‘Feels like a violation.’ Village of the Arts reacts to Bradenton’s art removal
For Village of the Arts residents, losing sidewalk art felt like losing a piece of their identity.
Around 5 a.m. on Aug. 27, residents in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts (VOTA) watched as city employees sandblasted sidewalks, removing murals and paintings of Alice in Wonderland and Frida Kahlo. The art removal was part of a statewide directive handed down by the Florida Department of Transportation.
The first wave left “ghosts” of the artwork on some sidewalks, described Zoe Von Averkamp, owner of Divine Excess Folk Art Gallery.
Two weeks later, residents say crews returned to paint over some sidewalks. Von Averkamp said it was an insult to injury when the crews came back “whitewashing” the sidewalks.
The state’s targeting of VOTA troubled residents, especially in a community that is a special district dedicated to public art. Co-founder of Yoga Arts, Carrie Price, said it felt like the city was not only removing art but infringing on the basis of VOTA.
“When you let people do stuff, we have things, we have art paid for by the city on the road, then suddenly it’s no longer allowed,” Price said. “It’s the shifting dynamics that can be confusing and heartbreaking when things are established and then they’re taken away.”
Art-focused community
For many in VOTA, art is more than paint on a sidewalk.
VOTA is a special district within Bradenton that has specific regulations promoting public art. For those who live in or own an art gallery in VOTA, art is part of their lives.
“The city sandblasted the art off of the sidewalks and eradicated years of what people put their heart into,” resident Gene Tenery said.
Art was sometimes used as a tool, too.
“A lot of the time, these sidewalks were kind of like landmarks,” Dawn Collins of The Village Mystic said.
Collins said artists used the sidewalk murals as ways to guide visitors to a place to eat or another gallery — pointing out landmarks like the “Alice in Wonderland” painting became common directions.
Von Averkamp added the artwork became an attraction for visitors who would then share photos of VOTA and attract more visitors.
“Visitors loved the sidewalk art,” Von Averkamp said. “It’s the best free advertising we have, and the sidewalks were a part of that…we get visitors from all over the world. That means photographs of all the art here went all over the world all these years.”
Statewide push for art removal
The FDOT sent the City a letter on Aug. 21 that outlined certain artwork on sidewalks and streets that needed to be removed by Sept. 4. In the letter, FDOT representatives said that if the city did not comply, the FDOT would remove the art and bill the city for the costs.
“Please note that the Department will pursue withholding of state funds as permitted by the law should the City of Bradenton reverse course and decide not to comply,” the letter states.
This year, the City of Bradenton received over $8 million in state appropriations, all of which could have been in jeopardy had the city not complied with FDOT’s order.
According to the letter, the FDOT would not consider any exceptions.
Collins understood FDOT’s directive to remove art from major thoroughfares that could be seen as a distraction, but not in smaller communities like VOTA.
“It feels different what they did here in the village. It almost feels like a violation,” Collins said.
Residents don’t understand why the sidewalk art in VOTA was targeted by FDOT’s initiative, especially given what the art portrayed.
While art removed in other cities — like the “Black History Matters” street mural in St. Petersburg — reflected political or social movements, VOTA residents say the sidewalk art in their community had no ideological or political themes.
“It wasn’t anything derogatory,” Collins said. “It was a way of being a community and being fun and funky, and showing who we are.”
Tenery sees the statewide art removal as a political move that is targeting specific communities, and Bradenton’s VOTA has now been roped into the mix despite the art being apolitical.
“The larger issue is that there are more important things going on in Florida that need to be addressed,” Tenery said. “And this is part of the culture war that Florida has against art and culture and marginalized communities.”
Kevin Webb, owner of 10th Avenue West Studios, believes it was a “lazy approach” by the state and FDOT to make sweeping directives for sidewalk art without looking at places like VOTA for exceptions.
“They did this with a pretty broad brush. And I feel we were collateral damage,” Webb said. “The powers that be in Tallahassee want to silence and marginalize certain populations that they’re supposed to represent.”
Moving forward
Residents are hoping to re-establish some of the lost artwork in the coming months.
Price is coordinating a day in October for those in VOTA to come together and replace some of the lost art on private property. She sees it as a way for the community to come together and reflect on the recent events through “random acts of artness.”
Webb said the local artist guild is also looking at holding an event next spring to bring more public art to VOTA.
Despite the situation, Price said one positive she’s seen is how VOTA residents have come together.
“A lot of people right after this happened wanted to…have emotions about it, and be together about it because it was a loss,” Price said. “This is a community that craves connection and wants to do that.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
