Gulfport's ArtJones Announces Largest Studio Tour To Date

GULFPORT, FL — ArtJones, the premier regional artists collective on Florida’s Gulf Coast, announced the artist lineup for its 2019 annual studio tour, taking place Dec. 7-8 throughout studios across Gulfport.

Eleven new artists representing a wide range of mediums are joining the group this year, bringing the total number of professional working artists in the group to 20 spread out among 19 private studios. ArtJones also announced a new partnership with Carroway + Rose, a national public relations firm with a growing presence in the Tampa Bay region, as the group enters a new phase of development and growth.

“A lot of people ask me about the name ArtJones. It isn’t one person or one place,” said Brenda McMahon, founder of the ArtJones Studio Tour and owner of Brenda McMahon Gallery in downtown Gulfport. “It’s the idea of people craving, or ‘jonesing’, for art in the same way they would their morning cup of coffee or a glass of wine after work. We’re tapping into the public’s interest in viewing high-quality art and the process in which it’s created.”

ArtJones artists come from far and wide and represent various artistic mediums - ceramics, painting, glass, mixed media, photography, sculpture and wearable art. All are professional working artists based in the greater Gulfport area and all have obtained a premier level of proficiency in their chosen medium.

“ArtJones Open Studio Tour celebrates its third year this December, highlighting Gulfport’s professional arts community by welcoming visitors into the studios of our working artists, where they’ll see firsthand the high-level of expertise of our artists,” said McMahon. “In 2019 we are eager to announce the addition of 11 new artists, bringing our Studio Tour to 20 artists at 19 locations, making it our largest tour yet.”

The 11 new artists will join a returning group of nine to present one of the most comprehensive studio tours in the region. The 2019 new artists include: Anna Ayres, Diane Bragg, Barbara Busenbark, Jila Davoodi, Eagle Finnegan, Alice Pickett Lewis, Katherine Marking, Elizabeth Neily, Jack Providenti, Mike Williams and Melissa Zodda.

“I am honored and excited to be a part of ArtJones this year and I’m looking forward to welcoming visitors to my studio, which my little slice of heaven, my bit of sanity, my sanctuary,” said fused glass artist Diane Bragg. “As artists, we eat, sleep, dream and make art and for lots of reasons, Gulfport is the perfect place to do just that. The studio tour is the perfect event for us to share ourselves with our town that we love so much. Many heartfelt thanks to Brenda for bringing it all together and making it happen like no one else can."

The newest ArtJones members join Dawn Waters, Larry Busby, Ray Domingo, Irina Lapin, Nancy Poucher, Angus Macaulay, Crea Egan, Monika Watson and McMahon.

“In addition to the regionally and nationally acclaimed artists who began with ArtJones, our organization has added turbo fuel to its engine this year by hiring the public relations firm Carroway + Rose,” said McMahon. “This high-powered company with small-town charm specializes in navigating the crossroads of business and art. They have done it with local galleries and I trust they'll help ArtJones soar into our creative and exciting future."

James Briggs, owner of Carroway + Rose, commented on the partnership, saying, “Gulfport’s visual arts community is huge, and it is often represented by artists working in their private spaces, so it is often unseen. The ArtJones annual studio tour reveals the gems hidden away in these secluded art spaces once a year. As a national firm with broad reach, we’ve worked with artists throughout the Southeast and the country, and ArtJones is as impressive a collection of artists as there is in the region. We’re excited to broaden their appeal and recognition throughout the region and state.”

Visit ArtJones for more information on the studio tour.