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>> HELLO. 
I'M GABE ORTIZ, AND THIS IS

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"WEDU ARTS PLUS." 
A ONCE TABOO ART FORM THAT

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PLAGUED CITIES HAS BEEN 
TRANSFORMED INTO A WELCOMED

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ADDITION TO THE FACADE OF THE 
DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS OF

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ST. PETERSBURG. 
THIS STORY WAS PRODUCED BY

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STUDENTS AT ST. PETERSBURG 
COLLEGE IN PARTNERSHIP

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WITH WEDU. 
SEE HOW ARTISTS ARE JOINING IN

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ON THIS GROWING TREND AND 
TURNING BLANK WALLS INTO THEIR

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CONCRETE CANVAS.

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[ SPRAY PAINTING ] 
>> ANYONE WHO PASSES BY AN URBAN

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CITYSCAPE HAS OBSERVED THE 
COLORFUL, PROVOCATIVE, ILLEGAL

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EYESORE THAT IS GRAFFITI. 
FOYEARS THIS ART FORM WAS

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CONSIDERED A FORM OF PROPERTY 
DAMAGE.

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FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, 
GRAFFITI WALLS, OR MURALS,

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RATHER, ARE CONSIDERED A 
BEAUTIFUL WORK OF ART.

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>> THERE WAS A TIME WHEN MURALS 
WERE LOOKED DOWN ON OR MAYBE

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MISUNDERSTOOD OR CONSIDERED 
VANDALISM OR GRAFFITI.

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>>> THERE'S DEFINITELY A BIG 
DIFFERENCE.

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THERE'S ARTISTS AND THEN THERE'S 
STREET GRAFFITI WRITERS.

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>> ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, 
ALTHOUGH ALREADY KNOWN AS A CITY

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OF THE ARTS, WASN'T ACCEPTING OF 
THIS ART FORM UNTIL 2010 WHEN A

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SPARK IGNITED FROM A MURAL THAT 
WAS PUT UP IN THE ALLEYWAY

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OF THE CENTRAL ARTS DISTRICT 
AS A SUBTLE FORM OF ARTISTIC

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EXPRESSION. 
>> 1 OF 1 CUSTOMS ON THE

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600 BLOCK GOT THE FIRST MURAL 
IN THE BACK OF HIS SHOP.

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IT WAS A DR. SEUSS. 
AND THE CITY WASN'T REALLY TOO

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HAPPY ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS 
JUST SO FOREIGN.

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AND THAT'S REALLY KIND OF WHAT 
STARTED IT ALL.

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>> OVER TIME THE CITY HAS 
UTILIZED THIS RISING ART FORM AS

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A WAY TO FACE-LIFT THEIR 
COMMUNITY WHILE CREATING A

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CULTURE ALONG THE WAY. 
>> CULTURALLY, ST. PETE REALLY

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WASN'T LIKE SOMETHING THAT WAS 
TOO BIG, AND IT'S JUST GROWN BY

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ALLOWING THE PEOPLE TO EXPRESS 
THEMSELVES IN THAT FASHION.

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>> I THINK WE FOUND THAT FOR, 
AGAIN, ON SEVERAL LEVELS, MURALS

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CAN HELP OUR CITY AT THE VERY 
FOUNDATION LEVEL BECOME AN

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OPEN-AIR ART MUSEUM. 
PEOPLE ARE NOW COMING HERE TO

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SEE THE MURALS. 
WE'RE DOING MURAL TOURS.

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OVER A HUNDRED BICYCLISTS WENT 
ON A BICYCLE TOUR OF THE MURALS

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ONE SUNDAY OR SATURDAY 
AFTERNOON.

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THE MURALS HELP BRING TOURISM. 
MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE MURALS

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GIVE THE NEIGHBORHOODS A SENSE 
OF IDENTITY.

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AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS THEN TAKE 
CARE OF THOSE MURALS.

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AND THEN BUSINESSES SEE AREAS 
THAT USED TO BE IN DECLINE

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COMING UP BECAUSE OF THE MURALS. 
>> I THINK PEOPLE ARE

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RECOGNIZING THAT THERE'S ART ON 
WALLS AND THAT THAT'S A METHOD

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OF CREATING SOME SORT OF 
ATTENTION TO THEIR BUSINESS OR

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THEIR BUILDING. 
IT'S JUST AN ADVANCED FORM OF

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COMMUNICATION. 
IT'S A REFLECTION OF WHAT LIFE

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OR LIVING IS ALL ABOUT. 
>> THE SHINE MURAL FESTIVAL IS A

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PRIME EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS ONCE 
PLAGUED ART FORM IS NOW WELCOMED

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WITH OPEN ARMS, CREATIVELY 
UNITING A COMMUNITY AND

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ATTRACTING A NEW GENERATION OF 
ARTISTS ALONG THE WAY.

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>> I BELIEVE SOME OF THE YOUNG 
ARTISTS GAVE INPUT AND ACTUALLY

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SAID, HEY, YOU COULD DO THIS. 
YOU CAN BRING IN THESE AMAZING

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ARTISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD 
AND HAVE THIS FESTIVAL THAT WILL

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DRAW A LOT OF FOLKS AND DRAW A 
LOT OF POSITIVE ATTENTION.

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>> I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE 
LEADERSHIP.

