FloridaRAMA Offers Maker Mondays, A New Series Of Creative Workshops In St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — There's not usually a lot going on Mondays in St. Petersburg, especially in the arts, but FloridaRAMA is hoping to change that.

The immersive art attraction has launched Maker Mondays, a new summer series of hands-on workshops designed to bring local artists and the community together for creative nights inside the destination's colorful world.

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The series features workshops on Mondays throughout the summer, each led by a local artist or maker and inspired, in part, by the imagery and themes found throughout the attraction.

"We have multiple partners that we're working with in the community, and they've really been a lot of fun," Jessica Baird, FloridaRAMA's business development manager, told Patch.

The workshops, held from 6 to 8 p.m., are designed to be accessible to beginners while giving participants the opportunity to create something they can take home.

Admission to FloridaRAMA for the day is included with each $80 workshop ticket, along with the two-hour class and the materials needed to complete the project.

The series kicked off with a resin and wood beach tray workshop. Upcoming workshops include watercolor jellyfish, ocean-inspired resin art, stained glass projects and more.

This Monday's workshop features textile artist Emilie Hernandez teaching attendees how to make a handmade heirloom mermaid doll.

Other workshops will feature stained-glass artist Art Peña, who has created projects specifically inspired by FloridaRAMA, including a UFO on Aug. 17 and a strawberry cupcake on Sept. 14.

She also led a recent workshop in which participants created stained-glass flamingo plant sticks.

"Everyone loved their flamingo plant stick," Baird said.

Another upcoming workshop in September will invite participants to create owl alien magnets.

The projects are intentionally connected to FloridaRAMA's offbeat, colorful and distinctly Florida-inspired environment, Baird said.

"This is definitely what all of the different makers and artists used as inspiration for their specific class," she said. "So, it is tailored to FloridaRAMA."

Baird hopes that the arts destination will grow the series, noting, "We definitely hope to elaborate on Maker Mondays in the future."

The motivation is twofold, she added: to support local artists while creating a fun and welcoming space for people to try something new.