Tampa Tour De Clay

Kimberli Burns Cummings is a ceramic artist from Tampa, Florida. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of South Florida, she performed in sitcoms, commercials, theatre productions, and taught acting for several years before leaning heavily into clay in 1991.

 After losing both her taste and smell in 2012, Kimberli’s remaining senses were clearly heightened. Among other delights, the many Florida birds she had once taken for granted became a well of joy to her senses. Today, this pleasure outlet can be found on a number of her pieces.

Kimberli was awarded an Artist Grant from the Arts Council of Hillsborough Country, allowing her to fulfill the dream of having an around-the-clock studio at home. She built a glazing and finishing studio inside her home and a studio for throwing and firing in the garage, grabbing what little space was once allotted to her husband, Bill.

Kimberli is most honored to have been chosen as a Gasparilla Festival of Arts; Local Spotlight Artist and to have won Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2023-24; Best Ceramicist of Tampa Bay. She was thrilled to be featured by the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (N.A.R.M.) after her majolica glazed soup tureen – featuring the beloved Ybor City roosters – was awarded First Place at Florida Craft Art Gallery’s juried exhibition, Epicurean Delights. Other honors given at exhibitions at Florida CraftArt Gallery include Executive Director Award, Second Place, People’s Choice Award, and several awards from Las Damas de Arte’s Sunday in the Arts annual show, in which she’s participated for 35 years, serving as President for three terms. This coming  year marks the 20th anniversary of Art Extravaganza, a collaborative, multi disciplinary show in S. Tampa.

Each custom order Kimberli creates involves many hours of loved labor over the course of weeks. In all her custom work, she pieces together stories told to her over email, in conversations, and through photos. The final works of art, she hopes, will serve as her lasting legacy; personal storytelling on fired clay, made of this earth, and created from her heart to bring everlasting joy to others.

 KimberliPottery.com