PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Derek Donnelly is a creative muralist, artist and new father. His decades-long portfolio of creating unique works of art recently led to an unprecedented move by the City of Pinellas Park to support the arts.
Over a decade ago, the city purchased several blighted properties in the Creative District of Pinellas Park. The goal was to remove the riff-raff, lower crime, and improve the area. Donnelly leased the building in the Creative District and has been a big part of transforming the area.
"Let's face it, artists, it's a tough living to make," City Manager Bart Diebold told ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska. "But art is one of those things where as a government, you have to invest."
The city sold the building for less than they paid for it. Diebold said the sale would only benefit the community in the future.
"Because if you used to go the area prior to all this stuff happening, it didn't look like this. You had homeless vagrants; you had drugs, a lot of drugs in this area. So by buying these properties and working with them, and they will do stuff like this, we've changed here," Diebold said. "We're not St. Pete, and we're not Tampa, but we have to have the art touch. And this is our way of saying we have art."
"It feels incredible, super humbled, and I can't believe it's real. It's happening. And as he said, I'm you know, born and bred 'Parker,' Pinellas Parker, you know, I've done a lot of work around Tampa Bay, but this has always been home," Donnelly said. "Unprecedented, you know, for a municipality or city or somebody, you know, to do something like this and really invest in some of the things that help them or have helped them, you know, change identity a little bit."
Over the past year, we watched Donnelly in action. He'll paint on anything and everything, from walls to food trucks and everything in between.
He's active in the community showcasing his work and teaching other aspiring artists about his craft. For example, at Countryside Mall during last year's ArtWave, Donnelly teamed up with other artists to do two-night live painting demonstrations. The mural is an underwater blend of the best of Tampa Bay, from pirates to a giant octopus, and of course, the Lombardi from the Bucs Super Bowl win drawn inside a treasure chest.
"It provides culture, a sense of ownership in the neighborhood. When a mural goes up in the neighborhood, everyone identifies with that," Donnelly said. "We're seeing this global art Renaissance over the past decade. Being a native from here, I can say, like, we never really had a lot of culture; it was just tourist-based. So I'd say locally, with the global Renaissance in the past decade. The impact of the visual arts in the community is immeasurable."
Diebold said Donnelly's positivity is why supporting local artists is a big deal.
"Here's a word you may not hear too often; he's a 'Parker.' He knows where he came from. He came for Pinellas Park. He was born and raised in this area. So he never forgot those roots. Now he's big time. He's world-renowned, like you said, but he's still one of us," Diebold said.
Donnelly has a 2-year-old son named Syre, who he takes out on some of his jobs. As a new father, it's led to a deeper appreciation of his craft.
"Nowadays, it's all about my little boy and the family providing for them, making sure they are proud of me and my work, making sure they are fed and clothed by painting walls," Donnelly said. "Very lucky and fortunate to be able to do this in my hometown and be able to contribute like this to the community."
You can follow Donnelly on his Instagram page @saintpaintarts.
