Saint Petersburg Month of Photography, May 2023, announced Open Call for a New Photo Laureate

Saint Petersburg Month of Photography (SPMOP), is the first 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Tampa Bay exclusively devoted to promoting and celebrating the lens-based arts in Saint Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Area.

Saint Petersburg Month of Photography is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded by local photography professionals, with the goal to create a local platform for lens-based artists and art loving audiences to connect, learn and get inspired through the medium of photography.

“Photography has become one the most accessible art forms with the advent of smartphones and affordable digital cameras. The SPMOP team wants to cultivate this medium so everyone can participate, enjoy and appreciate lens-based art. There are hundreds of photo festivals all over the world and St Petersburg has the perfect location. St Pete is an arts hub with hundreds of talented artists, galleries, collectors and museums.”- says Beth Reynolds, who is in charge of outreach for SPMOP and was the founder of the photographic arts program at the Morean Arts Center.

During the International Month of Photography in May, SPMOP will launch its first edition with photography-related events and exhibitions, including the presentation of a new Photo Laureate. There is currently an open call for photographers to submit their portfolios on the SPMOP website. The deadline of this open call is March 17th, 2023, and it is open to all photographers living in the Tampa Bay area. A short-list of 6 finalists will get to exhibit their work at the Morean Arts Center. The new Photo Laureate will be announced at the opening of the exhibition.

A solo exhibition with the body of work created by the Photo Laureate will be shown during the Lumen Photo Festival, an event that SPMOP is preparing for May 2024.

“By creating a Photo Laureate program for the Month of Photography, we are looking to get the local photographers involved and work with us to make the festival a collaborative effort. It will also create publicity for the city. The Photo Laurate’s final exhibition will result in a historic document of the current zeitgeist of Tampa Bay through the lens of the selected artist, which is always an interesting experiment that could result in so many different narratives we would never have thought of before. It will be fascinating to view its final presentation at the festival”- says Marieke van der Krabben, founder and executive director of SPMOP.

SPMOP is expecting to launch a bigger event, Lumen Photo Fest, in May 2024.

More events for the Saint Petersburg Month of Photography 2023 will be announced in the coming weeks.
To suggest an event, create an exhibition, volunteer or find more information, visit: www.spmop.org