ST. PETERSBURG, FL — When artist and curator Chad Mize shut down his Uptown arts venue, the Mize Gallery, at the end of last year, he was looking forward to having the time and space to focus on other projects.
“I was ready for a break from that,” he told Patch.
Then St. Petersburg Distillery approached him about transforming a large industrial space at their 28th Street S. property into an arts destination.
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Mize couldn’t say “no” to the opportunity and jumped into creating the new venue at 855 28th Street S.
“This just came into my lap. This was kind of a dream to have a space this size,” he said.
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He named the venue, which formerly housed a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority bus depot, Space.
“Because I wanted to be open ended to all types of things,” he said. “I’m calling it ‘barebones authentic.’ I love being at the Space. I love the size of it. I haven’t installed any lighting. … You can be messy in it. I pressure washed soot off the walls, but didn’t want to paint it. It’s so much larger than my gallery. I was so confined in my small 900-square-foot spot.”
The building’s size with its high ceilings allows Mize to explore other types of art projects, including sculptural works, projection, large-scale installations and theatrical elements.
He said, “For me it’s like a dream to think big and offer more than just 2-D artwork on the wall, which is what I’ve done for so long.”
He started off by hosting quarterly events at Space and kicked them off in March with a show headlined by the artist Bask, who he represents.
His next show is LGBTQ+ pride-themed, which he’s hosted every June no matter which venue he’s run, whether Mize Gallery, his previous gallery, Blue Lucy, or now, Space.
The show, “Hot Box,” opens this weekend. The name is a nod to the theme, as well as the space itself.
“The meaning is two-fold. We knew it was going to be hot in the summer and we knew we didn’t have AC in the spot,” he said. “But it also refers to the hot-button issues happening currently in the LGBTQ+ community — banned books, trans rights, drag queens.”
Many, but not all, of the artists participating are part of the LGBTQ+ communities.
The show, featuring works by 40 artists, kicks off Friday night, from 7 to 11 p.m., with performances by Dirty John’s, literary readings hosted by Tyler Gillespie and featuring Gloria Muñoz, Ripp Lee and Patrick Arthur Jackson, food trucks and vendors, and more.
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Space will also be open to the public Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m., during Second Saturday Artwalk, and again Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Because there are drag performances on Friday and Saturday night, the venue is open only to those 18 and older those days.
“Which is crazy to think we have to do that,” Mize said.
He’s hosting a family-friendly weekend at Space on June 17-18. The venue will be open that weekend from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
“Hot Box” is an opportunity to use art as a form of activism, Mize said.
“We need to stand up. I think we feel like we’re going back in time a bit, but I feel like we need to be strong and do it appropriately, too,” he said. “For me, it’s also about doing it with humor in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way, where you can get your voice out with a smile. We’ve got to laugh before we cry, right?”
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