The deep impact of the cultural arts in heard and felt all over Tampa Bay, Big things are happening and more to come in short order. Tampa Bay has a great deal to be proud of, such as the phenomenal boom of the cultural arts in Downtown Tampa. Some recent highlights are:

• A new and smaller Tampa Museum of Art facility will finally open after fifteen years of talking and planning.
• The Tampa Museum of Art membership groups, the Friends of the Arts (FOTA) and Exhibitionists died off completely, in time for the new building to open.
• The only art gallery in the neighborhood, Orange Park Gallery went out of business recently.
• The huge annual grass roots community arts showcase Gala Corina will not be happening for a second year in a row.
• The Booty Art Expo, a poorly executed imitation of a successful show in Miami was born and died in a short time.
• The annual Kaleidoscope Festival for children also ceased operations this year.
• Several prominent local artists moved out of state.
• The Downtown Gallery hop so celebrated several years ago had to cease operations some time ago when no galleries were remaining downtown.

The arts and culture committee of the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber Partnership will be handing out awards for cultural success this week at their annual and only meeting of the year.