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I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MISSION, 
AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE

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VISION. 
AND THOSE THREE THINGS TOGETHER

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ALLOWED US TO REALLY 
COME TOGETHER.

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>> IT'S REALLY UNIQUE THAT 
THEY ARE DOING THAT HERE.

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>> THE POINT OF THE FESTIVAL 
ALSO IS TO HAVE OTHER TALENTS

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COME INTO TOWN. 
>> THE OTHER ARTISTS THAT CAME

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IN, 123KLAN FROM CANADA, 
MURALISTS FROM BROOKLYN,

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FROM ORLANDO, FROM TAMPA, 
IN ADDITION TO THAT, OUR LOCAL

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MURALISTS HERE, SUCH AS 
YA LA'FORD.

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ANOTHER ONE OF THE MOST 
INTELLIGENT MURALS WAS PAINTED

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BY AN ARTIST HERE NAMED 
CARRIE JADUS, AND IT'S A TRIBUTE

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TO TESLA. 
>> THIS IS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE

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OF HOW THE CITY TEAMED WITH 
YOUNG ARTISTS IN OUR ARTS

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COMMUNITY AND MADE SOMETHING 
HAPPEN THAT WAS REALLY SPECIAL,

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I THINK, FOR OUR CITY. 
>> THE FESTIVAL HAS GAINED THE

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CITY OF ST. PETE WORLDWIDE 
RECOGNITION FOR ITS DIVERSITY IN

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ART WHILE ATTRACTING NEW ARTISTS 
AND BUSINESS OWNERS FROM ALL

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AROUND THE WORLD TO RESIDE. 
>> THE CRAZY COOL THING IS, TOO,

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IS PEOPLE HAVE LIKE MIGRATED 
HERE, AND THEIR KIDS' KIDS ARE

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BEING ARTSY. 
>> I CAN'T SAY THAT THE ART

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ITSELF IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE, 
BUT IT IS A DESTINATION NOW.

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>> BUSINESSES ARE RELOCATING 
HERE BECAUSE IT'S A COOL PLACE

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TO LIVE AND WORK AND PLAY. 
AND THOSE OF US WHO LIVE HERE

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SEE IT BECOMING A VIBRANT, 
ROBUST ARTS TOWN THAT WE WANT TO

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BE A PART OF IT. 
>> I THINK IT SHOWS THAT WE'RE

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OPEN-MINDED. 
I THINK IT SHOWS THAT WE ARE

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ARTS INCLINED. 
>> YOUNG, ASPIRING ARTISTS THAT

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ONCE WOULD RATHER REMAIN UNKNOWN 
NOW HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE

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OPPORTUNITY TO PUBLICLY DISPLAY 
THEIR ART, GAINING THEM

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WIDESPREAD RECOGNITION, 
COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES,

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AND FUTURE WORK FROM 
BUSINESS OWNERS.

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>> THE SHINE FESTIVAL HAS OPENED 
UP A LOT OF DOORS FOR NOT ONLY

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ME BUT MULTIPLE ARTISTS AROUND 
THE CITY.

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>> AFTER THE FESTIVAL IS OVER, 
THE COOLEST THING IS PEOPLE

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START CALLING OUR OFFICE GOING, 
"WHERE CAN I HIRE A MURAL

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ARTIST?" 
WHO NOW WANT TO PAY ARTISTS TO

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PUT MURALS ON THEIR BUILDINGS AS 
OPPOSED TO TEN YEARS AGO SPRAY

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PAINTING OVER WHAT THEY DID. 
>> IT'S -- IT'S HAPPENING, DUDE.

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IT'S LIKE -- TODAY ALONE, WE GOT 
A CALL FOR THREE SEPARATE,

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TOTAL SEPARATE MURALS RIGHT UP 
AND DOWN THIS STREET.

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WE ASKED FOR IT. 
NOW WE'RE GOING TO GET IT.

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>> IT ALSO BRINGS ST. PETERSBURG 
TO THE FOREFRONT

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INTERNATIONALLY. 
>> A LOT OF ARTISTS THAT I KNOW,

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I MEAN, THEY ARE JUST DOING THIS 
TO GET INITIALLY ON A COMMUNITY

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LEVEL RECOGNIZED, AND THAT'S 
WHERE A LOT OF THE YOUNGER

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ARTISTS ARE COMING UP. 
YOU'RE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED

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WITH WHEN YOUR MURAL IS A 
HUNDRED FEET BY -- EVERYBODY HAS

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GOT TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE 
THERE IT IS.

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>> ALTHOUGH THE FESTIVAL IS NOW 
OVER, 17 NEW MURALS COMMISSIONED

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BY FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS REMAIN, 
JOINING OTHER NEW NON-SHINE

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MURALS AND DOZENS MORE 
PROCEEDING THEM TURNING THE CITY

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OF ST. PETERSBURG INTO THEIR OWN 
CONCRETE CANVAS.

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>> I WAS HOPING THAT IT WOULD 
BECOME THIS.

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>> AND I'M QUITE SURE IT WILL BE 
A YEARLY FIXTURE.

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WHAT IF SALVADOR DALI WAS HERE 
AT 18 YEARS OF AGE, WOULD WE

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WELCOME HIM? 
I THINK WE HAVE MORE SALVADOR

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DALIS LIVING RIGHT HERE IN OUR 
CITY, AND LET'S ENCOURAGE THEM.

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>> TO LEARN MORE, VISIT: