TAMPA — Ya La’ford has been an artist since she was in her mother’s womb.
“She says she could feel my feet drumming on the inside of her stomach,” said La’ford.
La’ford’s work has been featured around the world.
And now she’ll be representing Tampa at the London Arts Fair.
“We are putting the paint on the canvas. We are taking it outside so that it can feel the weather so that it can actually become a part of Florida, so to speak,” she said.
England sends more tourists to the Tampa area than any other country in the world and Visit Tampa Bay spends a lot of time and money advertising there.
They’ve teamed up with soccer teams, and wrapped London taxis, and now CEO Santiago Corrada says they are the official destination partner of the London Arts Fair.
“Their artists have done work here. Now, our artists get to do some work over there. And the exposure for our local artists and the destination is doublefold,” said La’ford.
Lifelong Tampa Bay resident Dylan Perryis headed to London, too, and will lead an interactive art activity.
“London Art Fair is pretty prestigious, so I’m honored that I was even an idea in someone's brain that, hey, you should go here,” said Perry.
La’ford is still putting the finishing touches on the works she will take to England.
“I think this universal language that we are trying to find here though the language of art is going to resonate with the people of London, or at least we hope so,” said La’ford.
Visit Tampa Bay is spending more than a million dollars to advertise in London.
The London Art Fair starts on January 22.
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