Art on the Block Mural Day Public Mural Project Designed to Inspire Unity

The City of Tampa has commissioned local artists to paint five intersections throughout the City, all on Saturday, June 27th, with the intent of unity and inclusiveness.  To date, more than a dozen street murals have been painted in the City of Tampa.

Art on the Block is an initiative by Mayor Jane Castor that is envisioned to bring art and artists into the neighborhoods. The intent of this program is to make art accessible to all and to further incentivize curb appeal.  Street murals also help to calm traffic by adding visual interest to an intersection or street. The City’s intersection mural program supports the Vision Zero mission, eliminating all traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries, which is one key facet of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow.  Intersection murals are effective tools for improving street safety, enhancing the livability of our streets, revitalizing public spaces, and bringing communities together.

The City of Tampa is partnering with several local organizations to support this endeavor:

1. Downtown Black Lives Matter, East Cass Street & North Jefferson Street – Lead Artist: Illsol x The New Roots Collective managed by Reece Fernando Moore and Melvin Halsey, Jr. / Co-sponsored by the Tampa Downtown Partnership and Greenman-Pedersen, supported by volunteers from the Children’s Board and the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization
2. Tampa Heights, North Franklin Street & West Henderson Avenue – Artist: Cam Parker / Co-sponsored by the Tampa Downtown Partnership and Tampa LGBT Chamber
3. West Tampa, Habana Avenue & West Tampa Bay Boulevard – Artist: Cecilia Lueza / Sponsored by the City of Tampa, Volunteers provided by the Our Aim Foundation
4. Westshore, West Laurel Street & North Grady Avenue – Artist: Anthony Freese / Sponsored by the Westshore Alliance
5. East Tampa, East 21st Avenue & North 15th Street – Artist: James Vann / Sponsored by the East Tampa CRA

Painting will take place 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 (weather dependent).

The media is welcome to stop by any of the five locations, and each artist will be available for interviews on site.  At the Black Lives Matter mural in Downtown, there will be an Opening Ceremony with a moment of silence, song, and prayer at 8 am, and a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 pm on June 27.  There will also be a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Tampa Heights location at 2 pm on June 27.

For more information, contact Danni Jorgenson at (813) 417-0218 or danni.jorgenson@tampagov.net.