The SHINE St. Petersburg Mural Festival transforms our shared public spaces through the power of art from world-class local, national, and international artists. By using the walls and streets as canvas, the city comes alive with color and creativity. At its core, SHINE promotes accessibility, celebrates the medium, adds character to our surroundings, and allows kids, both young and old, to know that with enough imagination and determination you can make magic happen through art.
For the better part of a decade, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay has worked in concert with St. Pete Pride on production and distribution of its event guide, and despite a pandemic that forced an all-out cancellation of Pride last year, CL and St. Pete Pride teamed up again in 2021 for a standalone guide on stands through the month of June. This piece by The SHINE mural team, is pulled from that guide.
Crucial to the success of SHINE is a thoughtful curation process. First and foremost, it’s always about diversity. Diversity of style, technique, and message. Every year, we look for artists who have found their creative voice and can bring their unique and diverse aesthetic to broaden our visual landscape, create new connections, and deepen our cultural perspective.
We want to help people see their environments in new ways, share new stories, and find themselves represented in our ever-evolving outdoor gallery. It all starts with the artists. Honoring their creative expression and celebrating the diversity of their voices.
Creating art in public spaces requires respectful and responsible consideration for the surrounding community. Ours is a community that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion. So, our art must do the same. Since 2015, SHINE has produced 106 murals from a diverse group of artists representing every continent except Antarctica, 10 different US states, and 48 local artists from a variety of backgrounds.
Once Upon A Shine: A Very Gay Mural Scavenger Hunt is the first city-wide scavenger hunt hosted by your Fairy Dragmother, Miss McGee. Download the free PixelStix app to play. For more information and to register visit www.stpeteartsalliance.org/PRIDE.
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