Creative Pinellas seeks items for exhibit honoring those who died during COVID-19 pandemic

LARGO, Fla. - Creative Pinellas is reaching out to the community for items to be featured in an upcoming exhibit that will honor those who have passed way over the last two years from COVID-19 and other causes.

"I think for a lot of people, grief became very private and in isolation and that this would be an opportunity for healing and for us coming together as a community," Barbara St. Clair, CEO of Creative Pinellas said.

"THE THINGS THEY LEFT BEHIND: Grief, Discovery, and Remembrance" is a community curated exhibition. Creative Pinellas is asking for people to lend items to be featured in the exhibit like artwork, photographs, handwritten recipes, journals, handmade clothing or anything else that is meaningful and gives a glimpse of the people being remembered.

Suzanne Lambert Ruley is the inspiration behind the exhibit. She died last January from COVID-19 and was a major advocate of the arts community as well as an artist. Her husband said he started going through her work after she passed.

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"And so, I started documenting all her artwork. And I think that kind of morphed into this," Matthew Ruley said.

Ruley is contributing some of the work created by his wife of 25 years to the exhibit. He believes it will provide healing to their family and this community.

"I've always been very proud of her work, because she was very talented, and she was about giving to others and making people happy," Ruley said.

You can bring items to the Gallery at Creative Pinellas, which is at 12211 Walsingham Blvd. through Sunday, April 17.

Items can also be dropped off at the below locations:

• Visit Gulfport, Florida (Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce): 3101 Beach Blvd S #1, Gulfport, FL 337
• Central Pinellas Chamber of Commerce: 801 W Bay Dr #602, Largo, FL 33770
• Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce: Chamber (SC) Building, 9200 113th St, Seminole, FL 33772
• St. Petersburg Area Chamber Of Commerce: 100 2nd Ave N #150, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
• Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce: 200 Main St, Safety Harbor, FL 34695

The exhibition opens May 12 and run through June 26.