A guided bike tour along the Pinellas Trail paused to watch Portland, Oregon artists Blaine Fontana and Plastic Birdie finish up their ocean conservation-themed mural, this year’s largest installation. The Factory Saint Pete hosted Saint Petersburg’s Fifth Annual SHINE Mural Festival finale Saturday, October 26, from to 2 p.m. to sundown at 28th Street South and Fairfield Avenue South in St. Petersburg.
The Factory, an art and cultural center still growing within the womb of Saint Petersburg’s Art District, is projected to be a six-and-a-half-acre, 90,000-square foot, eight-building campus along the Pinellas Trail.
The finale included the “INSIDE OUT” global art project, a one-day-only installation that wrapped the current Madico Window Film’s warehouse with 300 poster-sized wheat pasted photos of St. Petersburg residents.
Live art projects were also part of the finale, with Chicago based artist JC Rivera of CARMADA, adding to the Bay area’s fleet of colorful, artistic vehicles. Portland, Oregon artists Blaine Fontana and Plastic Birdie also finished their ocean conservation-themed mural, this year’s largest installation.
Gulfport’s native “mermaid” Raven Sutter, along with husband Tyler Sutter, drew a crowd as she swam in her 1,000-gallon traveling tank. She mimicked the children that approached her tank and blew kisses and bubbles to the delight of onlookers.
Hosting the SHINE festival finale in the future location of St. Petersburg’s next grand art destination didn’t happen by accident. The Factory’s partners Liz Dimmitt, of Dimmitt Chevrolet, and Kara and Jordan Behar, are preparing to make the site “an adaptive reuse of all eight buildings into a destination for food, arts and dance,” said Dimmitt.
“We’re big fans of SHINE and love the arts community here,” Dimmitt explained. “It was great to be able to have big outdoor space where everyone could come together… and it’s sort of a launch party for us…We’re just starting to get the word out.” The partners are projected to start construction in January 2020, with the intent to hold soft openings next fall.
Space is already reserved for Daddy Kool Records, Black Crow Coffee, Tombolo Books and the YMCA Teen Dance program.
The SHINE Mural Fest is hosted by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, turning the town into an “open-air museum showcasing large scale murals painted by world-renowned artists in downtown and surrounding art districts,” according to organizers. This year’s event was held from October 18 to 26. For more information, or locations of this year’s murals, visit shinemuralfest.com.
One example of Chicago-based artist JC Rivera’s CARMADA street fleet moving art projects is staged in front of the “INSIDE OUT” global art project, an installation that wrapped the current Madico Window Film’s warehouse with 300 poster-sized wheat pasted photos of St. Petersburg residents. 
Future artists have free play with Visit St. Pete/Clearwater’s giant coloring book.
Gulfport’s very own mermaid, Raven Sutter, blows kisses and bubbles to the delight of the crowd in her 1,000-gallon traveling tank.
