PINELLAS PARK, FL — In response to the Florida Department of Transportation’s removal of the Black History Matters street mural near the Woodson Museum and the LGBTQ+ Progress Pride rainbow crosswalk mural in the Grand Central District in August, a group of artists are coming together for a new mural project.
John Gascot, a co-owner of the Studios@5663 in Pinellas Park, has assembled the group to paint the word “United” in rainbow colors on the building. Each artist will take on a different letter.
The live painting takes place Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., during the United Mural Festat the studios, which are at 5663 Park Blvd.
During the festival, each artist — James Hartzell, Alyssa Marie, Laura Spencer (who paints under the name Miss Crit), Artist Jones and James Kitchens (who paints under the name Freeman) — will paint a different letter in the word “United.”
“I wanted a lot of communities represented and a lot of points of view,” Gascot said.
The removal of the Black History Matters and rainbow street murals “was disheartening,” he told Patch. “It was disappointing to me that our city, our mayor [Ken Welch,] did not stand up and put up a fight to keep those murals, because other cities [in Florida] actually were still fighting for theirs, and some might still be fighting, actually.”
Gascot added, “It’s not a battle I would have expected him to win, necessarily, but it is a battle I would have expected him to fight so our diverse community could see that he has our best interest. All that was very disappointing.”
He was also one of the artists who worked on the Black History Matters mural and the Black Lives Matters opt came before it in the same location.
“So, it was a personal loss,” he said. “And I was actually worried more for the loss of the Black History Matters mural than the loss of the [rainbow] crosswalk. I believe in both, obviously, but whenever you go up and down Central [Avenue,] there’s always going to be a queer presence because of the business owners and the flags.”
After the murals’ removal, Gascot knew that he wanted to respond to their erasure in some way and quickly organized the “United” mural at his Studios@5663.
“It dawned on me that the murals on the building are fading. They’re over a decade old and we’re sitting on something here,” he said. “We have a huge wall on one of the most traveled roads in Pinellas County with great visibility.”
In addition to live painting, there will be vendors, live music and entertainment from DJ Eric Halow, and Memphis Style BBQ food truck.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to help the artists by painting the backgrounds of each letter, as well as canvases featuring the word “United” that will be displayed in the studios.
“It’s an opportunity for people to have a hand in the mural, which hopefully they have some ownership and pride in,” Gascot said. “Part of our vision is to create a landmark that’s longlasting, where the community can come and feel seen when they stand in front of that mural, and feel recognized and acknowledged.”
A ribbon cutting for the mural will take place Feb. 7, 4 p.m., to kick off the Second Saturday Art Walk for the studios.