“The Master of Imperfection”

Gerry Florida, owner of Florida Recycled is a community-minded and award-winning artist who advocates for creative development in therapeutic rehabilitation as well as in personal, cultural, and community development. She is the Artist Facilitator for Allegheny County Shuman Juvenile Detention Center and the creator of Studio Blue at Shuman Center and its 4 satellite sites.  Studio Blue and its satellite sites operate as resident-run art studios for at-risk youth, teaching participants art, crafts, and trade skills and providing them with an opportunity to use these skills on community enriching art projects that contribute to community service hours. Through her 10 year experience, she learned early that to successfully reach her students she had to delete all expectations that she could evoke change in any individual but instead realized that she could serve as the catalyst to “ignite” them and equip them with the belief, desire and skills to change themselves.

Gerry uses sustainable, recycled, vintage, and contemporary materials in her own art and educates using the imperfection of the materials as the catalyst for creating beauty…which serves as a subliminal parallel to creating a beautiful outcome within students’ own lives. Gerry has coordinated a network of partners, working with Allegheny County 5TH Family Division Courts, Allegheny County Probation, Allegheny County CISP Program, Construction Junction, Carnegie Mellon Osher, the Craftsmen’s’ Guild of Pittsburgh, City Theatre, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Spectrum Charter School, Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind,  Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, Store Express, the National Partnership for Juvenile Services, the Juvenile Detention and Alternatives Programs as well as numerous others, to bring the challenges of at-risk populations to the forefront. These robust partnerships create awareness of the needs of at-risk youth, seniors, and special needs populations for better rehabilitative outcomes, more integrated communities, and safer neighborhoods.

In 2016 Shuman Juvenile Detention Center partnered with Gerry Florida of Florida Recycle to create community and empowerment projects through a more therapeutic and artistic approach. Gerry spearheaded the creation of Shuman Center Studio Blue at Shuman Center, a resident run art space where youth learn art, craft and trade skills and then use the acquired skills to benefit the community through public and non-profit participation.  Youth utilize their discovered talents constructively contributing to their positive development by building self-worth, purpose and esteem as well as  positioning themselves as valuable members of their communities through their contributions to community oriented projects.

Studio Blue began with the launching of two successful community projects in 2016:

• The “Furniture Exchange and Revamp “a program where non-profit resale shops deliver distressed furniture to Shuman Center where residents learn to artistically paint and revamp it. Upon completion the pieces are sent back to the donating organization and sold in their resale shops with 100 percent of proceeds benefiting the organization’s community programs. Residents acquire community service credit for their contributions while detained.
• The ”Why Art” Port Authority Bus Billboard project proudly displayed the collaborative efforts of residents over a two year period creating 24 posters that traveled the Pittsburgh area on rear of Port Authority buses in the 2017 and 2018. The “Why Art” project sent a public message that addressed the importance of art in the development of our lives, communities and culture while the beautiful images softened the stigma and stereotype attached to at-risk youth.

In 2018 Studio Blue partnered with Construction Junction and opened is second location where Florida continues to work with residents once released. Both Studio Blue at Shuman Center and Studio Blue at Construction Junction serve as official community service sites. The Construction Junction location services youth from the Allegheny County Shuman Center, Holy Family Academy and CISP (Community Intensive Supervision Program)

In 2019 Gerry partnered Studio Blue with Crossing Limits for the “ I too am Pittsburgh” bus poetry project  that will highlight the poetic insights of 60 Pittsburgh residents throughout Pittsburgh neighborhoods and display them on the inside of Port Authority buses in the fall of 2019. Shuman Center residents will create 15 of the 60 poems and will create all 60 of the artworks that will creatively illustrate and compliment the poems.

Gerry’s partnership throughput the city have reached state and national recognition advocating for the inclusion of at-risk populations in the holistic development of communities for better recovery outcomes.

YOU TUBE Studio Blue Shuman Center with Gerry Florida and Rich Gordon

REMAKE LEARNING-Gerry Florida

Live Creatively!… Create the boxes everyone thinks out of!.