“We want to continue to beautify our community and give people access to art,” said Tara Knauss-Wilga, Board Member of the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. “Sharing experiences through art is really the best way for us to showcase how we’re alike and we ultimately care about our community and the people in it. That’s what art helps us express.”
A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Inc. promotes the power of the arts in the Tampa Bay area, connecting people with art, creating an environment where artists can thrive, supporting arts education, and organizing its annual flagship arts festival.
A juried fine arts show, GFA traces its roots back to the Florida State Fair’s “avant garde” art exhibit in the 1960s. Inspired by what they saw, Tampa’s business and community leaders organized their own downtown sidewalk arts festival in 1971. 55 years later, the festival has grown from an initial 140 artist applicants to more than 1,000. The prize money has increased over the years too, from an initial $3,900 to almost $100,000 today.
“We directly work with professional artists to put on a full juried art festival, which in the professional art world is really key to finding new patrons and earning new income to sustain you throughout your career,” Knauss-Wilga said.
Scheduled for the first weekend in March at the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in Downtown Tampa, the festival is free and open to the public. In addition to featuring the work of professional artists, the festival also includes a Young Artists Expo, highlighting up and coming teen artists. The festival offers a variety of entertainment for visitors including food, music, and beverages, as well as VIP experiences available for purchase.
In addition to the festival, GFA is involved in numerous programs to foster the arts in the Tampa Bay community, including supporting arts education through awarding scholarships to students in the Tampa Bay area who are seeking an education in the arts. Another important area of focus for GFA is its public art initiative, which works with city officials, artists, and art organizations to create public art installations around Tampa that everyone can enjoy. In July, GFA celebrated the ribbon cutting of the newly completed “Give Me My Flowers” mural by artist Nneka Jones, beautifying the outside of the Pam Iorio Municipal Parking Garage in downtown. Jones has been involved with GFA for several years.
Starting out as a student at the University of Tampa, Jones “came through our emerging artists program and went on to receive best in show and several of our highest prizes. She then went on to some very esteemed national and international acclaim,” Knauss-Wilga said. “We were very fortunate that she was as passionate about public art as we were, and the city was really rallied behind us as well.”
Jones is one of many success stories for GFA as it has worked to foster and promote artists over its 55-year history, a mission that Knauss-Wilga finds deeply rewarding.
“We get so many different artists that share with us about being able to do this for a living full time,” she said. “That tends to fuel me, hearing those stories, and many of my friends that also serve on the board, on the committee, or within the organization share the same sentiment.”
A Member of the Tampa Bay Chamber since 2023, GFA has found the Chamber to be a valuable resource in becoming more deeply involved in the business community, networking, and supporting its initiatives.
“The Chamber has been instrumental in assisting us with our public art initiative, spreading the word, helping us understand what we need to do and the path to get an event like the ribbon cutting pulled off,” Knauss-Wilga said. “The Chamber does all of that with so much zeal and care and consideration and it means a lot to us.”
55th Annual Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts
- Saturday, March 1, 2025, 9AM - 6PM
- Sunday, March 2, 2025, 10AM – 5PM
Did You Know: GFA is always looking for passionate volunteers to join its festival committee and donate their time toward supporting the arts.