32nd ANNUAL PCCA JURIED EXHIBITION
Pinellas County Center for the Arts annual juried exhibition highlights contemporary work in a wide variety of media by the student artists with the Visual arts Program. The work is further adjudicated by visiting Aleisha Prather for awards.
Reception: Thursday December 16th, 2021
5:00-6:30
ADJUDICATING JUROR
ALESHIA PRATHER
" My purpose in art is to awaken people's spirit by exploring the intangible, creating sculpture installations that inspire spectators to notice the unnoticed and transcend reality for a moment." -Aleisha Prather
Aleisha is a sculpture artist specializing in fantasy works inspired by nature and the alluring history of fairies. She is 32 from the mountains of Arkansas relocating to Saint Petersburg 11 years ago. She received her Associates in Art Education at St. Petersburg College in 2013, and a Bachelor’s at USF in 2017, graduating both with high honors.
Her work received Best of Show in Environmental Work and the People’s Choice awards in " Dolls and Where They Live" at Florida CraftArt. Her sculptures were featured at Orange Blossom Jamboree 2018-19 and Suwannee Hulaween 2017-2221 music festivals. Most notably featured at The Dali Museum as an emerging artist for the Dali Dozen 2018, Ringling Underground 2019 and First Night Saint Petersburg 2021.
She retained real world experience creating large scale public art sculptures under the tutelage of Mark Aeling at MGA Sculpture 2017-2021 and is on the board of directors as presiden/art director at the Blueberry Patch 2017-2021. Currently she is focusing on her own creative growth as self employed artist specializing in sculpture and transformative space while continuing to grow her skills.
“Creativity and imagination have no limits.”
My purpose in art is to awaken people's spirit by exploring the intangible. I create sculpture installations that inspire one to notice the unnoticed; transcend reality for a moment. I grew up on 16 acres in the mountains of Arkansas, I have always been drawn to nature as a way of escaping. That experience is a direct influence of why I use natural materials. I seek to inspire the viewer and offer them a moment to become an active element of the artwork. I encourage them to connect with each other in an imaginative state. Fairies are a source of endless imagination and historical fables. Their whimsy and inspiration are what emerges within my artwork. I create a dream scene with an abundance amount of tiny details. I use optical illusions; the utilization of mirrors in order to activate the experience – a moment of escape from the ever-chaotic world today.
Learn more about Aleisha Prather at: www.aleishaprather.com