Coronavirus isn’t stopping local art. Watch murals come to life in Bradenton this weekend

A community mural project slated for this weekend in Village of the Arts will not go on as planned. Yep, you can thank that infectious buzzkill known colloquially as “the coronavirus.”

Instead, the artists of the live-work colony have thought up a new format for the “Wonderwall” event that may allow even more people to enjoy it.

On Saturday, mural creation stations throughout the Village will livestream on Facebook. Anyone can watch as paint and creativity are unleashed on eight-foot-high canvases.

Mary Fragapane, co-owner of The Dude and Mary’s Art of Life and Music, will paint one of the murals.

Fragapane said the original idea was to invite locals to come and watch as 10 outdoor murals were created by artists from within and outside of the Village. Amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, they thought about canceling the project entirely. But a few of the artists didn’t want to give up on it.

“We decided that we would go ahead and do this very small-scale version of what we had planned initially and put it out there in the public realm,” Fragapane said. “Hopefully it will give people something fun and interesting popping up in their feed on Saturday.”

The group behind “Wonderwall” also envisioned a way that the event could help an arts community facing an uncertain future.

During the livestream, a fundraising link will be posted; the money raised will go towards establishing a new grant program in the Village to help cover emergency expenses for working artists.

In addition to the main feed on the Village of the Arts Facebook page, participating artists will also stream the project on their own Facebook pages, providing multiple perspectives of the artworks in progress. Time-lapse video will also be posted.

“We want it to be something that creates a little bit of hope, a little bit of a break in the quarantine monotony,” Fragapane said. “Artists are meant to respond to these sorts of things. We go forward.”

For another two creators, it’s a chance to raise awareness for a community where they have found support.

Mandy and Rob Edwards opened One One Eleven Arts, the Village’s first tattoo gallery, last year.

The new chapter came after the couple and their three children were forced to camp out in the Florida State Parks system for a time in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.

“I love this place,” Rob said of the Village. “It’s interesting seeing people who are down to earth and working with their hands everyday to make a living.”

Both Rob and Mandy have since joined the board of the Artists Guild of Manatee, a non-profit that represents the creative community.

“We figured it was a really rock-solid way to give back to the community,” Rob said.

Business at the gallery, which also offers graphic design services, has taken a hit due to the coronavirus.

“I’ve been open and taking it one piece of art at a time,” Rob said. “It’s a lot lighter of a workload than I’m used to, but the work’s still there.”

As for the mural that the One One Eleven artists will create: “It’s very tattoo-esque,” Rob said.

A third mural will be created by Sarasota-based artist David Hammel.

The murals will be left up in the Village into the summer, Fragapane said, so there will be plenty of time to drive by and get a firsthand look.

Details: Watch via live stream on the Village of the Arts Facebook page, facebook.com/villageofthearts, at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday. A wrap-up shot of the finished pieces will be posted at the end of the day.

The Dude and Mary’s Art of Life and Music: facebook.com/artoflifeandmusic.

One One Eleven Arts: facebook.com/oneoneelevenarts.

This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 4:49 PM.