About Vivia​​
Vivia Barron is a Jamaican-born artist, entrepreneur, and strategist whose work bridges creativity, business, and community. Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, she is both a practicing visual artist and a seasoned business leader with more than two decades of experience building, scaling, and positioning ventures across industries.
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Her path began in food, opening acclaimed restaurants like Vivia’s Kitchen and Datz — where she gained national recognition for creating heart-healthy dishes in partnership with the American Heart Association. From food, she moved into nonprofit leadership and business consulting, opening million-dollar ventures, securing major grants, and guiding entrepreneurs to clarity, visibility, and growth.
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As an artist, Barron’s paintings reclaim and celebrate Black joy, memory, and resilience. Drawing from her archive of antique photographs and her Jamaican heritage, her work has been exhibited widely and is featured in both private and public collections, including commissions for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotels in Hollywood and Tampa and installations in St. Petersburg public schools. She has also been featured in Hilary Van Dyke’s documentary A Splash of Color and has received recognition and funding as a City of St. Petersburg Individual Artist Grant recipient and a grantee of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg.
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Barron is also the founder of We Art St. Pete, a platform created to empower BIPOC artists, especially women, through mentorship, exhibitions, and advocacy for equitable artist representation.
Whether through art, business strategy, or community building, Barron’s work is rooted in resilience, clarity, and execution. She brings a grounded, no-fluff approach to every project — from mapping the path for artists like Karel García to reach collectors, to painting large-scale works that preserve cultural memory.
For Barron, gratitude is a verb. Her life’s work — across canvas, commerce, and community — reflects a deep commitment to healing, access, and collective growth.
Accomplishments
Artist & Exhibitor — Jamaican-born visual artist with solo shows and dozens of group exhibitions. Work held in public and private collections including Hard Rock Hotel Hollywood Guitar Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Tampa, the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, St. Petersburg public schools, and private collections.
Her exhibition The Right to Swim was featured in a full cover section of the Tampa Bay Times, a nationally recognized newspaper. Barron has also been featured in Hilary Van Dyke’s documentary A Splash of Color: Getting Black in the Water and in broadcast media including NBC and CBS.
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Arts Leadership & Advocacy — Member, City of St. Petersburg Arts Council. Advocate for equitable artist representation and visibility; grant recipient, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. Founder of We Art, which evolved into a management agency and development platform securing major grant funding and creating opportunities for BIPOC artists.
Author — A Line in the Sand and additional published works on strategy, positioning, growth, and execution.
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Business Strategy & Positioning — Consultant for entrepreneurs and professionals; specializing in market identification, visibility, and scaling.
Marketing, PR & Social Media Strategy — Campaign strategy, brand positioning, cross-channel communications, content systems, and online ad campaigns (paid social/search).
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Restaurant Ownership & Consulting — Co-founded and co-owned Dat’s Restaurant in Tampa (multi-million-dollar venture). Founded Vivia’s Kitchen and Nutritious Tables catering. Business consultant for Eat Art Love restaurant in St. Petersburg: managed opening from concept to launch, including staffing, menus, POS systems, and full operational playbook.
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Grant Writing & Consultation — Secured major funding for We Art St. Pete and wrote successful grants for clients including Jennifer Ligaya. Certified in grant writing and consultation.
Strategic Partnerships — Collaborations with The Greenhouse of St. Petersburg and peer organizations.
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Professional Training —
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Studied Fine Arts at the Art Institute of Atlanta (now part of SCAD), where she built early foundations in visual storytelling and design.
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Professional training in public relations, communications, marketing, and sales, with multiple certifications supporting her dual career as artist and strategist.
Selected Collaborations & Partnerships — organizations Barron has worked with across exhibitions, commissions, consulting, and leadership.
Film — A Splash of Color: Getting Black in the Water
(dir. Hillary Van Dyke). Featured artist.
• [Official page].Splash of Color - Bluegap
Awards include Best Documentary at Black Art & Film Festival (2024) and Dunedin International Film Festival (2025). YouTube+2Bluegap+2
