Tampa Bay artist Highlight
SHARED LOVE OF ART KEEPS TAMPA BAY VISIBLE IN KEY EUROPEAN TRAVEL MARKETS
Tampa Artist Dylan Perry’s Art Among Initiatives to Entice European Travelers
Tampa, FL (July 30, 2025) – The shared love and appreciation for street art was the focus of Visit Tampa Bay’s most recent European Marketing and PR initiative when Tampa Bay artist Dylan Perry debuted major installations in both Amsterdam and Hamburg this month.
Like Tampa Bay, Amsterdam has a passion for murals and graffiti as art forms and the STRAAT Museum--Dutch for street--was the ideal venue for Perry to paint and unveil ‘Twin Bloom’, using two large shipping containers as a canvas for his Tampa Bay- and Amsterdam-inspired work on July 9.
The next day Perry brought his talent for large format murals that combine dynamism and socially relevant themes to the Millerntor Gallery in Hamburg, Germany. As part of an ongoing and expanded partnership with Bundesliga football club, FC St Pauli, Perry brought Tampa Bay’s flair to Hamburg’s cultural landscape when he created a work that artistically interprets the connection between culture, sport, and social commitment. As one of 40 artists selected by the Millerntor Gallery, Perry’s mural with be on display for the next 12 months in the soccer stadium.
“Traveling over to Hamburg and Amsterdam to paint murals in collaboration with Visit Tampa Bay was truly a unique and life-changing experience,” said Perry. “In Hamburg at the Millerntor Gallery, it was great to paint alongside so many talented artists. The experience made me feel instantly connected to the other artists, many of whom I now consider friends, reminding me of the close-knit art scene here in Tampa. In Amsterdam, I actually couldn’t believe that I was live painting two shipping containers at The STRAAT Museum surrounded by so many legendary works of art. It was great to interact with patrons during viewing hours and give them some insight into my process as well. It’s amazing how art brings us all together…whether it’s a small canvas…or huge shipping containers!”
Both events in Amsterdam and Hamburg provided Visit Tampa Bay with a platform to host continued ongoing outreach efforts with tour operators, airline executives and trade and consumer media to update the markets on the latest happenings in Tampa Bay.
Visit Tampa Bay has long emphasized Tampa’s art scene and creative culture to lure discerning European travelers to the destination, and potential visitors can expect that to continue as the organization prepares to serve as the official destination sponsor of the London Art Fair for the second year in a row. Renowned Tampa Bay artist Ya La’ford’s bold and inspiring artwork brought Tampa Bay’s dynamic and vibrant spirit to the 2025 iteration of the event, and 2026 promises more of the same.
Tampa Bay’s artistic connection to professional European soccer includes the United Kingdom as well, where Perry led interactive art activities during last year’s fair as well, with Visit Tampa Bay-sponsored Brentford Football Club at the Globe Theatre.
While Visit Tampa Bay has tapped into Tampa Bay and Europe’s mutual affinity for art and soccer, their President and CEO emphasizes these efforts are part of a whole litany of tactics designed to showcase the region’s appeal to European travelers.
“Utilizing high impact and popular social opportunities such as art and soccer are important instruments in our tool kit for important European markets like the Netherlands and Germany,” said Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “The activations, which are part of larger advertising efforts, are essential in showing our support to the airlines, travel trade and consumers as we continue our data-driven and research-based sales and marketing initiatives to deliver economic impact to Tampa Bay and our hospitality partners.”
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