Not Your Average Speakers: "Creating Place: The Influence Of Art & Design''

Do you unconditionally love, as in "till death due you part,'' where you live?

Or are you in the midst of a rocky relationship with the streets you call home, struggling to strengthen the ties that bind while feeling temptation pull you toward seemingly better places?

If you're in the second camp, know that you're in good company populated by thinking and determined people who are leading and fomenting change designed to convince you and others to commit to staying and investing in Tampa Bay.

So how do we as a community inspire, design and support the ideas and innovations necessary to foster an economic environment that nurtures the diversity and creativity of people, spaces and arts known to fuel the hearts and minds of all great places?

Join 83 Degrees Media and "Not Your Average Speakers'' Tuesday, March 13, 2012 from 5 to 7 pm at Stageworks Theatre in Grand Central At Kennedy for an open community conversation about "Creating Place: The Influence of Art & Design.''

Look Who's Talking

Peter Kageyama, author of "For The Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places,'' will lead the discussion about how art and design influence people to fall in love with their cities and why those relationships matter.

He'll be joined on stage by six Florida thought leaders from Tampa, St. Petersburg and Orlando.

The panelists include:

    •   Monte Olinger -- immediate past chairman of the city of Orlando's Downtown Arts District and, principal and creative director at Baker Barrios Architects specializes in interior design and its effects on health and well-being.

    •   Robin Nigh -- manager of art programs for the city of Tampa is the driving force behind Lights on Tampa and other public art.

    •   Bryan Roberts -- owner of Eco-Tech Construction in St. Petersburg co-created the shared work space inside Roosevelt 2.0 in Ybor City.

    •   Peter Hepner -- principal of Holmes Hepner Architects of Tampa and past president of AIA Tampa Bay is experienced in designing schools.

   •   Tracy Midulla Reller -- founder of Tempus Projects in the South Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa teaches art at Hillsborough Community College.

    •   Shaun Drinkard -- director of placemaking with the Tampa Downtown Partnership, where he takes a multifaceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces.

A Forum For Sharing

"We are especially pleased to engage in conversation such a diverse panel of thought leaders from Tampa, St. Petersburg and Orlando,'' says Diane Egner, publisher and managing editor of 83 Degrees Media. "This fits with the main mission of the "Not Your Average Speakers'' series in that each event features people who are doing projects that will help shape our region's future.

"Encouraging diversity of thought results in a deeper dive into complex issues ,'' Egner continues. "Among our goals is to create a forum in which thought leaders and community members interact, discover new opportunities for collaboration and find energy for working together to create a blueprint for success.''

Tweet about the event on Twitter by using #83DegreesNYAS @83degreesmedia. Like us on Facebook.

This fourth event in 83 Degrees Media's "Not Your Average Speakers'' series is underwritten by Baker Barrios Architects.

Additional support comes from Stageworks Theatre, Mighty Fine Production and White Book Agency.

About 83 Degrees Media

83 Degrees Media covers growth, investment and social innovation in the Tampa Bay region by featuring stories about Talent, Innovation, Global Diversity and Environment -- a new narrative for a new economy. "Not Your Average Speakers'' features creative, innovative and influential people in and around Tampa Bay who are doing their part to move the region forward.

About Baker Barrios Architects

Established in 1993, Baker Barrios is a minority-owned, award-winning planning and design firm with a core focus in architecture, interior design and landscape architecture. Baker Barrios leverages its deep resources and diverse expertise to develop design solutions for industries including commercial, corporate, education, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, industrial, mixed-use and residential properties.  Baker Barrios collaborates with clients to create environments that enhance organizational performance, achieve measurable business goals, and enrich people and communities.

Diane Egner is publisher and managing editor for 83 Degrees Media. Comments? Contact 83 Degrees.
Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.

Read more articles by Diane Egner.

Diane Egner is a community leader and award-winning journalist with more than four decades of experience reporting and writing about the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. She serves on the boards of the University of South Florida Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications Advisory Council, The Institute for Research in Art (Graphicstudio, the Contemporary Art Museum, and USF’s Public Art Program) Community Advisory Council, Sing Out and Read, and StageWorks Theatre Advisory Council. She also is a member of Leadership Florida and the Athena Society. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a BA in journalism, she won the top statewide award for editorial writing from the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors while at The Tampa Tribune and received special recognition by the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists for creative work as Content Director at WUSF Public Media. Past accomplishments and community service include leadership positions with Tampa Tiger Bay Club, USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP), Alpha House of Tampa Bay, Awesome Tampa Bay, Florida Kinship Center, AIA Tampa Bay, Powerstories, Arts Council of Hillsborough County, and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Diane and her husband, Sandy Rief, live in Tampa.