Photographic Exhibit Pays Tribute To Tampa's Suzanne Camp Crosby

TAMPA, FL — After a successful opening Friday, the major retrospective exhibition of the work of Suzanne Camp Crosby, "The Art of Life," will be on display through Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.

This exhibition from the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 400 N. Ashley Drive, Cube 200, Tampa, is part of the permanent collection commemorating the life and work of beloved Tampa

Bay artist and art professor Suzanne Camp Crosby (1948–2020).

“Continuing an artist’s legacy is an intensive task of great responsibility and involves keeping the estate alive and relevant for later generations of artists, curators, academics and collectors," said Zora Carrier, Ph.D., executive director of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.

Crosby’s career as a highly regarded artist, creating art through the photographic medium, achieved extraordinary recognition and accomplishments, including
exhibitions and collections across the United States.

"Experimentally expressive, yet often deeply personal, Crosby’s work revels in playfully capturing the visual layers that surround people every day," Carrier said. "She then builds on this idea by constructing scenes that juxtapose three-dimensional settings with two-dimensional objects, calling into question the reality of sight and confirming the validity of photography as a tool for visual metaphor."

Crosby taught generations of students at area colleges including 38 years as a faculty member at Hillsborough Community College's Ybor Campus. She also taught at the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida and St. Petersburg College.

In addition to teaching, Crosby was responsible for the curriculum development of HCC’S photography program in the visual arts department and served as program manager for the arts and dance departments from 2000 to 2015.

Croby's accomplishments as an educator were formally recognized in 2019 when she was awarded the designation of professor emeritus for Hillsborough Community College.

Other recognitions include selection as the city of Tampa photo laureate in 2004, and recipient of the Hillsborough County Artist Grant in 1991, the Florida Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship in 1979 and 1988, and the Southeast Artist Fellowship for the National Endowment for the Arts and Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in 1978.

Crosby left behind an extensive and visually dynamic body of work. This exhibition is created to honor her legacy.

A panel discussion on the exhibit will take place Friday, June 24, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The panel will feature artists and friends of Camp Crosby’s including Barton Gilmore, award-winning photographer and professor at St. Petersburg College and USF; Rebecca Sexton Larson, Tampa-based award-winning studio artist specializing in alternative processes and curator; and Lori Ballard, award-winning and nationally recognized photographer.

Admission is free and the discussion is open to the public. Click here.

Museum hours are:

• Monday: noon to 5 p.m.
• Tuesday: noon to 5 p.m.
• Wednesday: noon to 5 p.m.
• Thursday: noon to 5 p.m.
• Friday: noon to 7 p.m.
• Saturday: noon to 5 p.m.
• Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.

Admission is free for museum members, $10 for adults and $8 for students/military/seniors.