One sentiment shared as the entire world heads indoors to slow the spread of COVID-19 is that in times of uncertainty and peril, humanity tends to turn to one form of relief: art.
Streaming services are being flooded with avid viewers, books are being downloaded at an unprecedented rate and video games are still a hot commodity all over the country. If you go on YouTube, one of the trending videos will likely be a painting or cooking “how-to” feature, and those corresponding supplies are flooding out of local stores and Amazon warehouses. Art offers solace and acts as a simple method to transfer hope during this uncertain time. Clay Hollenkamp and Shelby Baerwalde of Periphery Media hope their upcoming virtual exhibition will both offer the community a way to tap into some of the impressive art found in their area and give local artists a spotlight.
“Throughout this time when everyone is stuck inside, artists are going to do what artists do: artists are going to make art,” Hollenkamp said. “Being that Periphery Media is in the art world and we make exhibitions, we are going to make an exhibition. We wanted to do something to continue providing artists with opportunities. That’s our goal. Our whole Raison d’être is to provide artists with opportunities to show their work, to perform, to be in front of people and just to put out there the work that they do. Being that nobody can go to an art exhibition, I’ve seen so many cancelled or postponed… we wanted to create an opportunity where artists had the opportunity to put their work in front of people.”
The group is accepting submissions through tomorrow. The show will go live on April 13 and remain open until April 27. The online gallery will be found on peripherymediaonline.com and the public will have the chance to peruse the entries and vote on their favorite. You will also find links to the gallery on Periphery Media’s social media pages.
The artist whose piece receives the most votes will win a cash prize composed of 97 percent of the submission fees — the group’s credit card process takes the other three percent. Each submission is $10 and artists can submit up to three pieces. People will be able to vote once per email address.
Part of the unique appeal of this exhibit lies in its ability to transform people’s homes into a mobile gallery. While you’re sitting on your couch scrolling through the gallery, you can look around at your empty walls and decide right then and there to change that. If there’s a piece in the exhibition you want, you have the opportunity to buy it. You get a locally crafted piece of art for your unique decor and the artist gets a paycheck despite everyone being asked to remain at home.
The exhibition will not have a cap on how many pieces as a whole it will take, so those at home will see a wide variety of artwork. Its reception from the local art world has been strong and there will likely be several pieces you will want for your own collection spread throughout the gallery.
“I think people in the Tampa Bay area that we have worked with are just anxious to be a part of the community,” Hollenkamp said. “There’s some amazing organizations in the area here that have started to come together and kind of connect through various different means. Periphery is always looking for opportunities to present their work.”
If the world returns to its normal pace in the next few months, Periphery plans to continue on with its AIR Show — which stands for Artists in Recovery — at The Portico, 1001 N. Florida Ave. The exhibition will accept submissions until June 1 and will open June 26.
AIR Show was created to open an exhibition up to artists that are recovering from anything ranging from heartbreak to a crippling substance addiction. Recovery often leads to incredible displays of art, so Hollenkamp said they are hoping things will have calmed down enough by the end of June to allow the show to still go on.
Any artist interested in submitting their work can do so at