Gala Corina began in 1999 as a group of artists and architects who wanted to show their work outside the traditional gallery structure.
The first exhibition was held in the Corina Cigar Factory, where 22 artists presented painting, drawing, architecture, furniture, photography, sculpture and spoken word to a crowd of roughly 500 supporters.
In the years that followed, the exhibitions moved through historic buildings and Tampa neighborhoods—warehouses, cigar factories, a former church and industrial places became venues for creativity and expression.
The work was diverse, and the center held. Creative energy, public space and the belief that a city will make room for its own beauty and talent.