Cool Pinellas Videos

Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse have been making art collaboratively for over 22 years. They make two-dimensional and three-dimensional place-appropriate art that focuses on water and water related issues. Museums, private collectors, commercial developers, and state and local governments collect and commission their work. During their years of collaboration, Stackhouse and Mickett have been featured guest artists at the International Print Symposium in Cortona, Italy, completed a 160 ton Indiana limestone sculpture for the Michael Graves Artspark in Indianapolis, installed a twenty-eight foot bronze walk-through sculpture commissioned by the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, TN, and created a 42-foot long walk-through stainless steel and glass sculpture with a 72 foot long mosaic of the rapids of the James River in the lobby of Gateway Plaza in downtown, Richmond, VA.

Carol Mickett worked for over a decade in academia, holds her Ph.D. in philosophy, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated summa cum laude. Robert Stackhouse holds an MA in art from the University of Maryland and an honorary doctorate from University of South Florida, his alma mater. His individual work can be found in museum collections around the world including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery in Washington, DC, and The National Gallery of Australia.

Dr. Jyotika Virmani is the Executive Director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The Schmidt Ocean Institute is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit operating foundation established to advance oceanographic research, discovery, and knowledge, and catalyze sharing of information about the oceans. More on this Institute in a moment. Prior to joining the Schmidt Ocean Institute, Jyotika was the Executive Direct of Planet & Environment at XPRIZE and the Rainforest XPRIZE, a competition for innovations in biodiversity assessment technologies. She was also the Executive Director of the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE to spur innovation of unmanned and autonomous deep-sea technologies that are focused on the mapping of the seafloor by 2030. She was the Associate Director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography and is a much-followed hurricane blogger. Dr. Virmani has her PhD in Physical Oceanography from the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida.

Join us for the first in a series of panel discussions being offered during Expanding Waters, an art exhibition by Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse, that creates a story in 2 and 3 dimensions about the current state of our waters. This panel discussion aims to explain what climate change and sea level rise are and how it affects us. Art and science are partners in the creative process. Both offer different ways of expressing our understanding of our world and our lives. The panel will be hosted by artist Carol Mickett and will be made up of representatives from the Pinellas Extension as well as other environmental experts.


Carol Mickett, Ph.D., is an artist and part of a collaborative art team with Robert Stackhouse. Mickett and Stackhouse make paintings, prints, and large-scale site-appropriate sculpture focusing on water, its influences, and all that influence it. Museums, private collectors, commercial developers, and public agencies commission their work. Mickett worked for over a decade in academia, holds her Ph.D. in philosophy, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated summa cum laude. Mickett received numerous grants, presents lectures, performs in theater productions, and has published essays, poems, and interviews in Canadian Philosophical Review, Hypatia, Prairie Schooner, and New Letters among others. She was the host/curator of Our Town at the Dali Museum and the host/producer of Art Radio in Kansas City, MO. She sits on the Tarpon Springs Sustainability Board, the Pinellas County Urban League Board and is, with Robert Stackhouse, the 2020 Creative Pinellas Artist Laureate.


Libby Carnahan, CC-P® (Climate Change Professional®)
Florida Sea Grant Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas CountyLibby Carnahan is the Florida Sea Grant Agent for UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County. She holds her Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®) credential from the Association of Climate Change Officers. She is founder and co-facilitator of the Tampa Bay Climate Science Advisory Panel, CSAP that covers the 7-county region. She is also an active leader and member of the Gulf of Mexico Climate and Resilience Community of Practice and is serving on the Program Committee for the 2022 National Adaptation Forum. Carnahan holds an MS in Marine Science from the University of South Florida (2005) and a BS in Biology from Truman State University (1998).

Dr. Gary Mitchum
Associate Dean, Professor Physical Oceanography, USF College of Marine ScienceGary Mitchum is presently a Professor of Physical Oceanography and the Associate Dean in the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida. He received his PhD from the Department of Oceanography at the Florida State University in 1984 and spent 11 years in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii as a member of the research faculty and the Director of the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center. He has published on a wide variety of topics in ocean physics, but his research interests primarily emphasize short-term climate variability, ranging from season-to-season changes to year-to-year changes to long-term sea level rise. Over the past decade or so he has spent a substantial amount of time advising local, regional, and state decision makers and practitioners on sea level change issues.

Dr. Davina Passeri, Research Oceanographer, U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science CenterDr. Davina Passeri received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Central Florida. Her research is concentrated in numerical modeling of tides, waves, hurricane storm surge and barrier island evolution. Her projects are focused on understanding how the coast may evolve in future under drivers such as extreme storms and sea level rise, as well as assessing restoration options to enhance coastal resilience. The results from her work are used to improve the scientific knowledge on the effects of short- and long-term drivers in coastal evolution and to inform coastal management decision-making.

