event, paintings, photography, sculpture, wine
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November 30th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Hyde Park has hipsters?
November 30th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Since when? o_ o
November 30th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I know a few cool cats in Hyde Park who have moved into apartments and condos. They usually drink wine, listen to vinyl, are up on their literature, and like to go to indie art shows. They usually make their way to Howard and Ybor for the nightlife, though. If I wasn’t a poor college student, I’d live in Hyde Park. Maybe I should have used the word yuppies.