Get ‘Engaged’

Gulfport fiber artist Elizabeth Neily and her crow-decorated jacket for Florida CraftArt’s Environmentally Engaged exhibit.

Catch the Tail End of CraftArt’s Environmental Exhibit

By Abby Baker

Even from the sidewalk, it’s hard to miss the rainbow-maned lion in the middle of Florida CraftArt’s Environmentally Engaged exhibit, open until Saturday, October 23.

Gulfport artist Anne Anderson’s life-like work is just one of the pieces at the gallery at 501 Central Ave., which features 84 works that express “concerns, hopes and fears about the environment, the impending effects of climate change, and human relationships with the natural world.”

“There is so much you can do with this concept,” said CraftArt Executive Director Katie Deits. “We’ve tied in a lot of community connections... It’s time to start thinking more about the environment as a whole.”

The gallery is full of multimedia creations from Florida to Montana, featuring artistic creations of young environmentalist Greta Thunberg and out-there crafts, such as Casey McDonough’s sculpture made of dislocated fish bones collected from a red tide surge.

“[Casey McDonough’s] wife wasn’t too happy about the smell,” said Elizabeth Neily, Special Projects manager at Florida CraftArt. “He melted the fish down in his backyard, apparently.”

The exhibit’s wild time is almost over, but art lovers and environmentalists are welcome to visit or attend related Zoom events until October 23.

See what’s next at Florida CraftArt at FloridaCraftArt.org.