Bringing 14 new murals to life, the 9th annual SHINE St. Petersburg Mural Festival returns to St. Pete Oct. 13-22. Pictured above is Chicago-based artist Max Sansing.
ST. PETERSBURG — The SHINE St. Petersburg Mural Festival has curated another impressive line-up of mural artists for the ninth year in a row from the Tampa Bay area and beyond. Adding to the city’s diverse collection of outdoor art, SHINE continues to celebrate art in public spaces while elevating the medium of mural art and championing St. Petersburg as an arts destination worldwide.
Receiving widespread international attention, the festival is an outdoor art exhibition celebrating art for art’s sake. During SHINE, 14 new murals plus a series of Bright Spot community mural projects will be added to the art districts and surrounding neighborhoods of St. Petersburg’s downtown.
Use the 2023 mural map to find the artists as they create, or visit during the final weekend to see the completed works of art! Be sure to follow the festival on social media at @shineonstpete for the most up-to-date details.
Artists will work throughout the week to complete their murals before the SHINE Grand Finale. This year’s artists include six locals, four national and four international muralists.
Standout local SHINE Mural Festival artists
Artist Jones
Based out of Tampa, Artist Jones paints vibrate-colored portraits of powerful Black and Brown people in their greatness because it is what she’s meant to do. The artist’s works are explorations of the stories and hidden influences of character and legacy for each subject.
Through bold references set against a dynamic background, the artist captures a single moment in a character’s life, drawing viewers in to experience these stories through a new lens.
Fabstraq
Shawn Rainey, the artist known as Fabstraq, is an artistic soul who has been creating art since early childhood. From paintings to poetry, this multifaceted artist delivers inspiration with each of his creative abilities.
Based out of Tampa, he is a certified Art Therapy Life Coach and has participated in various local charity shows benefiting organizations such as the National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc. and Chemo Angels. He regularly volunteers at the Glazers Children Museum, where he inspires future artists, and has been featured on Bay News 9’s Everyday Hero segment for his work within the community.
Michael Vasquez
Michael Vasquez was born in St. Petersburg in 1983. He attended the New World School of the Arts in Miami, graduating with a BFA in 2005. Vasquez is most recognized for his figurative paintings and portraiture that explore identity and the cultivation of community and belonging amidst an inherent social disposition of broken homes and marginalized neighborhoods.
Click here for a full line-up of SHINE Mural Festival activities and to meet the artist.
