Courtesy of Sofía García Vargas | The Crow’s Nest
By Lily Cannon
Last week, the spontaneous nature of live art-making at the 2022 Shine Mural Festival encouraged viewers to traverse through local businesses and hidden gems that they wouldn’t have otherwise found on a tourist bus, resulting in a less-curated experience of St. Petersburg.
That creative and artistic spirit of the city came out in full force last week, when the St. Pete Art Alliance (SPAA) held the eighth annual Shine Mural Festival, celebrating street art from eighteen local and international independent creators.
Founded in 2012 by local community leaders, the SPAA is dedicated to advocating for local artists via fellowships and working opportunities in the area. Last week’s festival was no different, and select artists collaborated with local organizations like the Florida Wildlife Corridor and the Child’s Park Recreational Center to create stunning works of art that also engaged the community’s needs.
In recent years, St. Petersburg has built up a reputation as a safe haven for burgeoning creatives, not only for the breadth of museums and cafes, but for the laid-back eccentricity hiding in places like the ArtPool Gallery or the Warehouse Arts District.
The first thing that a lot of newcomers notice about the city is the buildings. More precisely, they notice what is painted on them.
Look no further than the back alley murals of 1960s icon Twiggy by Chad Mize, next to Jennifer Kosharek’s graffiti of psychedelic Russian dolls to understand the city’s strong artistic underbelly.
For the festival, the Art Alliance provided visitors with a free online map, detailing all of the events throughout October, including a free sketch night at the Morean Workshop Space, where visitors could peruse through the vast library of the Sketchbook Project while participating in the craft themselves.
Based in Brooklyn, this organization preserves one of the largest existing agglomeration of sketchbooks, with a special connection to St. Petersburg. After a bus filled with 10,000 artifacts caught fire on the way to the city, the project has collaborated with The Factory on Fairfield Avenue to commemorate this tragic event.
Later in the week, the “We Are St. Pete” Trail Community Project hosted a live graffiti session led by Chad Mize, right on concrete barricades where bikers could appreciate as they passed by.
The festival’s finale returned to the Morean Workshop Space on Saturday, Oct. 22, with an assortment of performance art, accompanied by music and food trucks. The headliner act was internationally-acclaimed Miami artist Baghead, whose beastly creations leered over photographers in their installation space.
The Shine Mural Festival wouldn’t be complete without spotlighting the leading unconventional artists, most of whom are native Floridians.
The University of South Florida St. Petersburg was lucky enough to serve as the location for one of the participants, Miami painter Reginald O’Neal, who drew on his experiences in the Black community to create a photographic masterpiece on the Piano Man Building.
Many of the new murals were placed strategically on Central Avenue. MadC, who is based in Germany, used bold swathes of paint and dynamic shapes to create his surrealist piece at 1010 Central Ave. Further north, near Fonda Nails & Spa, Ashley Cantero relishes in vibrant female characters to create a retro charm that is right at home with St. Petersburg’s nightlife scene.
These are only a few of the visionary pieces put up across the city. If you’re in the mood to check out any of the murals you’ve missed, hop on a bike or scooter and download the free map on the St. Pete Art Alliance website.
There are also plenty of opportunities to get involved in the city art scene, whether you’re a novice or an experienced creator. The Warehouse Art District offers volunteer opportunities for its upcoming festivals, while the Art Alliance consistently offers opportunities to feature in local shows and exhibitions.
