DAAS’ mural in his Ikebana Series, “Lily, Periwinkle & Jatropha,” which can be found at 701 Franklin St. in Clearwater. Courtesy of the Clearwater City of Cultural Affairs

3 newly-painted murals brighten up Clearwater streets

Caitlin Albritton | Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Cecilia Lueza’s “Summertime,” intersection mural, which can be found at the corner of Cleveland and Garden Ave. Courtesy of the Clearwater City of Cultural Affairs

St. Pete and Tampa are already well-known for their support of the arts, but you don’t often hear about about what places like Clearwater are doing. That is, until now.

In 2018, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in Clearwater established a program to develop murals within an area from the waterfront to Highland Ave., and Drew to Court St. The goal was to place murals not only on municipal buildings, but private businesses as well. Four murals were created as part of what they consider Phase 1.

“It was a very successful program and very well received. We wanted to bring vibrance and engaging murals to downtown to enliven the space and allow for a visual break, bringing artwork where it wasn’t expected,” says Christopher Hubbard, the Cultural Affairs Coordinator of the City of Clearwater.

Phase 2 of the program started in 2020, where the CRA selected 3 artists out of 190 applicants from all over the country: Texas-based DAAS, local artist Cecilia Lueza, and MJ Lindo-Lawyer out of California. DAAS recently completed his mural at 701 Franklin St., depicting an ikebana flower arrangement called “Lily, Periwinkle & Jatropha.” Lueza’s piece “Summertime” can be driven on, as it has been recently painted at intersection of Cleveland and Garden Ave. Lindo-Lawyer’s mural will start the week of July 19 and will be on the other side of the 701 Franklin building from DAAS’ piece.

There may even be the potential for more phases of this program as space permits. One way the CRA is doing this is by creating an Artist and Business Forum on the Downtown Clearwater website to connect private property owners with interested muralists for artistic collaborations.

Even tech is being included in their public art, like with the mural “Comunidad” at the Garden Ave. parking garage. The CRA partnered with USF to create an augmented reality app so audiences can interact live with the mural and see portions of it move around.

“What we want to do is make Clearwater an artist-friendly city by commissioning murals and sculptures for public artwork. It’s so cool to get a view into the future of how we will interact with art and tech, and the impression it can make on people,” Hubbard says. “We want to make artists and citizens know they are welcome here. We’re really glad to be a part of this program and excited to brighten up the city with art.”

Find out more about the Downtown Clearwater Mural Program.

Read more articles by Caitlin Albritton.

Caitlin Albritton is a freelance writer based in Tampa with a BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and a MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art. When she's not looking at art throughout town, she can be found making it. You can keep up with her visual art on Instagram @caitlinalbritton or on her website. Visit her recent line of inlay “wearable paintings.”