December 20, 2012 Adamo Drive Mural ARTICLE

Wall of color alters Ybor's landscape  

Wall of color alters Ybor's landscapeBy Josh Poltilove

YBOR CITY Work has begun on a large mural on an Adamo Drive warehouse that aims to depict the culture and vitality of Ybor City.

Painting began last month, and one of the mural's four quadrants nearly is complete. When the mural is done, it will span the two-block warehouse along an industrial stretch of south Ybor City.

The mural will be 35 feet high and 350 feet wide.

"I think it's really going to change the landscape of that entire strip along that street in Ybor aesthetically," said local artist Michael Parker, who is overseeing the project.

A rendering released this week by the city shows the mural between 17th and 19th streets will focus "on the people and families that continue to make the neighborhood one that embraces new faces, new businesses and new ideas."

Parker researched the area and taught a class of a dozen students at Hillsborough Community College's Ybor City campus specifically for the mural project.

He and some of his students expect to paint the mural through this week and likely for the next few months.

The project has been in the planning stages for two years. Funding comes from donations from businesses and a contribution from the city.

"It's kind of a celebration of people that have done really great things for the community but haven't typically been recognized throughout time," Parker said. "I think it will bring a refreshed kind of image to the whole district."

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