Annual Report 2022

Creative Clay’s vision is to make the arts accessible for all. Creative Clay's mission is to help people with disabilities achieve full and inclusive lives by providing expressive, educational and vocational experiences in the arts.

In 2022 Creative Clay programming included our Community Arts Program, Transition, Artlink, Good Folk Gallery, and Creative Thrift.

COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAM

Marquise R. poses with a couple who recently purchased one of his many intriguing pieces of art. Learn more about Marquise here

COMMUNITY ARTS serves 39 artists with disabilities each week providing professional artist mentorship for member artists in the performing and visual arts in a vibrant studio environment. Funded by Medicaid Waiver, City of St. Petersburg, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs Culture Builds Florida, Duke Energy, Pinellas Community Foundation, AFIRE Pinellas, White Family Foundation.

TRANSITION

The Transition class loves to visit St. Petersburg’s amazing Fairgrounds museum. The whole crew had a blast interacting with the whimsical immersive arts space

TRANSITION is a partnership with Pinellas County Schools (PCS) to provide vocational arts training including sales, marketing, customer relations, and the business of being an artist for 18–22 year olds with learning, developmental and/or emotional disabilities. In 2022 Creative Clay served 11 young adults with disabilities daily. Funded in part by The Pinellas County School Board. 2022 celebrated the partnership’s 15th year.

ARTLINK

Paula Kramer is pictured here with members of the Creative Clay Transition Program and their teachers in an early rehearsal for When the Tuba Shows Up it’s a Party written by Sheila Cowley and supported by the many other members of the Sparks Collaborative Ensemble.

ARTLINK at Creative Clay offers four categories of employment services: Professional Artist Apprenticeships, Community Employment On-the-Job Training, Creative Clay Internships and Job-readiness Training. In 2022 most of our member artists participated in Artlink projects and performances with professional artists from St. Petersburg’s creative community, like the Sparks Collaborative Ensemble.

ARTLINK TAKAMATSU-ST. PETERSBURG

Artists from Heart ArtLink in Takamatsu, Japan (St. petersburg’s Sister City) perform the Lion Dance in their hometown.

Artlink Takamatsu-St. Petersburg was a collaboration of Creative Clay and Heart Artlink Takamatsu in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Takamatsu-St. Petersburg Sister City Partnership. The two organizations serving artists with disabilities partnered in both visual arts and dance. Creative Clay teamed up with the St. Petersburg Museum of History to exhibit their own version of the Lion Dance to honor the Sister City Partnership.

Creative Clay Artists lead by collaborator Helen Hansen French perform the Lion Dance as part of the international Sister City collaboration.

THE GOOD FOLK GALLERY

Inside the Good Folk Gallery, Creative Clay supporter and Executive Director of the Grand Central District, David Foote stands proudly with Creative Clay artists Cecil, Brittany, and Sam as they pose with tote bags they painted. The bags were purchased as gifts for Grand Central District members.

THE GOOD FOLK GALLERY is a place where the member artists of Creative Clay can show their work. Artists are empowered to become active, working artists who create, exhibit, and sell their artwork in the Good Folk Gallery and throughout Tampa Bay. Member Artists’ work is available for purchase in our virtual gallery on our website. Artists receive 50% commission on all works sold.

CREATIVE THRIFT

Artist Steven Kenny stopped for a photo with Creative Clay Artists Cory, Cutter, and Janice after donating some amazing frames off at our Creative Thrift store for repurposed art supplies. Kenny and his wife, Dr. Diohn Brancaleoni have supported Creative Clay since they moved to St. Pete in 2012.

CREATIVE THRIFT was established to create a social entrepreneurial revenue stream for Creative Clay and is an on the job training site for people with disabilities. At Creative Thrift an artist can find almost anything they need for their projects and are often inspired by what they find. Additionally the shop gives an even greater purpose to the many donations of supplies Creative Clay lovingly receives from the Tampa Bay community. It teaches job skills as well as brings in nearly $5,000 each year.

EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS 2022

Alhambra•Arts Axis Florida•ASPEC at Eckerd College•Black Crow Coffee Roasters•British Food Stop•Chad Mize•Clearwater Marine Aquarium•Community Foundation Tampa Bay•Community Room at Fairgrounds St Pete•Dalí Museum Store•Dunedin Fine Arts Center•Grand Central District Association•Homeowners Financial Group•Lion Dance in Collaboration with St. Petersburg's Sister City, Takamatsu Japan at St. Petersburg Museum of History in honor of the Sister Cities 60th Anniversary•Mahaffey Theater & Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts•Mirella Cimatto Gallery•Pinellas County Schools•Raymond James Marketing Department•Sabal Palms•Sheila Cowley, Paula Kramer and Sparks Collaborative Ensemble•Spring for the Arts •St. Petersburg Arts Alliance•St. Petersburg Museum of History•St. Petersburg Opera Company•Sunshine Senior Center•USF St. Petersburg•Vertical Ventures

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Creative Clay is always looking for inclusive, creative partnerships.

