For those of you looking to join new communities in the Tampa Bay/ St. Petersburg area, check out Venus In Orbit! Its self-description is “an incubator for conscious creative community” and has been deemed a safe space for women to create, share, and discuss art. Venus In Orbit recently held the No Human is Illegal benefit art show.
Photo courtesy of Grace Boehlke
Artists who created pieces for the indoor gallery agreed to donate 50 percent of their proceeds to RAICES Texas, and the smaller artists stationed outside of the building raised money for Bring Hope Home, an immigration immersion service learning weekend put on by Hope Community Center and St. Pete Underground.
Photo courtesy of Grace Boehlke
RAICES Texas is a “nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees.” RAICES was funded in 1986 but has seen a large upsurge in donations as of recent, in response to the current administration’s attack on immigration.
Among the artists was Tiffany Elliott, the designer behind Tee Sankey (@teesankeydesigns), who sells handmade jewelry. Her pieces range from delicate necklaces to beautifully crafted rings.
Photo courtesy of Grace Boehlke
Fox and Crow (@foxandcrowpaperco) were also in attendance, selling a multitude of prints, buttons, and stickers. Their art features many different themes, from animals to flowers to politics, but every single piece is guaranteed to be charming. I purchased a sticker of The Squad (Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ayanna Pressley), and it now permanently lives on my laptop cover.
Photo courtesy of Grace Boehlke
Another artist, Candace Wiant (@candacewiant), brought many prints to sell, including ones with the art show’s logo. A lot of her work features watercolor and intriguing color combinations.
Photo courtesy of Grace Boehlke
The inside of the building housed larger and more intricate artwork, selling for much higher prices. The event was a vibrant exhibition of unique work created for a good purpose.
Photo courtesy of Grace Boehlke
For more information on events like this, follow @venus.in.orbit on Instagram!