The 49th Street South Business Association

Second Annual SoStudio Tour Quadruples

The South 49th Street South Business Association is pleased to announce the return of SoStudio Tour on Saturday, May 12, from 3 to 8 p.m.

SoStudio Tour Is Here At Last

The 49th Street South Business Association thanks two of its members, JSR Training and Farias Marking Group, for defraying the cost of the Gulfport Trolley, which will take art-lovers to the Gulfport studios this Saturday, May 12, from 3 to 8 p.m. The wristband received at the starting place serves as a boarding pass. Reaching the St. Petersburg studios of Byron Howes and So40 member Barbara Nicolazzo (shared by Melissa Schultz) will require extra effort, but these artists promise it will be worth it.

Nineteen artists – compared to five last year – will open their studios to all the art-lovers who show up with wristbands.

Each studio will provide beverages, stimulating conversation, and plenty of visual excitement.

Starting places for the sixteen-studio tour are The Longhouse (2309 49th Street South), the Neighborhood Center (1617 49th Street South), and the Gulfport Arts Center (2627 54th Street South, hosted by City of Imagination).

Not only will these spots showcase work of non-studio artists, but this is where to get wristbands and tour guides. They’ll also provide food and drink, as will several other community spaces – the Industrial Arts Center, Uniquely Original Art Gallery, and the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets are $10 at the door.

The City of Gulfport is providing Trolley services for the studios within the city limits, although So49 represents businesses in both Gulfport and St. Petersburg.

The Trolley will run a continuous loop throughout the day. The wristband is the boarding pass.

Studio artists include:

Nancy Cervenka, Janet Corrigan, Mark Curtis, Cheryll Grogan, Patricia Hardwick, Byron Howes, Derrick Johnson, Cathy Lees, Barbara Nicolazzo, Owen Pach, Carol Pieszchala, Jonathan Schork, Melissa Schultz, John Shevlin, Clint Stone, Frank Strunk III, Monika Watson, Catherine Weaver, and Victoria Anne Wenners.

Catherine Weaver, a So49 member, owns and operates Uniquely Original Art Gallery at 4929 9th Avenue South in Gulfport, which offers art classes for children and adults, hosts creative get-togethers, and sells afrocentric art and products.

Weaver is a muralist, painter, and multi-media artist. Her diverse work, one of which is shown above, will be on display during SoStudio Tour.

5th Annual Tangerine Blues Fest

We are excited to announce that Sean Chambers is the headliner for the Tangerine Blues Fest on September 29th, 2012 in Gulfport, Florida.

Sean Chambers: Guitarist magazine named Chambers as “One of the top 50 blues guitarists of the last century.”

Guitar World Interview:

Blues Guitarist Sean Chambers Discusses His New Album, 'Live From The Long Island Blues Warehouse'

Read more about the Tangerine Blues Fest here...>>

Read more: 5th Annual Tangerine Blues Fest

So49.Org donates $5,000 to All Children’s Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rick Smith
727.409.1269

The 49th Street South Business Association, also known as So49.org, has donated $5,000 to All Children's Hospital, the money culled from the organization's highly successful Tangerine Blues Fest. So49.org, consisting of independent businesses along 49th Street South in Gulfport/St. Petersburg, more than quadrupled its donation from $1,200 in 2010.

Pictured left to right: Walter Dill (So49 Secretary) Jeri Reed (So49 President) Stephanie Hall (Director, ACH Foundation) and Rick Smith (So49 Treasurer)

Read more: So49.Org donates $5,000 to All Children’s Hospital