EchoPark Automotive Tampa Announces Winners of Student Mural Contest

EchoPark Automotive Tampa is pleased to announce the winners of its student mural contest to celebrate cars and the importance they play in our everyday lives. The goal of the contest was for art students at Howard W. Blake High School to develop designs for a mural on the exterior wall of the automotive dealership. EchoPark Tampa is located at 4636 N. Dale Mabry Highway, and the mural will be highly visible to cars passing by on the busy roadway. Eighty-eight students submitted their visual interpretations of cars in today’s culture with a nod to Tampa.

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Mural Submission by Vittoria Haynes (Graphic: Business Wire)

The designs by the finalists were posted on Instagram for public voting. The artists for the top three designs with the most votes will be awarded a commission, and their designs will be blended into one mural.

The winners are:

Valentina Sarrin - 11^th Grade
Phillip Woodside - 11^th Grade
Vittoria Haynes - 11^th Grade

"The arts enrich our lives, our communities, and connect all of us,” said David Smith, CEO of Sonic Automotive. “It is inspiring to see the creativity, energy, and fresh vision of our industry reflected in the mural submissions, and we are excited to share the winning designs with our guests and the Tampa community.”

The mural will be painted by local artist Carlos Pons, and EchoPark Tampa partnered with Blake High School art teachers Molly Dressel and Linda Galgani to have their students participate in the contest.

“Community involvement is core to our business,” said Todd DeVoogel, EchoPark Tampa General Manager. “We felt that having a mural that was designed and executed by local students and a local artist would be a great project that interjects energy into the community.”

The painting of the mural begins this month and is expected to take 45 days to complete. All of the students who entered the contest will get a chance to participate in a day of painting the mural under the mentorship of Carlos Pons. EchoPark is also making a donation to Blake High School’s Art Department. The school’s curriculum includes a performing and visual arts magnet program in which any student in the Hillsborough County Public School district can audition to attend.