VOLUNTEERS

Creative Clay worked with 29 volunteers in 2022 for a total of 692 hours. That’s an amazing $18,700 worth of hard work put in for Creative Clay’s mission. We dearly thank every one of our volunteers.

Our Creative Thrift shop is always ready for shoppers thanks to volunteer Pat Grice, who spends hours each week tidying and organizing. Pat, who holds an MA in counseling psychology and BA in Industrial Psychology, established herself in St. Petersburg in 2014 and discovered Creative Clay soon after. Besides all the valuable time she puts in at Creative Clay, she is also a visual artist and member of the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild and Studio Art Quilt Associates. Grice is retired from the computer industry and enjoys painting, quilting, and shopping at Creative Thrift with her three grandchildren.

Creative Clay Member Artist Candace N. Poses with volunteer Karen Lucchese

Karen Lucchese recently moved from Cleveland Heights, Ohio and loves fixing up her newly acquired 100-year-old house. Her warm presence is welcomed by all of the artists in the studio when she comes in to volunteer. Karen uses her creative spirit to paint, draw, and silversmith. She is currently creating a mosaic sidewalk and in her free time she loves gardening, ,using power tools, and spending time with her husband & her 4 dogs.

Anamay Rossomando has been volunteering at Creative Clay since the spring of 2019 and has been keeping Creative Thrift organized and shipshape ever since.

CREATIVE CLAY’S FINANCIALS

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING WONDERFUL DONORS

Anonymous •ARS Wealth Advisors • Chris Bennett & Janet Carmody • Cindy Broyles In Honor of Chris C. • Deana Hawk & Greg Bauman • Donna Waters • Gina & Michael White Family Foundation • Jung In Kang & Thomas Harrington • Nat Fields • Samuel Memberg • Sheri Kendrick • Tammy & Dan Boldt

Sometimes our artists are even on the news. Ali V. appears on WFLA News Channel 8’s Bloom with Gayle Guyardo.

THANKS TO THE MONTHLY GIVERS IN OUR GOOD FOLK SOCIETY

Amanda Maloney•Amanda Reed•Ann Ryan•Anne Q. Pollack•Anthony Ateek•Audrey McConnell•Barbara Voglewede•Brenda Daniel•Bryce Hudson •Chanda Lawdermilk•Deb Heiss•Diohn Brancaleoni•Emanuel “Manny” Rosario•Eileen Stafford•Eleanor Finehout•Erin O'Neill•Hal Freedman & Willi Rudowsky•Hassan Moussa•Irene Parietti•James Hoffman •Jane Fontaine•Jane Holloway•Janet Carmody•Jacqulyn Schuett•Jocelyn Lister•Jose Lugaro•Karen Helsinger•Kathleen Barry•Ken Huelhorst & Alli Arnold•Kim Dohrman•Krystle Pinzker•Kyle Hickey•Lauren Hanley•Lenora Mitchell-Robinson•Lucinda Johnston•Mary Mooney• Melanie Jackson•Michael Sedita•Mina Sinai•Nancy Corlis•Natalie Fisher•Patti LaVoy•Page Garrison•Paul Williams•Richard Cortese•Robyn Rusignuolo•Sally Cash•Sarah Ateek•Scott Asbury•Sean Kennedy•Sean McConnell•Susan Jones Steele•Tammy & Dan Boldt• Therese Johnson•Tim & Kim Church•Tina Stafford•Yoko Nogami

The Good Folk Society has reached 57 members

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR GRANTORS

Anonymous•Catalina Charitable Foundation•City of St. Petersburg•Community Foundation Tampa Bay•Creative Pinellas•National Endowment for the Arts•Pinellas Community Foundation•Pinellas County School Board•Publix Supermarkets Charities•St. Petersburg Arts Alliance• White Family Foundation

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS

ARTicles•Audrey & Sean McConnell•Comegys Insurance Agency•Dee & Sal Perconti•Duke Energy•Fletcher Fisher Pollack P.L.•Florida Tax Advisors•Hal Freedman & Willi Rudowsky•Jodi Lynne Chemes & All The Things St. Pete•Linda Comegys Berset•Little Light of Mine•Lucky Devil Electric Company•Media Garage•Oktane Media•St. Petersburg Arts Alliance•Susan Jones Steele & Mario Farias•Thorpe Chiropractic

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SUSTAINING SUPPORTERS