Artists Gather for Hope

Inspired by the art in a Miami district, a group of artists gathered Saturday to obliterate graffiti tagged on the back of Hope Family Services' Thrift Store.

The artists just needed a day, some paint and some supplies to git rid of some blight and create something that would be uplifting to the 9th Avenue area.

A dozen artists signed on to the project promising to donate thier time and talents to the community. They worked together to come up with a theme — the singing river — and a design that would carry across nearly 2,300 square feet.

And on Saturday morning they gathered. The youngest was 13. Rolf Henrik Hellem-Brusso, a King Middle School student, has been studying with one of the organizers for more than a year.

An art teacher from Clearwater joined the crowd, as did artists from Tampa and the Ringling School of Art and Design.

Cheeta Chad Ruis, an artist and designer who lives on Anna Maria Island, where he also has a studio garage, helped gather the artists for Saturday's event. He brought part of his winning team from October's Art Slam event in downtown Bradenton, as well as Rolf, one of the students from his weekly workshops.

"I knew this would be a huge mural and a big opportunity for Bradenton," Ruis said. "I've been wanting to do a mural downtown for a long time."

"This is amazing for this to happen."

Hector Ferran, an artist from the Village of the Arts, spent months organizing everything. From meeting with Hope Family Services to get permission to paint the mural and to get some money for the paints and supplies, to meeting with city representatitves, the downtown development authroity and the artists.

Ferran was determined to make the project a success, and something the entire community could embrace.

"I live here," he said. "I don't want to offend anyone."

The buy in for the project was amazing. Everyone he talked to liked the idea and loved the theme for the singing river.

With the budget from Hope Family Services, Ferran bought some of the art suplies from at deeply discounted prices. Keeton's also donated some of the paint. Ferran also got a donation of supplies from Home Depot after going into the store and explaining the project.

"That's the sort of enthusiasm there is for this kind of project in this area," Ferran said.

And it wasn't just artists who came out Saturday. As the mural began to take shape Saturday morning, it began drawing a crowd. People who were driving past the site turned around and pulled in to see what was happening.

Brent Henson, who works in a building near the Hope Family Services shop stopped by Saturday afternoon to take a look.

"I think it's great, wonderful," Henson said. "It takes the ugliness out of the back of the building."

Z Dotts, an employee with the Manatee Count School District, heard about the project weeks ago and marked the date on her calendar to come check it out.

She brought her son and their friends Saturday morning and was back late in the afternoon to check on the project. She said she was amazed to see how much the artists got done in a single day.

"It's pretty impressive," Dotts said.

She talked to her sons about the teamwork and trust it took for the artists to get the mural done so quickly and to carry out a theme throughout the art work while allowing each artists his or her own style and interpretation.

"They got so much here," she said.

Dotts plans to bring her sons and their friends back again today so that they can see the completed mural all together.

The swift public reaction surprised even Ferran, who knew the mural would spark interest."

"It's been drawing a crowd all day long," Ferran said. "The reception has been greater than I thought. People driving by have turned around and stopped to see what we are doing."

The artists who donated their time and talents to the project are: John Carvajal, Gabe Sorondo, Luis Aponte, Tampa artists Svetlaha Kepezhinskas and Efren Rebugio Jr.; Beth Warmath an art teacher from Clearwater, and Ringling art students Marcello Mesquita, from Miami, Hiro Hubbard, from Baltimore, Md and Gabriel Diaz, from Puerto Rico.