Attorney Michael Cavendish is presenting "Hot-N-Fresh," an exhibition of street art in the Founders Food Court upstairs at the Landing.
It all started when Cavendish walked across the street from his office at the Gunster Law Firm to have lunch.
"I went to the food court to get a slice of pizza. I saw an empty food court stall and thought it would be a great place to serve up some art to the public."
Cavendish and his wife, Michele, a dentist with a practice along West Adams Street, collect modern art.
"Street art started about 30 years ago. It is a form that gives the artist a way to directly communicate with the public as opposed to an exhibition in an art gallery," said Cavendish.
He said the genre's roots are graffiti, which could be considered vandalism, but the movement has evolved to the point that property owners often grant artists permission to use their buildings as a canvas.
"In 21st-century America, it's the most dynamic art form. It's the successor to modernism and it's where the action is in art right now," Cavendish said.
Artists represented in the exhibit are Aaron Brick, Kyle Brooks, gilf!, Larry Holland, Edwin McSwine, Ryan Mellick, Billy Mode and Chris Stain.
The Landing has a history of being open to non-traditional art forms and new ways to exhibit art. Lowe said the riverfront retail and entertainment center was the site of some of the first "Off the Grid" galleries that allow artists to display their work economically and without a long-term lease commitment.
"Michael came to the office one day and we started talking about what he wanted to do. I asked him if he wanted a storefront or if he wanted to paint a mural on a wall. Michael wanted the food court," said Landing General Manager Janice Lowe.
"The Landing is like an open book. We'll try anything once and if it doesn't work, we'll try it again," she said.
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