Downtown Vero Beach was awash in color during an inaugural Main Street Vero Beach Mural Festival, which brought a three-day, open-air art experience to the city.
Hosted by Main Street Vero Beach in partnership with the Downtown Vero Beach Mural Art Project and the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce, the festival transformed blank walls and pop-up panels into vibrant landmarks to enhance the area’s aesthetic while painting a bright, promising future for the city’s burgeoning arts scene.
The Mural Festival was the culmination of a decade-old idea, explained arts advocate Barbara Ruddy during the Sunday afternoon Meet the Artists Brunch. Ruddy challenged the attendees to seek out other spaces where additional murals could be created in the downtown area as a way to ignite a city-wide passion for public art.
“I had no idea what I was biting off,” said City Councilwoman Linda Moore, thanking everyone for making the ambitious project a reality. “Next year is going to be so much better.”
The process had actually begun months ago, with a call to artists from all around the state requesting applications and conceptualized designs going out at the start of the summer. Additionally, the 8-foot by 8-foot framed, marine-grade plywood boards had all needed to be made ready for the artists, and a fundraiser at the Kilted Mermaid helped raise funds for the endeavor.
The three-day event commenced on a Friday evening, running alongside the popular First Friday Gallery Stroll. As patrons visited the downtown galleries, they could also take a Mural Walk along a veritable outdoor gallery on 14th Avenue, watching as artists began their large-scale work on building walls and portable panels.
On Saturday, visitors could watch and chat with the artists as they continued their painting process, viewing the artistic progression of the works as they unfolded from sketches and blocks of color into completed visual narratives.
The festival concluded on Sunday with the Meet the Artists Brunch at the Heritage Center, where guests enjoyed a buffet catered by Salvador Deli while mingling with the artists and listening to live music by Bryan Sherbrook.
The atmosphere was one of enthusiastic encouragement, especially regarding the future of public art in Vero Beach.
“I would like everybody here to figure out who they could approach downtown, Main Street, and side streets about murals. More murals!” said Barbara Ruddy, excited about the success of the weekend as she issued a challenge to everyone.
Ruddy said she spoke from experience, having helped start a Savannah mural festival.
“Once the first mural was done, it caught on everywhere, and I’m hoping the same thing happens here,” said Ruddy.
She added that the art will be a lasting legacy and even offered to pay for the clear coat to seal the murals’ paint so they could continue their beauty in perpetuity.
For more information, visit MainStreetVeroBeach.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
