St. Petersburg\u2019s SHINE Mural Festival made it through a decade of creative innovation and excellence, its international reputation expanding year by year, without too much in the way of growing pains.<\/p>\n
True, the festival\u2019s 10th anniversary was postponed due to the ravages of the twin hurricanes of 2024, but when it came off it turned out to be one of the best SHINEs of them all.<\/p>\n
Then the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, the event\u2019s producer, lost in quick succession SHINE director Jenee Priebe and Alliance boss Terry Marks. All hands rallied to save the murals.<\/p>\n
The Board of Directors decided a bit of re-tooling was in order. And so the 11th iteration of SHINE, which begins Friday and will continue through Nov. 14, features only local muralists. Unlike in years past, no regional, national or international artists were engaged to create massive, colorful paintings on downtown walls.<\/p>\n
What might have seemed at first like a cost-cutting decision, or a desperate attempt to dispel administrative chaos, now makes perfect sense. This year, it\u2019s to be called SHINE: Origins.<\/p>\n
Helen French, who became the Arts Alliance\u2019s executive director in August, explains:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea has always been, St. Petersburg \u2013 the city, the people, the community \u2013 was the place that birthed this mural festival. And we had a crazy year, last year, with the hurricanes \u2026 it felt really important to my board, and other decision-makers, that we pour back into the origin of SHINE, which is St. Pete.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd one way that we decided to do that was to be locally-focused: Our local artists, who have been painting on walls next to international muralists for the past decade as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Approximately 16 artists, all of them St. Pete-based, will paint between Friday and the 14th.\u00a0 That\u2019s approximately the same amount of artists \u2013 and wall\/canvases \u2013 as any SHINE from past years.<\/p>\n
Pinellas Park\u2019s Derek Donnelly, a muralist with 15 years\u2019 experience painting local walls, was brought on as Operations Lead and artist liaison.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a good mix of experienced veterans with some up-and-coming, emerging talent,\u201d Donnelly says. \u201cIt\u2019s really going to be one for the history books, this SHINE, considering all that money and all that synergy stays within our local economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donnelly, one of the original muralists who worked on the legendary 600 Block of Central Avenue \u2013 before artists and their studios were forced to leave from the escalating rents \u2013was famously a critic of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance.<\/p>\n
Time heals all wounds, though, and the \u201cOrigins\u201d aspect of the 2025 SHINE appealed to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a couple of people who were contracted prior to Helen and I stepping into our new positions here,\u201d he relates. \u201cBut being honest, because we were on a time crunch this year, it was really a matter of who\u2019s available, what\u2019s a good way to match up artists and walls, and of course taking into consideration the \u2018Origins\u2019 idea, all local.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donnelly, enthuses French, \u201chas the pulse\u201d of the city and the art community. \u201cDerek and I talk almost every day. I think it just made sense, at this time, for him to be part of this festival in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
SHINE\u2019s operating budget comes from sponsorship, private donations and in-kind support from community partners. This year\u2019s title sponsor is New Hotel Collection The Cordova Inn; the Foundation For a Healthy St. Petersburg is the 2025 presenting sponsor..<\/p>\n
The 2025 celebration kicks off Thursday, with a pre-event reception at the St. Petersburg Museum of History.<\/p>\n
Nobody\u2019s thinking much about SHINE 2026, but French insists that there will again be more to it than \u201cOrigins,\u201d focusing on local artists. After all, there\u2019s a reputation to uphold.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think St. Pete is a great host city for international artists to come and be part of the festival, and I think they have a voice and a place in this festival,\u201d she explains. \u201cAnd I think local, regional and national have a place. So I would not say we\u2019re never doing international again; I think that would be doing everyone a disservice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it makes sense to have a nice mix of different voices from different places.\u201d<\/p>\n
SHINE: Origins artists and locations<\/p>\n
Aaron Tullo (St. Petersburg), Quinn Cale (Tampa),\u00a0 Isac Gres (St. Petersburg\/Cuba), Dreamweaver (Tampa), Elizabeth Barenis (St. Petersburg), Cecelia Lueza (St. Petersburg), Sara Salem (St. Petersburg), John Vitale (St. Petersburg), Reid Jenkins (St. Petersburg); Derek Donnelly (St. Petersburg); Karel Garcia (Cuba\/St. Petersburg); Amy Volpe (St. Petersburg); Brain the Genius (St. Petersburg);\u00a0 Jenipher Chandley (St. Petersburg).<\/p>\n
Cordova Inn, 253 2nd Avenue N;\u00a0Tyrone Middle School, 2375 66th Street N; the Melting Pot, 699 Central Avenue;\u00a0Vernis Bowling, 696 1st Avenue N; 600 Block Alley;\u00a0Haddy\u2019s, 251 10th Street N;\u00a0LMCU, 2180 1st Avenue N; The Factory St. Pete (trail side), 2606 Fairfield Avenue S;\u00a0Founders Pro, 2039 1st Avenue S.<\/p>\n