A sold-out crowd enjoyed a fabulous five-course Mural Dinner at the Kilted Mermaid recently, complemented with wines and cocktails, all while watching as artists Daniel Mastera and Linwood Fuller joined forces to complete a large painting at the front of the restaurant.
“They’re new friends and they’re working on a piece together. It’s historical, people,” laughed Vice Mayor Linda Moore, Kilted Mermaid co-owner, explaining that the artists had never met before.
The dinner was a fundraiser for an inaugural Main Street Mural Festival, scheduled to take place Nov. 7-9 in Downtown Vero Beach.
“We’re so excited to be here and for you guys to share this vision with us,” said Moore.
The Mural Festival, hosted by Main Street Vero Beach, will kick off during that Friday evening’s Gallery Stroll and will continue throughout the weekend. The festival will feature artists selected from all over the state working on murals at stations along 14th Avenue.
On Saturday, the festival kicks into high gear, with live music, a scavenger hunt and raffle, and participating restaurants offering food and drink specials.
“And then Sunday, to wrap it up, there will be a lovely brunch event at the Heritage Center where everybody can meet all the artists. We’re going to transport these giant boards and they will all be in Pocahontas Park, where we will listen to live music and it will be fantastic,” said Moore.
Details are still being worked on, but the current plan is to have at least three permanent murals painted on actual building walls, including the alleyway next to Kilted Mermaid.
In addition to permanent walls, the rest of the murals, somewhere around a dozen, will be painted on 8-foot-by 8-foot framed, marine-grade plywood boards that will be coated and sealed.
Once completed, they can be purchased by individuals or placed at various locations within the community.
“This is one of the pieces,” said Moore, referencing the colorful work being painted that evening.
“They’re going to be all throughout downtown. All different artists will be painting these boards and they’ll last for a very long, long period of time,” she added.
Morgen Reynolds, board president of Main Street Vero Beach, said the call to artists went out at the beginning of the summer, and 45 artists have already submitted applications with their conceptualized designs. The designs were on view that evening on a television screen temporarily set up on the bar.
“It’s great that so many people are excited about it,” said Reynolds, pleasantly surprised that they had received so many submissions.
“If we got more funding we could have more artists,” she added.
A committee will select the final mural board designs, with building owners having a say in choosing the designs for their permanent walls.
In addition to an outstanding dinner and great music by Rebecca McIlvain, there was a silent auction of donated items and artwork, including a vibrant blue surfboard painted by Emily Snow.
Guests were also encouraged to partially or fully sponsor the murals. The majority of funds will go to the artists as a stipend, and the rest will be used to cover paint and other expenses.
The goal of the festival, which organizers hope will become a new tradition, is to “build excitement, inspire creativity, and generate momentum for long-term support of public art in Vero Beach.”
“It’s about bringing attention to what always exists on Main Street and with business owners downtown, while giving us an opportunity to appreciate some really cool art,” said Reynolds.
For more information, visit MainStreetverobeach.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
