SPMOP Photo Laureate Exhibition:
Jesi Cason: ALT Tampa
On View: April 29 – June 14, 2026
Beneath Tampa Bay’s polished, tourist-facing identity lies a vibrant underground shaped by decades of music, creativity, and subculture. Long considered a global hub for death metal, the region has fostered a network of communities (goths, punks, ravers, and others) who have built a city within a city grounded in self-expression and belonging.
With ALT TAMPA, SPMOP’s 2025 Photo Laureate Jesi Cason captures this largely unseen world through bold, expressive portraits. Her work honors individuals who embody an alternative history of the region while confronting the growing pressures of development that threaten these spaces.
Vivid, expressive, and deeply personal, Cason’s images celebrate the courage to live authentically and to define identity on one’s own terms.
