Painting for a Purpose
This year the Shine St. Petersburg Mural Festival is partnering with Hawaii-based nonprofit PangeaSeed Foundation to produce Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans which will feature two ocean conservation themed murals. The project is funded by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association (NOAA). This will be the federal agency’s first public art project nationwide.
“Without healthy oceans, life on land is impossible. Ocean stewardship is important everywhere in the world and especially within coastal communities like St. Petersburg. The PangeaSeed Foundation family is proud to partner with Shine and NOAA to help bring our unique brand of ARTivism for oceans to this community,” said Tre’ Packard, PangeaSeed Foundation Founder and Executive Director.
Shine curated Portland artists Blaine Fontana and Plastic Birdie to paint a Sea Walls mural at Bama Sea Products located along the Pinellas Trail. This will be the largest Shine mural for 2019. The Vitale Brothers will represent locally for the other ocean themed mural located at Techno-Solis, 301 20th Street South. After research and a first-hand excursion to local fisheries, the Sea Walls artists will artfully highlight the importance of our local fishing communities and preserving our ocean’s delicate ecosystem.
“St. Petersburg is both a city of the arts and a city of innovative sciences, making it the perfect location for a merger of these disciplines,” said Jeff Pulver, Fishery Biologist with NOAA. “Most people aren’t aware of the ocean science, management, and the communities that rely on the healthy ocean ecosystems. NOAA is a proud part of the fishing and ocean community here, and we celebrate its rich heritage.”
As part of SHINE’s partnership with PangeaSeed Foundation, a panel discussion will be held during the Finale Event at The Factory St. Pete on October 26 at 3pm. Moderated by Tre’ Packard and featuring Blaine Fontana, Johnny Vitale, Jeff Pulver, Catherine Bruger with Ocean Conservancy and Thomas Paterek with Suncoast Surfrider Foundation, the panel will discuss the intersection of art, science and advocacy. Additionally, Suncoast Surfrider will host a beach clean-up along North Shore Beach the morning of October 26th. For more information, follow the Shine social media sites @shineonstpete or visit the website www.shinemuralfest.com