Lakewood Trail Connector mural celebrates community

Residents, artists and local leaders came together Aug. 14 to officially unveil the Lakewood Connector Community Mural along the Lakewood Trail Connector. 

The 400-foot-long, 7-foot-tall artwork explores themes of neighborhood, native landscapes and connection. The project was a partnership between transit advocacy group Connect Pinellas, nonprofit All The World’s Kids, the Vitale Bros., the Lakewood Estates Civic Association and private property owner Oak Park Villas.

“This is, I hope, a long-term project to really reinvigorate this area,” said Connect Pinellas president Kristen Ehrlich. “It’s the only pedestrian and bicycle-only underpass that goes under I-275 between 31st Street S. and U.S. 19. This area is used but it has been unloved for quite a long time.” 

She hopes that the mural activation can inspire local leaders to install more signage, shade coverage and other improvements along the trail connector. Ehrlich, the Connect Pinellas team and collaborators began work on the project this summer. 

Artists who participated in the effort include Vitale Bros. founder Johnny Vitale, Derek Donnelly, Taylor “Dreamweaver” Smith and Sionna “Sio” MacLeish. Children from the adjacent Maximo Elementary School also helped paint the mural.  

“I hope it inspires community pride,” Ehrlich said. “That’s really why the kids are here and got involved. When people walk through here when they’re going to school, they get to say ‘oh, that’s my flower!’”

From left, All The World’s Kids founder and CEO Lauren Hubbard, Connect Pinellas president Kristen Ehrlich, Johnny Vitale of the Vitale Bros. and St. Petersburg City Council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders.

Lauren Hubbard, founder and CEO of All The World’s Kids, explained that the idea for the project stemmed from a $5,000 art grant her organization received from the City of St. Petersburg. 

“We learned about the safety, or lack of it, in the area and we thought this is where we could throw some paint up and make it a community initiative,” she explained. “The prize on top has been watching the youth buy in and invest in their own community.” 

Johnny Vitale is a friend of Hubbard’s. They have worked together at Overspray Art Space in Gulfport, where Vitale teaches graffiti and mural workshops. Once they had conversations about the Lakewood Trail Connector project, Vitale decided to organize a group of local artists for the effort. 

In the initial design phase for the mural, Vitale was inspired by the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve and proposed an animal theme. Across the artwork, viewers can see dolphins, a raccoon, an armadillo, parrots and alligators, among others. 

“We knew we had to carry the whole thing,” Vitale explained. “So, we couldn’t go hyper-realistic the whole way. We added abstract elements, such as big, blocky colors and stuff. Because we were limited in our budget, we ended up using a lot of donated paint from our company that was left over from the murals that we do.” 

St. Petersburg City Council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders attended the Aug. 14 event. 

She believes that the gathering was “truly for everyone” in the community and appreciated seeing the children from Maximo Elementary participate in the project. This effort allowed them to “contribute” to their neighborhood. Figgs-Sanders said that adding more artwork around the city is “valuable” and “critical.” 

She explained that any renovations or upgrades to the Lakewood Trail Connector area will take time. However, she hopes that the reactivation can “initiate an initial process” to have discussions.