St. Petersburg, FL – FloridaRAMA is honored to present a solo show of work of Latonya Hicks called Excavating Self: Retrieving and Reinventing. This powerful exhibition of wall mounted mixed media assemblages explores themes of memory, identity and transformation. Coinciding with Women’s History Month, the exhibition celebrates the powerful narratives of womanhood, legacy and cultural connection through the deeply personal and often autobiographical lens of artist Latonya Hicks.
The exhibition runs from March 1st through April 30th with a Conversation with Latonya Hicks on Friday, May 2nd, from 6-8 pm.
In Excavating Self: Retrieving and Reinventing, Hicks embarks on a journey of self-discovery and preservation, using found, gifted and discarded artifacts to construct layered narratives. Describing her artistic process as a form of archaeology, Hicks uncovers and reimagines fragments of personal and cultural histories, transforming them into powerful visual stories of connection, discovery and legacy.
This series is especially poignant as Hicks navigates life without her family’s matron historians. Her works resonate with nostalgia, celebrating vibrant patterns, keepsakes and the warmth of her grandmothers—her “leading ladies”—whose kitchens were sanctuaries of power, love and identity. Through a unique blend of autobiography and fiction, Hicks’s assemblages capture the complexities of identity and memory, weaving together reality and imagination to reflect a fractured yet evolving wholeness.
“For me, creating art is akin to archaeology—a process of discovery and preservation,” Hicks explains. “I invite the audience on a journey of excavation and reinvention—a metaphorical archaeological dig into my experiences and shared histories. By unearthing material remnants of others, I create meaningful connections between objects that represent lived experiences.”
About Latonya Hicks
Born in Georgia and raised in Florida, Latonya Hicks is a mixed media artist of color whose work explores
objects as an accumulation of human experience and personal narratives. Drawing inspiration from Joseph Cornell’s poetic assemblages, Mickalene Thomas’s reclamation of identity, and Betye Saar’s interweaving of memory and spirituality, Hicks masterfully transforms historical fragments into reimagined stories.
Hicks’s formative years were deeply influenced by her grandmothers’ homes in Macon, safe havens where her identity was affirmed and celebrated. This legacy is intricately woven into her art, serving as a record of continued self-discovery.
Beyond her artistic practice, Hicks is a dedicated educator, serving as the Secondary Visual Art Coordinator for Pinellas County Schools. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, affiliated with Tufts University, and has significantly impacted K-12 art education. Recognized for her leadership, she has held prominent roles, including President of the Florida Art Education Association and National Art Education Association Secondary Division Director-Elect.
Her work has been exhibited throughout the Tampa Bay area, including the Tampa Museum of Art, Morean Art Center Fresh Squeezed 7, Dunedin Fine Art Center, and Gallery at Creative Pinellas, earning accolades such as Best in Show and a Creative Pinellas Arts Impact Fund Recipient. This body of work was produced with the support of Creative Pinellas and Pinellas County.
Exhibition Details:
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Exhibition Dates: March 1 – April 30
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A Conversation with Latonya Hicks: Thursday, Friday, May 2nd, 6-8 pm
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Location: FloridaRAMA Gallery: 2606 Fairfield Ave S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712
About FloridaRAMA
Part museum, part theme park and part digital playground, FloridaRAMA is an arts and entertainment destination with an immersive art experience, rental venue and gallery space located in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District. The destination is designed for all ages and interests and invites everyone to explore the intersection of creativity, technology and culture. Inside FloridaRAMA, guests find an immersive art experience created in collaboration with more than 75 artists, most of them local, boasting a captivating world of playful exhibits that celebrate original Florida stories. Outside of the experience, guests are invited to partake in a robust calendar of events, explore the art gallery and take in the cultural campus. Located at 2606 Fairfield Ave S., FloridaRAMA is Tampa Bay’s most unique venue offering an expansive menu of options for guests to host their next event. For more information please visit www.floridarama.art and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.
