Past Grounds4Art Projects

 Dial the Sun - Ya La'ford

Artist	Ya La'ford
Location	HCC District Administrative Offices
Unveiled	Fall 2023
Project Album	View a photo album of the project
Project Description	Renowned artist Ya La’ford was commissioned in 2022 to create a public artwork to inspire students, staff, and faculty to envision a better tomorrow. Titled Dial the Sun, the sculpture encourages both a literal and metaphorical sense of reflection. In parallel to ancient sundials, the sculpture symbolically connects earth and sky and casts a distinctive shadow that moves with the sun, indicating the passage of time. The circular geometric form is an echo of La’ford’s previous installation with the HCC Art Galleries entitled dis·tance (2021), which utilized visual patterns to inspire audiences to consider the integral nature of connection between people across time and space. In a similar manner, Dial the Sun emphasizes concepts such as temporality, transformation, and the complexity of the shared human experience. Much like the process of learning and education, the sculpture reminds viewers to think critically, forge their own pathways, create connections, and to be open to the possibilities of the present.
Contributors	This project is made possible by Drs. Paul and Rebecca Nagy.

Inspired in part by the creation of a food relief program for HCC’s campuses, Grounds4Art commissioned Argentine-American artist Cecilia Lueza to create a large-scale mural focused on addressing issues related to food insecurity, mental and emotional health, and social and cultural inclusion. Designed with community feedback, Exuberance projects an image of inner strength and well-being. Showcasing Lueza’s trademark exploration of the visual effects of color and geometric abstraction, the mural prominently features a portrait of a young woman in profile. With outstretched arms and her gaze lifted to the skies, the figure imparts a sense of dynamic energy and hopefulness that parallels the community’s desire for perpetual growth and positive social change.

Lueza has worked on a variety of site-specific and public art projects in cities throughout the United States since 2000. Her work has been exhibited at Art Miami, Arteamericas, and Scope Miami Beach, and she has completed public art pieces in Washington D.C., Jacksonville, FL, West Palm Beach, and St. Petersburg, FL, among others. Lueza’s artwork can be found in public and private collections throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America.

Contributors: This project was made possible with the support of: The Arts Council of Hillsborough County and The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, HCC Dale Mabry Campus Student Government Association, Bay Art Files, and an Anonymous donor (in memory of Mary F. and Herbert O. Brennan).

Project Partners: On behalf of the HCC Dale Mabry Public Art Committee, Grounds4Art also recognizes project partners: Bay Art Files, City of Tampa, Arts & Cultural Affairs, Feeding Tampa Bay, and HCC Food Education Depot (FED).

Created by artists Jay Giroux and Edgar Sanchez Cumbas, Living Shades is HCC’s fifth public art project and the largest mural to-date for the Ybor City Campus. The mural is replete with references to Ybor City: a cast-iron street lamp, a close-up of trolley doors, the distinct medieval tower of the Castle nightclub, a portrait of Lady Columbia for the Columbia Restaurant (the oldest restaurant in Florida), and images of Ybor’s iconic roosters. Each symbol provides a colorful and layered view into the city’s distinctive attributes and history. The artists also celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of the district, found in imagery such as a portrait of Cuban poet José Martí (1853-1895), who gave many impassioned speeches for Cuban Independence to cigar workers in Ybor City, as well as a large blind contour drawing referencing the immigrant family sculpture (created by Steve Dickey in 1992) in Centennial Park. Floral and organic imagery found within the design likewise reference the nearby public art project NEST, also created in the spring of 2021, by artist Tory Tepp.

Woven together with a hexagonal pattern attributed to the pavers that line Ybor City’s sidewalks in the historic district, the mural’s composition also alludes to the legacy of the college’s visual arts program. Certain stylistic and symbolic elements layered within the mural were inspired in part by the creativity and passion of former HCC faculty and community artists who had a transformative influence on the visual arts at the HCC Ybor City Campus, especially Suzanne Camp Crosby (1948-2020), Carolyn Kossar (1949-2020), and Theo Wujcik (1936-2014).   

Artists Jay Giroux and Edgar Sanchez Cumbas have each completed numerous projects in the public realm. Recent collaborative commissions include the Countable and Uncountable Stories of Rob City (2018) mural in Julian B. Lane Park created for the City of Tampa Public Arts Program. Jay Giroux (b. 1979 in Vermont) is an artist, designer, and educator whose paintings involve a continued exploration of incidental gestures and lowbrow symbolism culled from the urban streetscape. Giroux received his MFA in 2011 from the University of Houston and is a student of the late Theo Wucjik. Edgar Sanchez Cumbas (b. 1971 in Puerto Rico) is an artist and educator whose work explores themes of identity, cultural and visual transitions, and contemporary abstract expressionism. Cumbas received his MFA in 2013 from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

This project was made possible with the support of: HCC Ybor City Campus Student Government Association and the HCC Ybor City Visual and Performing Arts Department. 

