{"id":121723,"date":"2026-01-17T07:36:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T07:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/121723\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T07:36:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T07:36:07","slug":"when-art-and-athletics-go-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/121723\/","title":{"rendered":"When art and athletics go together"},"content":{"rendered":"

There on a recessed wall, track-lit inside the lobby of St. Pete Athletic, the new upscale pickleball facility located inside The Factory St. Pete, is a miniature art gallery.<\/p>\n

\"\"Chad Mize and 23 of his artist friends \u2013 all of them local \u2013 have hand-painted pickleball paddles. Although they\u2019re real, these brightly-colored works of ball-whacking art aren\u2019t intended for physical courtplay; they are each individual and very much one of a kind. They\u2019re priced accordingly, although guests are welcome to stroll up just to have a look.<\/p>\n

Still, more than a third of these unusual canvases have been sold since St. Pete Athletic\u2019s December soft opening. They\u2019ll stay on the wall for a while until Mize, the exhibit curator, switches them out for new art by new artists.<\/p>\n

Mize, who painted a distinctive pop-art mural on the building\u2019s western wall, has a well-established reputation as an exhibit facilitator. His Mize Gallery (2018-2022) was followed by a series of \u201cpop up\u201d art shows, from various artists, at different locations around St. Pete.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Factory is home to several art galleries and studios (in fact, several were displaced when construction began on the athletic club).<\/p>\n

\u201cI see it as a business person,\u201d Mize says. \u201cThis is bringing in new eyes on art. And hopefully some cross-pollination to this area. Where typically the types of people that come for the sport, wouldn\u2019t come and look at the galleries next door, or go to Daddy Kool Records. So I feel like there\u2019s some other stuff to see here.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, maybe they\u2019re people who have money to spend on art. Because a lot of times I feel like in our community, it\u2019s the same people that come to the exhibits and the shows that support, but they just don\u2019t purchase.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Vitale Bros. have created a large \u201cwild Florida\u201d painting near the paddle display, and hand-sculpted roseate spoonbill birds by Elizabeth Bonert hang from the ceilings.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, this type of thing is community-driven,\u201d explains Mize. \u201cIt\u2019s about keeping the arts alive in the city. And giving people opportunity. I love finding new artists and exposing them, in a way.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cAnd it\u2019s good for me and my brand. I\u2019ve kind of taken a backseat with my own art, personally. I do art still, but I don\u2019t have the vision to do a solo show. I don\u2019t want to put that much work into my own art \u2013 I like doing these group shows where I have lots of different artists filling the walls. As opposed to just myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mize is, however, in the spotlight courtesy of Dwell Athletics, the paddleball supply company managed by Graham D\u2019Amico, co-owner of St. Pete Athletic.<\/p>\n

Dwell has produced, in a limited edition of 250, two \u201cSt. Pete\u201d paddles with Mize\u2019s unmistakable art printed on both sides. He designed the custom box, too (they\u2019re available in the pro shop).<\/p>\n

He was pleased to learn that the facility\u2019s owners, despite having taken studio space away from artists, \u201cstill want to have an art element. I think it\u2019s a good tie-in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mize with his mural on St. Pete Athletic\u2019s western wall.<\/p>\n

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