Wendy Harding spent decades advocating for artists and local makers throughout the Tampa Bay Area, promoting their work, supporting their businesses, and helping creative communities flourish. Although Wendy passed away last year, her generous, imaginative, and caring spirit continues to inspire us.In her honor, Florida in Art has established this annual award for artists whose work reflects the vitality and diversity of Florida’s artistic community.Artists (all mediums: painting, ceramics, photography, sculpture) are invited to create an original piece—no larger than 20 inches in its longest dimension—that responds to the theme: The Sacred Feminine: First Healers, First Midwives, First Guides — From the Dawn of Humanity to Tomorrow. This theme calls artists to explore the enduring presence of the Sacred Feminine across time, culture, and imagination. From prehistoric mothers who tended the first fires, to midwives who safeguarded birth, to healers who carried ancestral knowledge, the Sacred Feminine has always been a force of guidance, protection, and renewal. Artists may interpret the theme through:mythology, ancestry, and origin stories, midwifery, healing practices, and ritual knowledge, migration, memory, and generational transmission, feminine strength, resilience, and spiritual leadership, visions of the future shaped by feminine wisdom. Works may be symbolic, figurative, abstract, or conceptual. The goal is to honor the women—real or imagined—who have carried humanity from its earliest beginnings into the possibilities of tomorrow.

 

In Loving MemoryGwendolyn Harding 11/30/1959 – 05/21/2025

 

Art Exhibition & Award Reception: September 12th, 2026 6pm to 8pm

Location and Duration: 7 days exhibition and reception at Arts Xchange located at 515 22nd St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712