After the Storms, Artists Help Their Community Recover  

The 2024 storm season won’t soon be forgotten. The city experienced back-to-back hurricanes that flooded homes and carved up the landscape. But even in the darkness, there is light. The residents of this area did what they do best: they helped each other. This included hands reaching out to our local artist community.

After Milton, things were amiss in many ways. The October Art Walk was suspended. The SHINE mural festival was delayed. A popular event, Hauntizaar, was canceled. Art receptions were left unattended, art unseen, and unsold. Two art centers on the beaches, as well as numerous galleries, like A Little Room for Art, were flooded and closed. A charity event planned by Shapiro Gallery to raise money for the victims of Helene was canceled because of power outages produced by Hurricane Milton.  

The Beach Art Center, located in Indian Rocks Beach, flooded and is closed for repairs. After Helene, art taken in for a show planned before the storm had to be returned. Artist Tara LaBlanc, who lives in the area, was on her way to get her work when she saw a downed tree limb across a well-used pedestrian sidewalk. When she went to move the limb, she discovered that it was still attached to the tree, which had also fallen. She grabbed a neighbor and took out her trusty hand saw; the two worked together to cut and remove the limb.

Though she thought it was just a small deed, LaBlanc was surprised that “people stopped at the traffic light … would roll down their windows and thank us for doing that.”

The Beach Art Center is currently closed but is seeking donations on their website, beachartcenter.org, to help reopen and recover from storm damage. 

The combined storms also left The Suntan Art Center, located in the Don Vista building next to the Don CeSar, in rough shape. A members’ newsletter noted that the building was one among many that needed the city’s attention. It remained inaccessible for the local community. And then, Sara Harned, a longtime supporter and vice president of the board, came up with an idea: She set aside a large portion of her newly acquired warehouse for the Suntan to establish members’ exhibitions, office space, classrooms, and boutique space.

In late October, the SAC was just starting the planning phase of the move. However, Bill Dunn, the recently appointed board president, reiterated that “The Suntan is more than an art center. It is a community of artists, patrons, educators, volunteers and supporters who all believe in the power of the creative economy and its deep and meaningful impact on the quality of life for all within its orbit. It is not a surprise at all that the Suntan is finding a path forward a mere three weeks after near destruction.”

The center hoped to be at the new site by November 7, but they still need help. “There are a few things we need to set up before we officially open our doors at the new location,” the center posted on their website. “Unfortunately, we lost a lot in the storm, including displays and equipment. Any donations are greatly appreciated and will help us restore Suntan to its former glory.” (More at suntanart.org)

There were also many personal stories. Casey J. Wullner, a freelance artist also known under the studio name EnTactus, and his family were displaced by Helene. As with many of us, he posted updates on social media: murky water had entered the home, was ankle deep and rising; they had to cut the power and so sat in a darkened, wet house. After the storm, and with relief, Wullner posted that the family was okay, and that his art was safe. He had moved it up and away from the floor. But he had a new problem: The house was ruined, and they had to get out. The toll of checking through household items and moving what could be saved, plus the question of where they were going to go next, was hard. He put out a call for help to anyone who could take in a few pieces of his art until things were sorted out. 

“My homie, Derek Donnelly,” another well-known muralist in Pinellas Park, “just came and rescued the better part of five years of my work from my house and is now keeping it safe at his studio for me until my housing situation is stable,” Wullner posted. “Also, he did so at the drop of a hat, as soon as he saw that I needed help. Can’t thank him enough. There are a ton of really genuinely good people amongst the art community here.”

Wullner, his wife, daughter, and dog decided to evacuate for Milton, booking a hotel in Orlando where they rode out the storm. Upon returning, the family had to get a new car, as Helene’s surge had destroyed theirs, and artist Tricia Lynn Bush provided a replacement. And while Wullner was successful in finding an apartment, the family had a three-day gap of homelessness to fill. Laurie Meehan-Elmer, Nicki Knowlton, and John Gascot, owners and artists at Studio at 5663, Pinellas Park, provided space in their building to take them in until they could go to their new home.

Vanessa Luhvek, a mixed media artist with a studio at the Five Deuces Galleria in the Warehouse Arts District, felt the stress of two weeks of storms.

“Leading up to Helene, the artists all worked to prep with sandbags, plastic sheeting, and even loaned out air mattresses to those who had to evacuate. I have a house in Arcadia Gardens that is in Zone A. Water came to just five inches below our floors – and we were so lucky we were spared.”

 However, on her first trip back to her studio, Luhvek discovered the floor covered in several inches of water. “One of my studio mates, Brian Kostar, was kind enough to help me remove all of the furniture I had stored in the studio and offered moral support. My husband and I squeegeed and shop-vacced the floor…and our studio manager was very attentive to restoring the space once it dried.”

Luhvek still knows that she was fortunate. “Honestly, as far as support, if people can volunteer with clean-up efforts, help neighbors, and check in on the elderly, I think that’s a priority.”

In downtown St. Petersburg, artist and chef Kristi Capone put out a call for anyone who needed meals after the storms. Avocado, her St. Petersburg plant-based culinary business, distributed complimentary vegan meals to those affected by the storms. She organized donations from the community to get needed ingredients.

“Many meals have gone out the door!” posted Capone. “We’ve given healthy, home-cooked vegan meals to folks in our community. No judgment, no questions asked. People need to be fed. We are honored to help in some small way.” Capone also gathered clothes and supplies from neighbors to give out to those affected by the storm and to the homeless she came across downtown. Avocado has also set up a meal fund at facebook.com/avocadostpete. 

Pinellas County’s non-profit arts agency Creative Pinellas has also compiled extensive links and resources to help artists get back to work after the storms on their website, creativepinellas.org. They agency collected supplies and offered free office space for “displaced artists, creative workers, and staff members of cultural organizations” at their mid-county location. The agency noted, “We are aware of the need for studio space and the greater needs of our arts community…. When we learn of studio spaces becoming available, we will send out updates.”

The non-profit will also hold a Hurricane Relief Fundraiser and Exhibition on December 7 “Hurricane Helene and Milton have caused massive damage in Pinellas County and beyond…. Creative Pinellas will work with government agencies and area arts nonprofits to assess the impact on artists and arts organizations and to help provide resources in the weeks and months ahead.”

So many artists, and the community at large, have been deeply affected by these storms. Healing will take time and support. For those wondering how to help the arts community get back on its feet, a great start is engaging with the artists through their upcoming events, many of which are listed in our Arts Roundup Section.