Photo courtesy Derek Donnelly
By Reagan Haskell
The SHINE Mural Festival has returned to St. Petersburg for its twelfth year starting Nov. 6 through Nov. 15.
The festival invites local, national and international muralists to turn the walls of businesses into aesthetic art.
Their first event was the Opening Reception on Nov. 5 from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. at FloridaRAMA. There was a live portrait painting, music and food trucks.
SHINE is also hosting the Happy Mural Project on Nov. 7 from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. This project invites visitors to add their own unique touch to a mural on Skyline Building. The festival supplies paint and brushes.
The Closing Reception is their final event and will take place Nov. 14 from 5 p.m.- 9 p.m. at the Morean Arts Center. The details for the reception are soon to be announced.
All events require guests to RSVP, which can be done on the SHINE Mural Festival website.
In between the events, visitors can watch the murals being created throughout the city, exposing people to different kinds of art without having to go to a museum. Unlike museums or exhibits, people can see creations by professional muralists with no admission costs, at any time of the day.
“This festival always has and will continue to bring creativity, color and wonderment to the entire community of the sunshine city,” Derek Donnelly said.
Donnelly is the operations leader for the festival. He was born and raised in St. Pete and has been in the Tampa Bay art scene for 12 years. His intent for the festival is to keep its original purpose.
“My favorite part of helping to run the festival is being able to continue to contribute to this local culture and the people within it,” Donnelly said. “Being born and raised in St. Pete, it is very important to me to make sure I do my part to keep public art and the spirit of creativity in the forefront of our city’s identity.”
Some of his duties as operations leader include sourcing walls, curating artists, determining logistics for each site, helping raise funds and serve as a direct conduit between artist and business owners.
SHINE encourages volunteers to participate in the festival, explaining that they employ and support artists in the community.
“The volunteers are wonderful at keeping us on top of deadlines, fed, hydrated and in good spirits,” Taylor Smith said.
Smith, also known as Dreamweaver, was a muralist in the 2022 and 2025 SHINE Festival and owner of Dreamweaver Studios. Her primary focuses are murals, urban art and studio practice.
“I think murals are the heartbeat of St. Petersburg, and a huge reason why people want to come here. I’m proud to contribute to that and hope city leaders as well as business owners continue to recognize and celebrate that value as well,” Smith said.
She also explained that the mural festival likes to switch up their artist pool. That way, a multitude of artists can take part in SHINE.
According to the festival website, they have created over 500 opportunities for people to express their art and have commissioned over 160 artists since 2015, giving everyone their chance to shine.