Nourishment, Education and Social Terraces (NEST) is a multi-campus public art initiative created by artist Tory Tepp that transformed sections of the HCC Dale Mabry and Ybor City Campuses into socially activated green spaces. Utilizing social practices while capitalizing on a local community’s assets and potential, NEST aims to empower creative solutions for addressing issues of food insecurity, sustainability and inclusion through the creation of accessible spaces to gather, interact, teach and entertain one another.

As a creative placemaking project, NEST included broad-spectrum public input during a research and design phase in the fall of 2020, leading to a fabrication phase the following spring with the support of nearly 100 community volunteers. The NEST site at the HCC Dale Mabry Campus features a distinct in-the-round design, with a central raised dais flanked by organically shaped earthen berms and circular tables tiled with the phases of the moon. At the HCC Ybor Campus, the NEST site re-imagines existing architectural features to create a proscenium stage, tiered earthen seating, and a mosaic of ceramic tiles designed by diverse Tampa Bay artists. At the project’s unveiling in April 2021, the NEST sites hosted performances by campus groups such as music, dance, and theatre as well as by local organizations like Tampa Homegrown. Today, the spaces are home to over 300 individual plants from more than forty different species—such as Muscadine Grape, African Blue Basil, Sunshine Mimosa, White Jade Pineapple, Butter Cream Mango, Pomegranate, and Tropical Milkweed, among others—and can be utilized as outdoor classrooms, performance venues, and gathering spaces.

Watch this video to learn more about the project.

For more information about reserving these public art sites for performances or events, please contact Amanda Poss (aposs@hccfl.edu). 

About the Artist: Tory Tepp received his under-graduate BFA in painting from Parson’s, the New School for Design in New York City and an MFA in 2009 as part of the inaugural class of Suzanne Lacy’s Public Practice program at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. There he developed his practice around the exploration and reestablishment of the metaphysical connections between the social and environmental ecologies that shape urban communities. Tepp has completed projects all over the U.S., including New Orleans, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Death Valley, the High Sierra Mountains, New Smyrna Beach, Tampa, and the Wormfarm Institute in Wisconsin. 

Contributors: This project is made possible with the support of: The Gobioff Foundation Treasure Tampa Grant, The Stanton Storer Embrace the Arts Foundation, HCC Dale Mabry Campus Student Government Association, HCC Foundation, and Tempus Projects.

Project Partners: On behalf of the HCC Public Art Committee, Grounds4Art also recognizes our project partners: Hillsborough Arts Council, Feeding Tampa Bay, HCC Foundation, Rooted Resistance, Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts, and Tempus Projects.

TITLE              HCC Dance: 20 Years of Life

ARTIST           Bianca Russell

LOCATION     Child Development Center Building (YCDC), Ybor City Campus

UNVEILED      2022

In 2021, alumna Bianca Russell was commissioned to create a mural commemorating the 20th anniversary of the HCC Dance program. The composition includes references to eleven different performances that occurred throughout the program’s history that highlight both the technical and cultural aspects of dance. During the project’s research phase, Russell worked with current HCC students to choreograph a movement they called “the in-between moments.” The artist then translated the choreography into fluid strokes of blue paint that visually and conceptually link the present to the history of the program

“I believe that public murals help to create community by radiating out stories and energy that touch everyone who passes by them… I hope that [this mural] will become a place where students can reflect in-between classes and talk about generations of past programs and those yet to come.”  - Bianca Russell

CONTRIBUTORS:

This project was made possible with the support of HCC Ybor City Campus Student Government Association.

Artist Tory Tepp

Location Visual Arts Building (YVAB), Ybor City Campus

Unveiled 2022

In the fall of 2021 HCC commissioned artist Tory Tepp to create Fledgling, a mobile sculpture that would serve as a traveling platform for artistic activation and education focusing on issues such as sustainability, agriculture, food sovereignty and inclusion. The project was conceptualized as a way to build upon HCC’s NEST (Nourishment, Education, and Social Terraces) initiative, which resulted in socially-activated greenspaces on two campuses that feature a variety of fruiting trees as well as the infrastructure to support interdisciplinary programming. Fledgling, whose name references both HCC’s hawk mascot and the project’s ability to venture beyond the NEST sites, brings a creative sculpture directly into the community for diverse dialogue and engagement. A bespoke cart-and-tricycle equipped with customizable and interchangeable toolkits, Fledgling can be deployed into various neighborhoods or community centers to support performances, discussions and workshops.

Tory Tepp, who also created the NEST sites, was the creative lead for Fledgling. Tepp’s numerous public projects center on the exploration and reestablishment of the metaphysical connections between the social and environmental ecologies that shape urban communities. As a creative placemaking project, Fledgling was designed with broad public input and with support from a team of student interns from Hillsborough Community College, the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa.

Explore our photo album to learn more about the Fledgling and view examples of community deployments.

For more information about deploying Fledgling for your community event, please contact artgalleries@hccfl.edu.

About the Artist:

Tory Tepp received his under-graduate BFA in painting from Parson’s, the New School for Design in New York City and an MFA in 2009 as part of the inaugural class of Suzanne Lacy’s Public Practice program at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Tepp has completed projects all over the U.S., including New Orleans, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Death Valley, the High Sierra Mountains, New Smyrna Beach, Tampa, and the Wormfarm Institute in Wisconsin.

