Three St. Pete artists open up about their quarantine experiences

Two weeks ago, the Pinellas Arts Community Relief Fund—which was created in March—reopened to accept a second round of applications. It closed again on Sunday at midnight, and Creative Pinellas’ Communications and Brand Relations Manager Sherri Kelly told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that it could reopen a third time depending on how much support it gets from philanthropists across the Bay area. In its first round, the fund distributed $97,800 in awards to artists and arts businesses impacted by COVID-19. Kelly told CL that Creative Pinellas wasn’t releasing the names of the round one grant winners, but the news made us want to check in with a few Pinellas artists to see how they were getting through—and changing as a result of—the quarantine.

Inspired by the photos in Sandra Döhnert Bourne’s “I Miss Us” photo essay, CL reached out to a handful of locals. Chad Mize, Derek Donnelly and Sebastian Coolidge all replied.

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One of our foremost questions was about how the virus and the fallout surrounding it has changed individuals as an artist and human. Coolidge—who’s been painting surreal murals around St. Petersburg throughout the city’s cultural renaissance—put the changes he’s enacted bluntly.

“I don’t share my joints anymore,” Coolidge, who did not apply for any grants or unemployment, told CL in an email. 

Together with close to 100 artists, including Shine Mural Festival favorite Greg Mike, Coolidge auctioned off pieces via Zoom, which is helpful since he basically lost every job he had due to the public nature of his work. The 31-year-old shifted gears to studio work and has been fortunate to find the support of collectors, for which he’s eternally grateful.

Donnelly—a muralist, fine artist, graphic designer and creative consultant—quickly tapped his small arts nonprofit, Public Art Project, to distribute $4,500 in funds through a “Paint It Forward” relief initiative. An auction livestreamed from his Donnelly Cove studio gallery raised almost $2,000 on top of that. Donelly told CL that he received one of the $500 relief grants co-organized by Creative Pinellas—and it helped since he immediately lost six jobs in a matter of 24 hours when the pandemic started putting the kibosh on life as we know it. But he, too, was lifted up by the community.

“This was obviously very alarming, so I did what I could and tried to keep spirits high,” Donnelly, 37, told CL. “Within the next week, many people and businesses reached out to me directly to support by ordering commissioned pieces and to inquire about future mural work.”

Outside of washing his hands too much and not knowing what day it is sometimes, Donelly said he hasn’t changed much during the pandemic.

Chad Mize, who runs the Mize Gallery (stylized “MIZE”) at 689 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N., started spending more time in his sketchbook when the pandemic hit.

“It feels like the old days to me,” Mize, who got $1,000 for gallery expenses from the Pinellas Arts Community Relief Fund, told CL. “Slower. More relaxed.”

Mize, who turns 46 in July, is thankful for the arts relief, and he worries about other businesses. He’s been fortunate during the pandemic, too. At the time of our exchange, Mize had completed four murals since March. He was able to pass some of the success on by hosting virtual art shows where work sold. Like Coolidge, Mize is grateful for collectors’ support; his gallery has three exhibitions scheduled through July, and he plans to keep hanging the art then showing it online “until we can all meet again.” 

And until that moment, Mize, Donelly and Coolidge are looking at the silver lining.

For Mize, who admits to being troubled by all the plastic we use for takeout now, part of the plus-side is fewer cars on the road. He hopes people have learned not to overconsume and support locals more than ever.

“Change is good sometimes. This has impacted the entire world and we must remember how lucky we are to live with more than most have,” Mize added. “To have technology at our fingertips allows us to communicate and still work and inspire each other. Let’s respect each other more and keep our distance.”

Donnelly has been floored by the way many in the community have turned chaos and uncertainty into a wave of help for those who needed it most. As the weeks went on, he saw the community’s appreciation for art grow stronger; it made him love St. Petersburg even more.

“I believe this situation has made most people a little more compassionate and aware of their surroundings,” Donnelly added.

“I am very confident that we will overcome soon and urge everyone to keep safe, sane and logical as we start the reopening process.”

Coolidge wants to see folks more inspired by the little and overlooked wonders of the world. He hopes the time alone at home has changed our once narrow perspectives into broader ones with more room for belief in one’s self. Watching the world come to a standstill allowed him to shift priorities, reconnect with dreams forgotten and remember what really happens.

“The power is in every single one of us to change a landscape. The momentum will return and when it does, I hope you’re doing what you want to do—right now may be the only chance you get to shift life the way you always dreamed,” Coolidge said.

“Don’t not take advantage of that.”

Coolidge has taken his own advice, too. At the time of our exchange, he was going through big, personal changes that forced him to further examine his life and choices he’s made.

“I hope everyone just becomes a little more aware of the impact they have/could have and takes a positive spin on it if they weren’t before,” he added.

And the big thing Coolidge figured out during the pandemic?

“I had to learn to love myself again."

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This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2020.