He showed them his, they showed him theirs, and now the public gets to see them all
Newest exhibition at the USF Centre Gallery showcases yearlong collaborative project
by Thayesha Lewin

TAMPA, Fla.―The flyers printed for the “I’ll Show You Mine, You Show Me Yours” art exhibition in the Centre Gallery shows artist Adam Kitzerow in a comical photo where he flashes open his trench coat at a shocked young woman reading on a park bench. The image matches the humorous, edgy and surprising characteristics of his collaborative project that involves artists from all over the country.

The Centre Gallery, located on the second floor of the Marshall Student Center at USF, will showcase a portion of Kitzerow’s long-term project until Oct. 1. The reception will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24.

The project began in the fall of 2009 when Kitzerow created a series of identical foam sculptures on top of a round canvas and colored with acrylic paint. A medium he has used in previous works that were featured at the USF Contemporary Art Museum, foam is a material he finds interesting to shape and work with.

“It almost always creates unique and organic shapes. It is also very versatile in that it can be painted on, carved up, and added to,” said Kitzerow.

Once he completed the sculptures, he shipped them off to artist friends across the U.S. who wanted to get involved in the project. They were encouraged to alter the sculpture however they wanted. There were no rules or limitations. Finally, the artists sent the sculptures back to Kitzerow. One piece was shipped all the way from Alaska. Others didn’t have to travel too far.

“Some local Tampa artists gave them back to me in person,” said Kitzerow.

The pieces range from simple and fun to bizarre and elaborate. While one altered sculpture is adorned with precious handcrafted flowers and rhinestones, another is placed on top of a pedestal made of penises. The works contrast each other, an element that Kitzerow strives for in his own art.

According to the artist's statement on his website, AdamKitzerow.com, he believes art can be “both funny and mean, well crafted and sloppy, beautiful and ugly.” The transformed pieces are different than the original and separate from one another, an example of the creative diversity of human minds.

Kitzerow hopes the show will “create interesting discussions on where the project could go and what it means to each individual.”

He has been a board member for the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, and is currently the executive director of SuperTest, a non-profit arts organization in Tampa Bay. Kitzerow received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Maine College of Art in 2004 and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of South Florida in 2008.

He believes that USF has an excellent art program but wishes that like Portland, Maine, the city of Tampa had “a collection of galleries that are within walking distance” in order “to allow art lovers to travel to all of the galleries and enjoy as much art as possible without too much hassle.”