By Caron Schwartz
Street art is trending around the world. But only in St. Pete does it SHINE. The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance’s annual SHINE Mural Festival returns for its ninth iteration Oct. 13-22. Our internationally renowned festival celebrates the form of artwork that goes back millennia. Our cave-dwelling forebears’ cave paintings of animals, hands, and symbols reflected their culture and community values for all to see. Public art expresses a community’s unique values, so we’re seeing it all over St. Pete and beyond.
This year SHINE will add 14 new murals to the 150 or so SHINE murals around St. Pete. Street art-related events, tours, and “Bright Spot” community projects are also in the works.
A new element of SHINE 2023 is its first two-year Title Sponsor, REFLECTION, a condo tower under construction near Mirror Lake. The partnership will culminate with a three-story mural on the façade of the luxury 18-story building for SHINE’s 10-year milestone in 2024. Having REFLECTION’s support will make it possible for SHINE to create more than 25 murals during the next couple of years, said SHINE Director Jenee Priebe.
What makes SHINE murals stand out from the 500 or so murals around St. Pete is that the artists control the entire process, Priebe said. Most on the sides of buildings are commissioned by the owners, who typically have a say. And if it’s signage, permits may be required. “With SHINE, artists always get full creative control,” Priebe said. “We get such a diversity of art. I love that!”
For artist bios, the 2023 map of murals, Bright Spot project information, and full event details visit www.stpeteartsalliance.org/shine-2023.
International Artists: Andrea Wan, Canada; Dave Bonzai, London; Bryan Beyung, Canada; Loretta Lizzio, Australia
National Artists: Bunnie Reiss, California; Hannah Eddy, Nevada; Hoxxoh, Miami; Max Sansing, Chicago
Local Artists: Artist Jones, Tampa; Chris Dyer, St. Petersburg/Peru; Fabstraq, Tampa; Michael Vasquez, St. Petersburg/Miami; Rhys Meatyard, St. Petersburg; Sarah Sheppard, St. Petersburg
