If you live in Palm Harbor like me, sometimes the name Valspar makes you think of golf more than it makes you think of paint. My hometown has been hosting the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course since 2014. (Between 2000 and 2013, before Valspar started sponsoring the championship, the tournament was still held at Innisbrook, but it was called the Tampa Bay Classic.)
Eight years later, I’d somehow forgotten that the two centuries old corporation is the fifth largest paint maker in North America. That is until Valspar told us about its new Back to Bright initiative.
The Valspar Championship
Through May 2
Copperhead at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club
36750 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor, $60 & up
valsparchampionship.com
“After a long and stressful 2020, everyone could use a little brightening up,” Valspar announced last month. “That’s why Valspar has created the Back to Bright initiative! Valspar wants to empower communities to be bright again, and that starts this week in the Tampa Bay area—the home of the Valspar Championship.”
That same day, Valspar announced its intention to sponsor a new community mural in Tampa Bay.
“Local #TampaBay fans. This is your chance to nominate a space in your community in need of some brightening up!” the company posted on social media. “The chosen space will win a community mural.”
Clearwater Recreation Coordinator Johnareus Young spotted the announcement and submitted a short video explaining why he thought North Greenwood Recreation Center in Clearwater would be a great location for the new mural.
Like most communities in America, North Greenwood had a rough 2020. Due to restrictions on the number of people that can be in one place at one time, the community center temporarily paused several of its usual activities, like basketball and volleyball games. But it found new ways to serve the community.
Young told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that “For about two to three months, the staff between North Greenwood and Ross Norton were at both recreation centers handing out food to the people in our communities.
“We were walking the neighborhood on Facebook Live,” Young added. “[Asking people to] come out to North Greenwood, come out to Ross Norton.”
And people came. “It brought us closer,” said Young.
On March 11, Valspar announced that North Greenwood Recreation Center would be the site for a new mural by St. Pete muralist Zulu Painter.
“We could not go wrong with any of the proposed sites for Valspar’s #BacktoBright mural,” said celebrity selection committee member Ronde Barber. “It is very exciting to award the distinction to the Greenwood Rec Center. This shared space is a great venue for its community and has provided a sense of togetherness during a tough time. I believe Zulu’s art will enhance them even further and provide a continuing sense of pride in their neighborhood.”
Splashes of color stood out from the road as I arrived at North Greenwood Recreation Center on the third of painting. Zulu, real name Carlos Culbertson, stood on a lift, surrounded by fresh cans of Valspar paint, while his friend and fellow muralist Aurailieus Artist assisted, using tape to transfer Zulu’s design to a section of the massive wall before them. Zulu’s penchant for bright colors was already on display—it’s one of the reasons the selection committee chose him for this project.
“We researched several local artists in the Tampa Bay area, and we really felt that Zulu Painter was the perfect fit for this project,” Valspar Brand Manager Sarah Hackney told CL. “Not only is his work vibrant and colorful, like the Valspar paint brand, but he connects with the community he is working in and that connection comes out in his art. He takes his time to get to know the community he is working in and his work very much represents that. We felt that Zulu could really show this community’s sense of pride through his work.”
Painting the outside of North Greenwood Recreation Center carries special meaning for Zulu, who grew up with Boys and Girls Clubs.
“The staff at these places has always been an inspiration,” Zulu told CL. “Boys and Girls Clubs and general recreation centers are places where kids who don’t have access to money, which is what I was, get to thrive.”
Zulu spoke of his plans to place a little girl modeled after his daughter at the center of the North Greenwood mural. He stood in a thinking pose to show how she would appear, thinking of all the things she’ll be able to do once this whole COVID mess is over.
“And they’re not just her thoughts,” Zulu told CL. “Some of the imagery will reflect things in general that people want to do like go out and play, attend family functions and get to hug somebody.
The idea is to get people to imagine how great it will be when we can all get back to the people and the things we love.
“Art has a way of bringing people together, whether it's poetry, music, dance, or painting and drawing,” Young told CL. “[Zulu’s mural] will give people a sense of pride and hope, especially with the theme Back to Bright. We're coming out of something that a lot of people didn't come out of. And to have that on our building, to have Valspar pick us out of all the communities in this area to receive that honor, it will be something we can be prideful of.”
Valspar representatives unveiled Zulu Painter’s finished Back to Bright mural at the rec center—located at 900 N Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. in Clearwater—with appearances from Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, Zulu Painter, Clearwater’s recreation coordinator Johnareus Young, Hackney, Valspar Championship Tournament Director Tracy West, and mural location selection committee members Jim Eisch and Barber.
Valspar representatives reminded those gathered at the mural that this is just the beginning. Next, a Valspar-designated PGA golfer—named on social media channels (@ValsparChamp)—gets to select a location in their hometown for a second Valspar-sponsored Back to Bright mural.
The Valspar Championship returned to Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor at 20-30% spectator capacity this week and wraps this Sunday, May 2. Players include Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, and Paul Casey.
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This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2021.