Jun 242025
 

When the Sun is Up, the Moon is Absent! was created by Bryan Beyung and James Lee Chiahan for the 2023 edition of SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.

From the artists about the mural-

In 1987, the Kien family stood on a red dirt road in a refugee camp called Site 2 somewhere along the border of Cambodia and Thailand. With their loved ones scattered, their home displaced, and their country suffused in violence, they place their hopes on a vague future. Absurd events become strangely, sadly common. Fate, or luck, or kindness brings them safe passage across the sea to Boston, MA; Montréal, QC; and finally, Bradenton, FL, a few minutes away from where this wall stands.

The youngest of the four depicted is our friend Anhdi. Today, he lives in Bradenton with his wife and three kids, who we invited to help paint and add to their family’s story directly. It’s a story with many secret turns and memories that shape their specific experience, but it’s also one that’s universal to so many who have had to flee their homes amidst conflict in the search of a new beginning. It’s a story of survival and the human spirit, and we feel so lucky to have been able to try and express it.

Jun 062025
 

Breaking Free by Rhys Meatyard for the 2023 edition of SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.

From the artist about the mural-

For my mural, I wanted to do something hopeful and bright, and the color palette reflects that intent. I took inspiration primarily from classical art and 70s prog rock album covers. I am a big fan of Roger Dean – the artist behind covers for bands such as Yes and Uriah Heep – and borrowed some of his themes for this piece. In the foreground, you see two statues in a colonnade, and as your eye moves across the piece into the mid and background, you become aware that the land and temple are breaking apart, with parts floating off into the sun. The furthest statue has awakened and is stepping off of her base, gazing into the sun. Although the context – the solid ground she has been standing upon is breaking apart – should be frightening, she is looking into the light and moving towards her new existence. This is a metaphor for the process of being reborn in the breaking we all face in our lives, for waking up to the beautiful and terrifying reality of self, and becoming another thing and venturing into the unknown.

Spatially, the piece unfolds for you as you round the corner approaching it. Your first view is of the static statues, and as you come closer, the rays of sunlight draw you in to the rest of the scene. There is not much room to stand back from the piece, so you are forced to confront its magnitude up-close, pulling you into the world in which it exists.

Feb 262025
 

This mural by Tracey Jones, aka Artist Jones, located on the PSTA ticket office building in St. Pete, was created for the 2023 edition of the SHINE Mural Festival.

The work includes an image of John Donaldson, a former slave from Alabama who became the first black man to settle on the lower Pinellas Peninsula. He purchased a forty acre farm there and was one of a small group of pioneers who, along with his family, created the foundation for the community that would later grow into today’s St. Petersburg.

 

Apr 242024
 

Rainbird, by Miami-based artist Douglas Hoekzema, aka Hoxxoh, was created for the 2023 edition of SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.

Jan 252024
 

The Mangrove Refuge (The Vorasane Family and Friends; Gandy Beach circa 1980) by Michael Vasquez was created for the 2023 edition of SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.

The artist’s statement about the mural-

A displaced Lao family (and friends) find refuge and a moment of reflection amidst the mangroves of Tampa Bay’s Gandy Beach.

A 1978 Datsun 280Z serves as a centerpiece and point of pride, fusing together car culture and masculinity. Similar aspects of clothing and style signal togetherness, emulation, and a shared sense of identity—yet their solitary gazes set them apart from one another and allude to a deeper and more personal past, present, and future…

Vasquez is currently part of the group show TRADITIONS: Honoring Heritage, Ritual and Family at Muzeo in Anaheim, California. The show is curated by Thinkspace and Tlaloc Studios and is on view until 2/25/24.

Also check out his Instagram for current work.

Jan 222024
 

Ride on the sPEACEship! by Chris Dyer was created for the 2023 SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.

Check out more of his work on Instagram.

Jan 112024
 

This mural by Bunnie Reiss was created for the 2023 edition of the SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.

Also check out her Instagram for updates on her current work.

Dec 292023
 

This year The James Museum partnered with SHINE Mural Festival and Chenlin Cai to create the mural seen above, The Path We Came. It was inspired by the museum’s current exhibition From Far East to West: The Chinese American Frontier.

Dec 032023
 

This mural by Andrea Wan was created for the 2023 edition of SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.

Also check out her Instagram for updates on current work.

Nov 272023
 

Reno based artist Hannah Eddy created this mural for the 2023 edition of the SHINE Mural Festival in St. Pete, Florida.

Check out her Instagram as well for more artwork.