BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//NearMeFree//Tampa Bay//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Free in Largo (NearMeFree) X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:nearmefree-61@nearmefree.com DTSTAMP:20260823T150741Z DTSTART:20260630T040000Z DTEND:20261001T040000Z SUMMARY:Juicy: A Slice of Florida Life LOCATION:The Gallery at Creative Pinellas\, Largo\, FL DESCRIPTION:Creative Pinellas\, in partnership with Heritage Village\, is p resenting a nostalgic celebration of Florida culture with its newest exhib ition\, Juicy: A Slice of Florida Life\, on view June 30-Sept. 30\, 2026 a t the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport’s Sightline Gallery. Sho p the Exhibition Shop Now In celebration of Heritage Village’s 50th anni versary in Pinellas County\, Juicy explores Florida’s enduring relations hip with the citrus industry through archival citrus crate labels that sea led Florida’s identity as an eternal tropical paradise. The labels are p aired with featured artist Steve Hagan’s blown glass sculptures of citru s\, which look as delicious as the Florida fruit that inspired them. The g lass works are on loan from St. Petersburg’s Duncan McClellan Gallery. C reative Pinellas’ Maggie Duffy curated the exhibition. While citrus frui t was originally brought to Florida in the 16th century by the Spanish\, i t wasn’t until 1870 that the citrus industry in the state had its first boom\, according to the Florida Division of Historical Resources’ websit e. “Orange Fever” brought people to Florida to try their hand as citru s growers. As more growers entered the market\, so grew the competition\, creating the need for advertising. Crate labels became key pieces of marke ting for growers and packers\, according to the Ephemera Society of Americ a’s website. They gained popularity in Florida in the early 1900s\, with a peak in popularity from the 1920s-50s. Over the years the industry had its ups and downs\, freezes\, pests\, hurricanes and eventually citrus gre ening threatened the citrus industry. But some endure in Florida\, includi ng the Lykes Bros. Art consultant Liz Dimmitt is part of the Lykes Bros. f amily. She grew up checking on the groves and eating orange ice cream at g rove stores. The CEO and co-founder of FloridaRAMA says Lykes Bros. contin ues to not only grow the citrus that becomes Florida’s Natural not-from- concentrate juice\, but also develops innovative ways to improve growing c onditions. Hagan is a glass artist\, foodie\, and proponent of pure beauty . His works combine a love of function with modern form and design\, often creating citrus-inspired jewelry\, tableware\, and sculpture. In 2018\, H agan received an emerging artist residency at the Duncan McClellan Gallery where he developed his fruit series even further. His experience working in restaurants as a chef gave him inspiration as a glass artist. In his 20 11 thesis show at Southern Illinois University Carbondale\, The Apple Does n’t Fall Far from the Tree\, he created a bar of meringue that looked li ke the interior of a sliced\, bisected lemon — and now fruit remains a m ajor inspiration. All of Hagan’s pieces in the exhibition are for sale. Link to shop the gallery coming soon! Sightline is a dynamic art gallery l ocated within St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (PIE)\, designed to connect travelers with the vibrant arts community of Pinellas County. Created in 2025 through a partnership with PIE\, the gallery transforms a high-traffic public space into a cultural destination — offering rotatin g exhibitions that showcase the talent and creativity of Florida-based art ists to tourists and travelers alike. Free. Details and source: https://ne armefree.com/florida/tampa-bay/largo/events/2026-06-30-juicy-a-slice-of-fl orida-life/ URL:https://nearmefree.com/florida/tampa-bay/largo/events/2026-06-30-juicy- a-slice-of-florida-life/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR