Something Changed: Bleu Acier's Paradigm Shift.

Last night was a game-changer for Tampa Bay art galleries. Master Printer Erika Greenberg Schneider and her husband, sculptor Dominique Laubavie took a bold step forward. The press release hinted at this:

"This exhibition by Gregg Perkins marks a new paradigm for Bleu Acier. We will be marking our territory with a different approach to how we dialogue with our community. Bleu Acier will exhibit mid career and established artists with whom we work in print. The prints will be shown within the oeuvre of the artist. Lectures and readings will be organized in order to place and connect the work to a context, which is both contemporary and active."

Erika wasn't kidding. It was the gallery's tenth Anniversary, and packed with a who's who of the Arts community in the area. The crowd chatted and milled around, the variety of media and subjects drawing their attention, invigorating them. Otherwise it was an art opening like any other in the Bay Area, but that was about to change.

Erika introduced the show in a fairly conventional fashion at first, then shifted gears, culminating with a reading of  Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince", the part where he meets the Little Prince and draws sheep for him. In the context of the art show, this was quite a parable. This was followed by a presentation by Architect and Urban Designer Petra Kampf, an extraordinary exploration into the nature and history of the way we perceive physical (and other types of) space. 

These talks demanded the audience pay attention and engage as listeners just to follow the threads of thought. No concessions, no dumbing-down, only lean, hardcore ideas that form a conceptual holographic frame for gallery goers. You should not have missed it, but if you did, there will be two more talks while this show is up:

Thursday December 5th: Gallery Talk @ 6:30pm
by Alison Powell, Curator of books at Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida
reception to follow

Thursday December 12th: Gallery Talk @ 6:30pm
by Donald Morrill, Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies, University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida
reception to follow.



You do not want to miss this....


--- Luis