Join us for the second Science Panel being held as part of the Expanding Waters Exhibition which focuses on climate change and sea level rise. Artist Carol Mickett hosts a panel of scientists and environmental experts to discuss what steps we can do in our daily lives to help mitigate the warming and rising of our waters.

Carol Mickett, Ph.D., is an artist and part of a collaborative art team with Robert Stackhouse. Mickett and Stackhouse make paintings, prints, and large-scale site-appropriate sculpture focusing on water, its influences, and all that influence it. Museums, private collectors, commercial developers, and public agencies commission their work. Mickett worked for over a decade in academia, holds her Ph.D. in philosophy, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated summa cum laude. Mickett received numerous grants, presents lectures, performs in theater productions, and has published essays, poems, and interviews in Canadian Philosophical Review, Hypatia, Prairie Schooner, and New Letters among others. She was the host/curator of Our Town at the Dali Museum and the host/producer of Art Radio in Kansas City, MO. She sits on the Tarpon Springs Sustainability Board, the Pinellas County Urban League Board and is, with Robert Stackhouse, the 2020 Creative Pinellas Art Laureate.


Susan Glickman, Florida Director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) Susan has worked with Southern Alliance for Clean Energy since 2001 and was named Florida Director in August 2013. Susan directs SACE’s Action Fund in the Sunshine State. A native of Florida, Susan has consulted with many national organizations such as Natural Resources Defense Council, Ceres, Advanced Energy Economy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Environmental Defense Fund. She developed and directed The Florida Business Network for a Clean Energy Economy, a coalition of business leaders working together to advance the clean energy economy. Susan was appointed by both Governors Rick Scott and Charlie Crist to the Florida Commission on Volunteer Service. She was Founding Chair of The Florida Commission on the Status of Women.

Dory Larson, Electric Transportation Program Manager, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE)Dory joined the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in 2017 in the newly created role as Electric Vehicle Program Associate and was promoted to Electric Transportation Program Manager in 2020. She is working to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles by promoting the growth of electric vehicle ownership and supporting EV friendly policy and programs. Central to her work is educating and engaging stakeholders, identifying strategic policy to propel EV usage, and advocating for comprehensive EV infrastructure. She serves on the Board of Drive Electric Florida and Chairs the Tarpon Springs Sustainability Advisory Committee.

Doris Heitzmann, UF/IFAS Extension, Pinellas County. Doris Heitzmann is the Program Manager of the Florida Friendly Landscaping™ Program for Pinellas County. The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program is a University of Florida/IFAS Extension outreach program that teaches homeowners how to design and maintain sustainable landscapes using principles that are Florida-friendly. Doris specializes in educating Community Association members on how to change landscape practices and design concepts to protect the area’s water resources, while still creating and maintaining attractive and desirable landscapes.

Carol Mickett, Ph.D., is an artist and part of a collaborative art team with Robert Stackhouse. Mickett and Stackhouse make paintings, prints, and large-scale site-appropriate sculpture focusing on water, its influences, and all that influence it. Museums, private collectors, commercial developers, and public agencies commission their work. Mickett worked for over a decade in academia, holds her Ph.D. in philosophy, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated summa cum laude. Mickett received numerous grants, presents lectures, performs in theater productions, and has published essays, poems, and interviews in Canadian Philosophical Review, Hypatia, Prairie Schooner, and New Letters among others. She was the host/curator of Our Town at the Dali Museum and the host/producer of Art Radio in Kansas City, MO. She sits on the Tarpon Springs Sustainability Board, the Pinellas County Urban League Board and is, with Robert Stackhouse, the 2020 Creative Pinellas Art Laureate.

Jeffery P. Gellerman who we call “JP”. JP is the Extension Director and Community Resource Development Agent for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. He develops educational programs focusing on the health and well-being of the local community specifically focusing on Low Impact and Economic Development. JP’s Extension office is located on the same campus as Creative Pinellas, the Pinellas Botanical Gardens, and Heritage Village. All of which are in Largo, FL.

Laura Thomas is the Sustainability Program Administrator for the City of Largo, FL. She has been in that position since its inception in 2016. She works with residents, team members, and elected officials to address a wide range of issues including capital infrastructure resilience, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, and climate change adaptation.

Laura holds the 2018 Sierra Club of Florida’s Osprey Award, is a co-founder of the Pinellas Sustainability and Resilience Network, a member of the Pinellas Florida-Friendly Landscaping Board, and is a current member of the Urban Land Institute’s Health Leaders Network.

Barbara St. Clair, the CEO of Creative Pinellas. Creative Pinellas is a nonprofit organization that is a champion of the arts. It supports and connects artists, organizations and the public to opportunities that grow and sustain Pinellas County as an arts and cultural destination. Prior to joining Creative Pinellas, Ms. St. Clair worked in corporate marketing, building and leading teams responsible for award-winning marketing and communications campaigns worldwide. She is an award-winning playwright, fiction writer and poet, and has her M.A. in Creative Writing from the University of South Florida.