Contributors:

This project is made possible with the support of: Arts Council of Hillsborough County and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, HCC Foundation, HCC Student Government Association, HCC Sustainability and Tempus Projects.

Project Partners: On behalf of the HCC Public Art Committee, Grounds4Art also recognizes our project partners: Feeding Tampa Bay, HCC Foundation, Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts, and Tempus Projects.

Blending creative placemaking with social practice, Fledgling Takes Flight! was launched in the spring of 2023 as a series of accessible public events using the mobile sculpture Fledgling (completed in April 2022) as a centerpiece for gathering, interaction, and learning. Custom toolkits created by Christina Acosta, Eric Ondina, and Nicole Villanueva were deployed with the Fledgling cart and used to host programmatic activities in Ybor City that engaged the community with hands-on workshops and discussions.

WORKSHOPS

Yoga, Mingle, and Create!: An Outdoors Zine Making Workshop was a free two-part program organized by Nicole Villanueva meant to promote self-care and community building. The event was held at Hillsborough Community College’s Ybor Campus at the Ybor Plaza, located in front of the Faculty building (YFAC). The event began with a relaxing outdoor yoga session facilitated by Lucky Cat Yoga. The second part of the event was a zine making workshop. During this portion of the program, participants learned about zine history and how to make a mini-zine, concluding with an open floor for zine readings/sharing.

Blending her skills as a teacher and choreographer, Christina Acosta hosted a free workshop entitled On The Move in Ybor. In this series, Acosta guided participants while they created an improvised dance phrase focused on body movement. Participants then selected cards with photos of Ybor building locations (Cuban club, Italian Club etc). By flipping over the cards, they learned about different Ybor locations, which became a “pathway” for discovery as the group visited each site and performed their dances. Students of the workshop were encouraged to record and share their dances online, further establishing connections within the community and beyond.

Alla Prima Con Huevos! was a free en plein air painting session organized by Eric Ondina that demonstrated egg tempera production with community-focused subject matter. During the workshop, participants learned about the cost, environmental impact, and advantages of using egg tempera paint. Eric then taught a guided lesson on painting Ybor's iconic chickens after the paint had been made.

Explore our photo album to learn more about Fledgling Takes Flight! and see images from each workshop.

For more information about deploying Fledgling for your community event, please contact artgalleries@hccfl.edu.

Contributors

This project is made possible with the support of: Arts Council of Hillsborough County and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, the HCC Foundation, and the HCC Student Government Association.

The Grounds4Art committee would also like to thank project partners Feeding Tampa Bay, Lucky Cat Yoga, the Tampa Arts Alliance, the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce, Ybor Misfits Microsanctuary, and artist Tory Tepp for their support.

Generations – Trinity Rivard

Artist	Trinity Rivard
Location	Between Ybor Building (YBOR) and Faculty Building (YFAC), Ybor City Campus UNVEILED: 2023
Unveiled	2023
Project Album	View a photo album of the project.
Project Description	Trinity Rivard’s Generations mural celebrates Ybor City’s past and present. The layered imagery communicates the story of the city as a place where generations of families worked and grew, chased their dreams, went to school, and contributed to the rich cultural and historical vibrancy of the community. The artist tells this tale in vignettes, such as a daughter reaching for her father’s hand while a mother holds her son affectionately, yet protectively. They stand tall together, proud of themselves and their home. This scene is a direct reference to the Immigrant Statue located in Ybor City’s Centennial Park, in a heartfelt homage to the city’s legacy. Generations weaves together the diverse history of Ybor City with the transformative impact of education. The mural highlights several of the academic pathways unique to the Ybor City Campus, such as a graceful dancer referencing the Visual and Performing Arts department or the portrait of a welder alluding to the college’s workforce programs. In another scene, Rivard juxtaposes a student working on their laptop across from a worker rolling cigars, referencing the foundational role of Ybor City’s cigar industry in the early 1990s and the pivotal role of the college within the district today. As the first male in his family to graduate from college and the first person in his family to earn a Master's degree, Rivard knows that education is a pathway to a better life. Numerous HCC student and faculty volunteers helped paint the mural, bringing the HCC community together to help Rivard realize his vision. The Generations mural is on display at the HCC Ybor City campus, in the hallway between the YBOR and YFAC buildings.
About the Artist	Trinity Rivard creates art in the hopes that each piece will connect with people. He holds degrees from both Florida State University and the University of South Florida. He has participated in numerous group and solo art exhibitions around the Tampa Bay area and his art can be found in private collections locally, nationally and internationally. Today, in addition to creating paintings on canvas, Rivard continues to work larger and larger, creating public and private murals. This allows him to step out of his studio space and into new, sometimes challenging environments where he uses the unique surroundings as inspiration when creating. As a Tampa native and former Ybor City resident, he has a deep connection to this area, which compelled him to create the Generations mural.
Contributors	This project was made possible with the support of: HCC Ybor City Campus Student Government Association and the HCC Ybor City Visual and Performing Arts Department.