USPS Publication Number 16300
THE
SUMMATIONWeeklyy
This Community Newspaper is a publication of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association
S E RV I N G T H E F I RS T J U D I C I A L C I RC U I T
CUBED MURALS Vol. 25, No. 16
April 16, 2025
SummationWeekly.com
1 Section, 8 Pages
Section A, Page 1
TAKE SHAPE IN DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA
By Nicole Willis
I
f you’ve taken a stroll by Museum Plaza within the past few weeks, you may have spotted artists painting on a row of large, three-dimensional cubes in front of the J. Earle Bowden Building. These installations are part of the annual CUBED art exhibition, hosted by the Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA). CUBED is a public art installation featuring murals designed and painted by local artists. Connotated by the exhibition’s name, each mural is painted on the side of a large 8-foot-by-8-foot wooden cube. Each of the selected artists is invited to paint one of four panels on each of the four cubes located in Museum Plaza. With each of the panels showcasing a different mural, the exhibition offers a vibrant and creative display of art that harnesses the creative spirit of our local art community. Established in 2017, CUBED was originally sponsored by Foo Foo Festival in collaboration with the PMA. Local artists Evan Levin and Ashton Howard came up with the idea for the exhibition after spending 70 days live painting a mural on Jefferson Street. The pair wanted to share more live painting experiences with the community, and thus CUBED was born. The inaugural event took place November 2 through 12, 2017 at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza in downtown Pensacola. During this time, the public was invited to watch the live painting process and engage with the artists as they painted their murals. After the live
event, when the paintings were completed, the cubes were moved to their permanent location in Museum Plaza. “The original CUBED murals continued to be on display for the next three years, give or take a few that were repainted in 2019,” explained CUBED artist, PMA Preparator and Curatorial Coordinator, Jaime Diffee. “In 2020, Hurricane Sally came through and all but one of the panels were destroyed. In 2021, after the COVID shutdowns and recovering from all the damage from the hurricane, the UWF Historic Trust wanted to reinvite guests back to the site with an open house that included the newest installation of CUBED. That version of CUBED is how we still run it today.” CUBED has been hosted annually since 2017, except for in 2020 due to COVID-19. Since its inception, the exhibition has grown to become a permanent fixture of downtown Pensacola. . CUBED 2025 marks the eighth installment of the rotating exhibit. This year’s exhibition officially kicked off with a day of live painting on March 1, when artists first began painting their murals. With the hustle and bustle of a busy Saturday in downtown Pensacola and Mardi Gras in full swing, the downtown area remained busy throughout the day, providing an excellent opportunity for audiences to observe the artists at work during the live painting event. “Participating in CUBED 2025 was a phenomenal experience. Creating art can sometimes feel like
a solitary endeavor, but it was such a joy to interact with people as I was painting,” CUBED 2025 artist Kaitlin Rawley said. “Because Mardi Gras was happening at the same time as the live painting event this year, I think there were more people who wouldn’t traditionally attend an art event who were able to stop by, walk through the cubes and hopefully enjoy the experience.” If you missed the live painting day, there’s still plenty of time to check out the murals. Due to the scope of the project, many artists will continue to work on their panels in the coming weeks. Each artist spends hours over multiple days planning and painting their masterpieces. “Every year we host the CUBED live painting event over a weekend, but I’ve never yet seen someone who could paint an 8-foot-by-8foot mural within two days, so we offer an additional week or two for artists to work around their schedule and the erratic spring Florida weather,” Diffee explained. The 2025 CUBED murals will stay up in Museum Plaza for about 50 weeks for the public to enjoy. Around the start of next year’s CUBED exhibition, the slate will be wiped clean and the cubes will be repainted white in preparation for the next set of murals. This year, a total of 24 artists applied to participate in the annual exhibition. Of the 24 applications received, only 11 artists were selected to participate. This year’s participating artists include Carlotta Succi, Angelica Tilton, Sasha Suey-Stoler, Katie Romano, Lindsey Hampton, Sean Bush, Michelle Luther, Kaitlin Rawley,
Yvonne Christine, Aidan Garcia and Jaime Diffee. Each year, CUBED applicants are selected based on their proposals, and overall experience. “The judges for CUBED go through all the proposals, looking for artists that at least have some experience painting larger surfaces. Painting an 8-foot-by-8-foot mural in a couple days is a lot of work to do, especially if the artist isn’t used to it,” Diffee said. “We want CUBED to be a friendly introduction to mural painting, and we welcome all beginning artists to submit. There’s a lot less pressure in painting a mural when you know it’s only up for so long.” CUBED provides artists with the temporary canvas to create large-scale works that they might not typically explore. Rather than following a specific theme, the exhibition allows artists the freedom to unleash their creativity and create any type of design. With each cube being different, the unique murals add to the city’s vibrant arts scene. “Art is an integral ingredient that helps craft the culture of a city. I’m elated that Cubed allows local artists like myself to get our art outdoors where it can contribute to downtown Pensacola’s culture. Every year, more murals and public art displays are added around town, bringing more flavor and personality to the city,” Rawley said. The cubes are situated just a few feet apart from each other, allowing artists to spend time together, especially on the first day of painting. This environment provides artists with the opportunity to
collaborate and learn from each other, expanding their techniques. “I love the interactions between the artists every year. Since everyone gets one side of a giant cube, they’re working closely with their mural neighbors for several days. Artists end up sharing different techniques and learning new things from the other artists, all while encouraging each other,” Diffee said. Being founded on the concept of live painting, CUBED places a large emphasis on community. From the first day of the live painting event to the many weeks that the murals are on display in the downtown area, the exhibition fosters a shared experience between artists and the public. “I love the supportive public reactions while the artists are out there painting. The general feedback we receive is thankfulness for the art that artists are providing. The local community seems excited to see what new things are going to be painted. The location of the cubes is near the Pensacola Children’s Museum, so there are always younger kids who get excited for the murals every year,” Diffee said. CUBED 2025 is currently on display in Museum Plaza at 300 S. Tarragona St. in downtown Pensacola. For more information on the exhibition and to learn more about upcoming events and exhibits at the PMA, visit pensacolamuseum.org/ arts/public-art. For updates and to stay connected with PMA, follow @ pensacolamuseum on Instagram and Facebook.■
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