Mural making at the St Pete History Museum. Photo by Julie Branaman

Call for artists: Creative Pinellas launches mural partnership with Pinellas County

Christopher Curry | Saturday, May 11, 2019

Creative Pinellas is calling for artists to transform this blank wall under an overpass in North Pinellas. Courtesy of Creative Pinellas

Walking Mural Tour guide Audrey Henneman discusses the mural at the St Pete Brewery (2014).

Audrey Henneman shows tour participants Chad Mize's Mr. Sun Mural (2014).

Creative Pinellas is calling for artists to suggest a unique mural concept for a busy Palm Harbor intersection as part of the launch of a new placemaking partnership with Pinellas County.

The Community Enrichment Mural program’s goal is to transform underutilized public spaces in county right-of-ways into unique and engaging works of art that create a sense of place.

“Creative Pinellas is all about making art accessible and actively bringing art to where the people are,” says Executive Director Barbara St. Clair. “That is our mission and that is also the nice thing about murals. They are very accessible public art that, in addition to being decorative, give people the opportunity to have experiences with art in their everyday daily life.”

The pilot project will be a 132-foot-wide, 13-foot-high wall under an overpass near the intersection of Tampa Road and McMullen Booth Road in Palm Harbor in north Pinellas County. The location will get significant pedestrian and bicyclist traffic as part of the future Pinellas Trail North Loop extension that will connect the Pinellas Trail to John Chesnut Sr. Park and the Duke Energy Trail.

Creative Pinellas is accepting submissions from individual artists or teams of artists through May 21. The local arts agency is hoping for submissions that showcase a “unique style of communication and expression that will lift up the environment to be an inspirational space and go beyond the simple visual representation of an object or event.”

The selected artists will be notified May 30 and the mural is planned to be completed by June 30.

“We want to create some additional opportunities for our mural artists and this is a great opportunity,” St. Clair says. “It gives mural artists an opportunity to create, to be compensated, and to have their work seen. There is a good budget for it and it is a great canvas. It will be at the pedestrian level once the trail is built.”

Artists seeking more information may contact Jenee Priebe, project manager at [email protected] or 727 280-6680.

Read more articles by Christopher Curry.

Chris Curry has been a writer for the 83 Degrees Media team since 2017. Chris also served as the development editor for a time before assuming the role of managing editor in May 2022. Chris lives in Clearwater. His professional career includes more than 15 years as a newspaper reporter, primarily in Ocala and Gainesville, before moving back home to the Tampa Bay Area. He enjoys the local music scene, the warm winters and Tampa Bay's abundance of outdoor festivals and events. When he's not working or spending time with family, he can frequently be found hoofing the trails at one of Pinellas County's nature parks.