Digital subscriptions provided by the City of Gulfport THE GABBER.COM No. 2843
December 14, 2023- December 20, 2023
Jonesing for Art On the first weekend of December, 28 artists at 11 separate stops opened their doors for Gulfport’s ArtJones 2023 studio tour, the seventh annual ArtJones. As picturesque sidewalks filled with directional signs and little clusters of visitors squinting down at their maps, three Gulfport artists — each recently designated as a Gulfport Emerging Artist by the Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce — were out meeting the crowds. Together they formed a fascinating collage of how the arts in this creative little hamlet are growing.
ASHLEY RIVERS
By Amanda Hagood
Lights, Camera, Gulfport Riley Pitzen grew up around Gulfport’s arts scene. Literally. “Our backyard was a mess,” quips the 21-year-old son of Gulfport sculptor Tom Pitzen. In fact, he can still remember seeing the 20-foot Gulfport welcome sign his father created loaded onto a trailer and driven away to its current home on the corner of Beach and Gulfport Boulevards. ArtJones continued on page 18
Cracked surfaces, deep, burnished tones, and lifelike contours are all features of sculptor Ashley Rivers’ Under Pressure series. Her art explores the forces that shape us, and the shapes we take.
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