St. Petersburg prepares for 13th SHINE Mural Festival

Thirteen mural artists will arrive in St. Petersburg on November 6 to begin the 12th annual SHINE Mural Festival. The event runs through November 15 and features creators from the United Kingdom, Italy, and various U.S. cities. The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance organizes the festival, which has helped establish the city as a destination for public art.

The participating artists include five individuals residing in the Tampa Bay area. Others are based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Miami, Roanoke, Virginia, Key West, and San Antonio, Texas. One artist, Reiver, travels from Durham, England. He is a member of the Collective Durham Spray Paints group and manages the Spennymoor Mural Festival in his home country.

Several artists are working on the Skyline Building at 2600 Dr. MLK Jr. Street North. Osiris Rain, based in Charlotte, will paint there. Rain describes his approach as rooted in classical training while exploring how images transform into atmosphere or symbols. Reiver and local artist Alyssa Marie will also create work at this location. Marie is coordinating a community mural project titled Happy Mural Project, which is open to the public from November 6 to 8 without requiring prior painting experience.

Other sites include the Viv building at 1000 1st Avenue North, where Hiero Veiga from Miami and Jon Murrill from Roanoke will work. Veiga, born in Massachusetts, transitions from graffiti to hyper-realistic pieces. Murrill, a former art teacher, identifies as an Appalachian muralist. Starve, a veteran graffiti and tattoo artist from Key West, and Eric Hornsby from the Tampa Bay area will paint at the Bright Spot at the Looking Glass Initiative on 938 Dr. MLK Street North.

The festival concludes with a closing reception at the Morean Arts Center on November 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. This event coincides with the opening of the Morean's annual holiday show and sale. A kickoff celebration is scheduled for November 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the FloridaRAMA Impact Gallery. The opening event features live portrait painting by Danielle Cruit, music by DJ Cue, and a performance by the Bay Breaks breaking crew. Both receptions are free to the public.