Two South Tampa galleries celebrate their longevity this month in different ways: One is hosting a celebratory exhibit of works by gallery artists; the other is opening a new location across Tampa Bay.

For both it's a celebration of vision, verve and pluck.

In 1987, Cathy Clayton opened the art gallery that bears her name at 4105 South MacDill Ave.

Armed with a degree in art education from the University of South Florida and experience she gained from working a few years at a gallery in Tampa, she was equipped to plunge into the challenging market of selling art.

"I actually ended up representing a lot of the professors who taught me, like George Pappas; or professors who were there at the school while I was there, like Bruce Marsh and Jeffrey Kronsnoble," she said.

Mark Feingold, who also has a degree in art education and 10 years experience in helping put up exhibits at the Tampa Museum of Art, joined Clayton in 1994. He helped promote the framing aspect of the business and rapidly moved into bigger jobs such as managing the gallery, curating exhibits and selecting artists.

"Cathy and I share the same sensibilities about artists and art so she has always included me in her work," Feingold said. "We usually agree on things."

One of the things they agree on is not to follow trends or fads.

"I think we have longevity because we've consistently represented not only professional and talented artists, but we also consistently represented a certain aesthetic," Clayton said. "We don't represent an artist that we wouldn't have in our own collection. We never sold art as an investment. We see art as an investment in beauty and in the culture of Florida and in helping these local artists to thrive and succeed."

A lot of the gallery artists have been with Clayton for 20 years some longer. That kind of long-term presence was something Feingold thought about while conceiving the current exhibit which celebrates the gallery's 25th anniversary.

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Galleries reflect artistic eyes of curators