ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Artists are back on lifts and ladders across St. Petersburg, Fla., as the SHINE Mural Festival opened its twelfth edition this week, with painting set to run from Nov. 6 through Nov. 15.
The event brings in muralists from the city, from around the country and from overseas, and pairs them with business owners who offer up an exterior wall as a canvas. Anyone can watch the work take shape over the coming days without buying a ticket, since the pieces go up outdoors in public view.
Saturday brings the most hands-on part of the schedule. The Happy Mural Project runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the Skyline Building, where visitors can pick up a brush and add their own strokes to a shared wall. Paint and brushes are provided by the festival.
The wrap-up party is planned at the Morean Arts Center on the evening of Nov. 14, running 5 to 9 p.m., with more details still to come. Organizers ask guests to RSVP through the festival website for each event. A kickoff reception with live portrait painting, music and food trucks was held Nov. 5 at FloridaRAMA.
The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance produces the festival, which has added close to 200 murals to downtown and the nearby arts districts since its first year in 2015. Its organizers say it was the first mural festival anywhere to offer an accessible audio tour, and walkers can follow a self-guided app route past more than 185 of the city murals.
Property owners who want a SHINE piece on their own building can apply through the arts alliance, which also looks for donated help to cover artist travel, materials and lift rentals.
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