Village of the Arts debuts mural festival after street art removal. What to know

After Florida ordered the removal of all street and sidewalk art last year, Bradenton’s Village of the Arts lost years of creative work.

Now, artists are fighting back with paint on a new canvas: building walls.

FULL STORY: Florida banned street art. Bradenton responds with a colorful new festival

Here are key takeaways:

• The first WonderWall Mural Fest runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Village of the Arts, 1227 12th St. W., in Bradenton. Admission is free.
• The festival was born in direct response to the state’s street art removal. Artists Guild president David Shiplett said Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown visited the village after the art came down and started “pointing out things you can paint,” even under the new restrictions.
• The Florida Department of Transportation sent a memo on June 30 ordering removal of pavement markings not in compliance with state color and shape regulations, citing public safety. Municipalities risked losing state funding if they didn’t comply.
• Artists will create five permanent murals and four temporary murals on reinforced plywood at locations across the village, including the Federal Market, Bits & Pieces, Embodied Health and Jerk Dog Records.
• Organizers say the event carries no political agenda. “Our message is that we’re stronger together and we can move forward together,” board member Teri Nattress told the Bradenton Herald. “The message is really to ourselves and to our own community.”
• The festival will feature live mural painting, reggae bands, nonprofit booths and beer from Flamingo Bay Brewing Company. Organizers expect it to become an annual tradition.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.