Image by Eyeconic Creations Photography
In 2024, the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg installed a collection of pieces by the late artist Nick Davis at their Center for Health Equity.
Davis used art to depict the raw emotions of Black people and their day-to-day joys and struggles. While Davis was taken from us too soon when he succumbed to complications from epilepsy in 2022 at the age of 31, this permanent exhibit allows his captivating perspective and legacy to live on for others to enjoy.
“Nick Davis was a brilliant artist whose artistic vision offers people a glimpse into worlds and perspectives that are not always visible and celebrated,” offers Foundation President and CEO Dr. Kanika Tomalin, who served eight years as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg. “We’re honored to share his light and phenomenal talent with all who enter our space.”
Inspired by artists like Brooklyn graffiti pioneer Jean-Michel Basquiat and the renowned Kerry James Marshall, Davis began sketching and painting at an early age. When epilepsy left him unable to work in those mediums, he started experimenting with digital art on an iPad that was gifted to him by his wife, Tiffany Snelling-Davis.
For Davis, digital art became a method of coping with anxiety and depression as well as an outlet to share his love for his culture and community.
The vibrant portraits showcased in the Foundation’s collection, entitled Black Is…, feature rich hues and bold, layered patterns and geometric shapes. The subjects appear to stare back at viewers, offering a revealing view into their inner feelings and the intricacies of their everyday lives.
“Once Nick realized that his art was more than colors on a canvas, he blossomed into the man we all know and love,” recalls Davis’s widow, Tiffany Snelling-Davis. “He wanted children—and men especially—to see themselves from a Black man's perspective and showcase their humanity. Nick himself was a true introvert and chose to be alone but dared to press past his anxieties to show the world that their Black is indeed beautiful.”
To see more of Davis’s work, which has been featured in shows at Studio@620, the Five Deuces Galleria and the Carter G. Woodson African American Museum of Florida, you can check out his @ndartlife Instagram page. The Foundation’s exhibit can be viewed during events at the Center for Health Equity.
The Foundation, established in 2013, leads, funds, advocates and partners to create a community where everyone can live healthy lives. Their mission is to advance racially equitable health outcomes by improving the systems and conditions that shape them. It launched its Center for Health Equity in 2019. St. Pete Life is proud to partner with the Foundation to drive awareness of vital topics and celebrate the diversity of our community.
To learn more, visit healthystpete.foundation
