Ybor art colony aims to revive tradition

At the top of a long flight of stairs above the King Corona Cafe and Bar in Ybor City, a narrow white hallway is brightened by colorful canvases stacked against the walls. Here, nine energetic artists - a mix of young and old, established and emerging - explore their passion.

They call themselves the Ybor Art Colony, and they're interested not only in their own careers but also in reshaping Ybor City. They want to see it once again become known for its concentration of art, artists and creativity.

"They are the best-kept secret in Tampa," says Walter Romeo, a founder and treasurer of the Ybor Art Association, a grass-roots organization that promotes art. "These guys have been the core of the art scene in Ybor. They have kept it going."

The nine artists have a synergy and evident camaraderie. They work separately, in a variety of styles and media, but they consult with each other, sharing ideas, collaborating on exhibitions and speaking as one when it comes to the art scene in Ybor.

"We want people to know we exist and that we're here to stay," says painter Hance Clay, spokesman for the group. "We are a premier art venue. We paint every day, and we're striving to make Ybor an art destination again."

Why Ybor?

"I always wanted to have a gallery in an art mecca city, and not a huge one like New York," Clay says. "Also, I'm fourth-generation Ybor City. My great-grandfather came here from the Canary Islands. Their house was where I-4 is now."

"Ybor is Tampa," adds fellow resident artist Greg Hatch. "Ybor was here before Tampa, before Channelside."

The second floor of the Corona Cafe, 1521½ Seventh Ave., has a long history of housing artists. David Audet, director of the annual "Ybor Festival of the Moving Image" film festival, lived and worked in the same building with six or seven other artists around 1984.

"It was called Upstairs South among the artists then. And across the street was Upstairs North, where another enclave of artists lived," he says. "It was always full. It was like a club. We didn't let anybody in unless they were 'cool.' It was very romantic, because we owned Ybor then."

Audet and the other artists left when the bars came in and rents went up.

"We were only there for the cheap rent," he says. "There's always a recession when you're an artist. If there's a vacuum and rents are cheap, artists will fill it."

Tampa's art energy has since scattered among more affordable hot spots in South Tampa, West Tampa and Seminole Heights. Members of the art colony hope to lure some of that energy back to Ybor.

"I would love to see 15 of these art colonies in the top of these old buildings," says Clay, who is pursuing that option with several building owners.

Those who visit the artists and their studios during the monthly Saturday Ybor ArtWalk seem to love the venue, Romeo says. "They buy art, and they bring their friends back."

Other artists in the colony are Noah Deledda, Veronica Dey, Alexandra Evans, Esben Rey, David Rothman, Mario St. Denis and Jim Sykes. See them and their work during this month's ArtWalk, from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at 1521½ Seventh Ave.