As part of their ongoing 50th Anniversary celebration, Tampa Prep recently unveiled an incredible wall mural that covers the entire arts wing exterior wall, facing Julian B. Lane Park!
This piece of art includes Prep’s motto that we encourage students to Think. Create. Be Yourself. Aspire to Excellence and Go Beyond, as well as the downtown Tampa landscape, showing the school’s location along the education corridor.
It has been the wish of Head of School Kevin Plummer for some time, to have a mural on campus and it was decided that there was no better time to make it happen than during the golden 50th anniversary.
We had a chance to catch up with Gina Bernardini, professional artist and muralist, who created and completed the work.
TP: How long have you been a mural artist?
GB: “I painted my first mural back in 2018, but I’ve had my business since 2021 when I graduated college at UT. I didn’t really consider myself a ‘muralist’ until I was doing it professionally; however, I’ve been painting on a smaller scale almost my whole life.”
TP: What is your background? How did you become a muralist?
GB: “My background is in traditional 2D art: drawing and painting. I went to school to study digital art and somehow found my way back to painting in those 4 years. I actually became a muralist by accident. My job throughout college allowed me to work very closely with many local non-profits in Tampa, and I heard through a volunteer coordinator that The Spring of Tampa Bay was looking for someone to donate a mural for them. I had some free time right after graduation because I didn’t get this job I was up for (my DREAM job), and was pretty disappointed, so I volunteered to paint them a mural. I had done a few smaller interior murals before, so I figured this outdoor one wouldn’t be so different. While I was out there painting I actually had a lot of people stop to ask for business cards, and it made me feel like maybe this path was the best opportunity for me to follow.”
TP: What are some of the projects that you’ve worked on in the past?
GB: “I’ve worked on quite a few projects here in Tampa, but my favorites would have to be the ones I did at Carpet Crafters in South Tampa, The University of Tampa, Embarc Collective, and of course Tampa Prep. I also really enjoyed working on a project by Naomi Haverland in Seminole Heights at the Wayne Papy Athletic Center. It was a lot of fun to be tasked with painting in someone else’s art style, and I really enjoy working on a team.”
TP: How did the Tampa Prep project come about?
GB: “The way I usually find projects is just by cold calling and emailing when I see spots that I would love to paint. I reached out to Tampa Prep about a different spot on their property, and I was told that they were actually taking applications for the 50th Anniversary project. I applied and here we are!”
TP: What is your impression of Tampa Prep? The school and the students?
GB: “I’ve made sure to tell everyone this because everyone needs to know: I LOVE Tampa Prep. Everyone has been so supportive and very excited about the project. I’ve gotten to know a lot of the faculty and staff, and I can truly see how much everyone cares about the community and upholding the amazing environment there. As soon as I meet any teacher, they are immediately thinking of ways to share this with the students as inspiration, career guidance, or just for fun. It is really something I wish every student with the aspirations of working in art had, because it is very difficult to find adults that support career options in the art field. Also, the students are amazing. They are all so respectful and love to come check up on me and get updates on my progress. I am always amazed at how they are genuinely excited and interested in the process and asking questions about what I do. Everyone has really created the greatest community to work in and I feel so lucky to have been a part of that.”
TP: What do you love about your work?
GB: “It is always so difficult for me to answer this question because I can never pin down a specific answer, but I think that really is the answer. I love that I can morph my work into a lot of different things and adjust to what the environment really needs. Especially in this piece for Tampa Prep, I don’t do a lot of work with text, but I was able to blend it in with my normal style and make it work for the space. I love that the Tampa Prep color palette is very bold, because I typically work in bolder colors and I was able to maximize on that here. I love mixing very standard visuals like text and portraits with a fun color scheme.”
TP: Anything else you’d like to share?
GB: “Not much, just that I love the support that this community has had for public art!”
You can find Gina on Instagram @dreamtupmurals
