ANNOUNCING SHINE, A St. Petersburg Arts Event

From September 1st  – 12th, SHINE will transform the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida into a curated, open-air museum showcasing 10+ large-scale murals by internationally renowned and local artists with additional art exhibits and events throughout the city.

St. Petersburg has become an exciting arts destination in the Southeast with five vibrant arts districts, a thriving independent culture, excellent performing arts and six world-class museums. With a rich art history, St. Petersburg’s notable art residents, such as Bask, Pale Horse, Sebastian Coolidge and Chad Mize to name just a few, have helped create a blossoming street art movement throughout the city as well—from the 600 Block to the Warehouse Arts District and countless walls in between.

Now, in conjunction with the City of St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (501c3 non-profit), the inaugural SHINE Mural Festival, organized and led by a team of arts-minded volunteers, intends to illuminate the power of art in public spaces to revitalize areas, inspire dialogue and unite our community—while cultivating new standards of artistic excellence and reflecting St. Petersburg’s creative and vibrant spirit.

Tes One, SHINE curator and world-renowned designer, explains, “Having participated in mural projects around the country, I’ve seen first-hand the impact and transformation public art can offer. It gives the city a pulse, and reflects the pride and unique identity of the community—attracting visitors near and far. I am excited that the city of St. Petersburg has recognized the value of public art and is committing to a project that will undoubtedly grow as the festival continues each year.”

Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of St. Petersburg, Wayne Atherholt adds, “Museums have been critical to St. Petersburg’s success as an area destination. SHINE, as part of the overall St. Petersburg Festival, will help turn the city into a 24 hour museum to complement the incredible existing murals that have become so popular and further extend our reputation as a center to buy and collect art.”

SHINE will be kicking off the St. Petersburg Festival (SPF15), a citywide arts and cultural festival, running from September 10th– 27th.

Participating Artists

The tentative roster of street artists and muralists includes several internationally recognized names:

123Klan (Canada) – 123Klan is a French graffiti crew, composed of husband and wife team Scien and Klor, who have dominated the street art scene for more than 20 years. Now living in Montreal, Canada, 123Klan’s bold character design and iconography has helped them establish a client list from Sony to Scion to KidRobot, while holding true to their graffiti roots.

Erik Jones (NY) – A St. Petersburg native and Ringling College of Art and Design graduate, who now lives and works in New York City, Erik Jones is a contemporary painter and illustrator that has graced the cover of magazines like Hi-Fructose, was recently featured by Forbes and has sold out art shows across the country. This will be Jones’ first large-scale mural.

Evoca1 (FL) – Dominican-born and Miami-based, Evoca1 is a figurative painter, designer and muralist who is strongly influenced by his Latin American culture. Founder of Sketches for Mankind, Evoca1 works to raise awareness of important local and world issues through art. His powerful imagery can be seen on walls from Mexico to Peru to England.

Greg Mike (GA) – Heavily influenced by skate and street culture in NYC in his youth, Greg Mike is a prolific designer and illustrator from Atlanta, GA. His iconic style, including his signature Mr Loudmouth, has adorned walls from New York to Chicago to Hawaii, including the Facebook headquarters.

Hoxxoh (FL) – Miami-based street artist and muralist Hoxxoh is widely known for his colorful and abstract designs. Hoxxoh’s hypnotic waves and circular shapes, all done freehand, attempt “to show us a different way of viewing time through a means of exploring its natural fabric.” His murals can be found in Detroit, Hollywood and even the historic Miami Marine Stadium.

Michael Vasquez (FL) – A St. Petersburg native working out of Miami, Vasquez is a figurative artist best known for his focus on urban, street culture and identity. His work has been shown in galleries around the world including a current exhibit at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Morning Breath (NY) – A design powerhouse, Morning Breath is composed of street artists Doug Cunningham and Jason Noto. Dividing their time among personal and commercial projects, Morning Breath works for notable brands including Nike, Adidas and Beats By Dre, and has even been nominated for a Grammy Award for their packaging design.

Ricky Watts (CA) – A leader in the Northern California graffiti scene in the 90s, Ricky Watts is a designer, illustrator and street artist who’s known for his interlocking layers of vibrant color. Watts’ large-scale murals can be seen across the country from Oakland to Atlanta. He is also a member of the ZeroFriends collective along with Alex Pardee and Dave Correia.

Shark Toof (CA) – Sharf Toof is a Los Angeles-based graffiti artist best known for his iconic shark imagery used to convey “strength, optimism and possibility to the viewer.” With gallery exhibits and large-scale murals from coast to coast, Shark Toof’s work is internationally recognized and has been utilized in television commercials for Samsung and Apple.

Local artists also participating are Pale Horse, Bask, Vitale Brothers, Andrew Spear (Orlando) and Ya La’Ford with more artists to be announced soon.

Participating Walls

Several notable properties will be participating in SHINE including the newly renovated Furnish Me Vintage in the Edge District, the recently restored Sage Building on the 600 Block, the ever-popular Bends bar in Downtown and several other locations in the Grand Central District.

Supporting Events

To support the live mural painting, several art exhibits and events will be taking place:

– The Morean Art Center will be returning with their second installation of ‘Leave A Message,’ the highly successful street art-inspired exhibition curated by Tes One. Several of the muralists will also have pieces in the show, as well as other notable artists.  The opening reception is Saturday, September 12th.

– Green Bench Brewing Co. will be hosting a live painting event in their beer garden. Tampa-based Pep Rally, Inc., made up of Josh Pearson and Jay Giroux, will be participating.

– Bloom Art Center, led by renowned sculptor and muralist, James Oleson, will be curating a new exhibit to complement the existing display of murals around the property by dozens of local artists.

– The Second Saturday Art Walk and trolley routes on Saturday, September 12^th will also focus on the new murals and events going on around the city.

More events to be announced soon.

Community Initiative

Community advocates Aldo Fonticiella and Mitzi Gordon, are also working with local organizations and schools to foster positive enrichment through art instruction,creative writing and community service among underserved audiences.

In collaboration with professional artists and educators, students will work together to develop painting techniques, conceiveproject timelines and complete a public mural on the Amsterdam wall in the Edge District that will be debuted during the SHINE Mural Festival.

To see the most recent confirmed artists, walls and events, visit www.ShineOnStPete.com. More information will be released in the upcoming weeks to the website, as well as on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.