By Nick Smith
‘Talent always has to be developed,’ says Jayson Kretzer, Executive Director for the Bay Arts Alliance in Panama City. His own talent seems boundless – he’s a cartoonist, designer, comic book creator, fantasy writer, event organizer and founder of the Panama City Creative Conference, a decade-old convention that brings creative people from all walks of life together in Bay County.
At the Panama City Center for the Arts on East 4th Street, the latest initiative to develop talent is a digital lab equipped with computers, digital art tools, and a green screen, with a video component in the offing.
‘I think of art in a very wide spectrum,’ says Kretzer, who wants to incorporate video game coding, animation and projection mapping, the creation of interactive displays, all looking to the future where technology will play an increasing part in art-making. ‘Colleges have those opportunities but if you’re not enrolled in college, there’s not a whole lot available in the digital art fields,’ says Kretzer. ‘Our lab is the first of its kind in the county. We’ll be teaching classes, have tutors for one-on-ones with kids, and open up the lab for artists and a social digital drawing night.’
The idea is to provide resources to artists of all experience levels. The lab will run alongside the Center’s pottery and painting studios. It’s all part of the Bay Arts Alliance’s drive to build a thriving, inclusive creative community in the area. ‘The grass is always greener where you water and fertilize it,’ says Kretzer. ‘After Hurricane Michael, we’re planting seeds. I want to be in a place where people get creative.’
It’s impossible to fathom the far reach of Michael’s devastating effect. Two and a half years after the hurricane hit, Bay County is still picking up the pieces. For example, the Marina Civic Center, where the Creative Con was last held, suffered major structural damage. The art venues that did survive and recover were further affected by COVID. Thankfully, there’s a real sense of recovery this year with a mural project, small-scale but successful events like the Florida Luxe Arts Festival, and the new digital lab at the Center.
Despite so many challenges to face and initiatives to juggle, Kretzer stays galvanized. ‘When I finish something, get a mural done, finish a comic book, that feeling keeps me motivated,’ he says. But Kretzer is not one to rest on his laurels. As soon as he’s done with one project, he jumps on another one.
‘We are going into Phase 2 of our mural project,’ he explains. The Alliance is looking for artists so that when it gets a wall to paint, it can match participants to each project. The first phase, ‘opened up our local artists’ eyes,’ he says. ‘They saw all the energy happening and said, “Hey I can do that!” It expanded their horizons.’
Kretzer is also trying to reboot Creative Con in mid-November 2021 after a few years’ hiatus, pairing it with the Public Eye Soar art festival at Gulf Coast State College. ‘I did not want to do it online,’ he says. ‘Creative Con shows there are so many creative career paths out there. You don’t have to work for Marvel, you can do storyboards for movies and commercials. There are all kinds of jobs for illustrators.’
Kretzer is a testament to that, lending his imaginative talents to everything from cola advertisements to political campaigns to storyboards for pharmaceutical companies. His willingness to pass his knowledge on to local artists makes him a driving force in the area. ‘Passion and perseverance are the keys,’ he advises. ‘If you love something and stick with it, you’re going to be good at it.’
To find out more about the digital lab and other resources at the Panama City Center for the Arts, visit www.pccenterforthearts.com or email [email protected]
