Interactive Sculpture Tours Pinellas, Comes to Gulfport

You Good?

By Abby Baker

You may know him from his peace sign tie-dye t-shirts that reign the Gulfport Tuesday Fresh Market each week, or the boat sculpture that guards the Gulfport Casino Ballroom; but local artist Stephen Oliver is on to a new traveling sculpture commissioned by a mental health campaign in Pinellas.

A public art concept including several of St. Petersburg’s newest murals, Creative Pinellas’s “You Good?” campaign awarded Oliver a grant for a moveable, usable piece of art sporting the campaign’s call helpline information.

The result? A traveling, eightfoot-long Seussian seesaw with a lazy susan rotating in the center.

Stephen Oliver and his traveling sculpture in Lealman Park’s SPACEcraft exhibit on Thursday, July 29.

“I’ve been wanting to do something in the public arts sector, and I think a concept like this is important during the days of the pandemic,” Oliver said of the naturally socially-distanced two-seater.

From early June until mid August, Oliver and his “mood ring” colored swing travel to different spots including Lealman Park’s SPACEcraft public art exhibit, Safety Harbor’s Third Friday Farmer Market and a Tarpon Springs market.

Most recently, Oliver has had the interactive sculpture closer to home in Gulfport’s Clymer Park as part of the SPACEcraft event.

He made the colorful seesaw for children, adults and anyone who wants to pop a squat on the moving swing, setting it up himself at each location next to a booth of “You Good?” merchandise including tie-dye t-shirts that he’s made for the campaign as part of a separate grant.

“A lot of people tell me their story when they see why I’m there,” Oliver said. “I just record what they tell me, send it anonymously to You Good? and give them a t-shirt. I’m not a counselor really, I’m just a messenger.”

More at pinellaswellnessconnection.org/you-good.