New View: Many Faces of the St. Johns River
New View : The Many Faces of the St. Johns is a traveling public art installation designed to stimulate community dialogue about our relationship to the St. Johns River. It is a partnership between the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.
As Artist in Residence for the project , I started this place based investigation with a gallery exhibit of my work the 3 seasons. This stimulated a dialogue with students about how artists have historically explored their environment and various processes involved in recording that experience.
I worked with 150 9th- 12th grade visual arts students throughout 2007-2008 to create a Palimpsest a public art piece which combines painting, drawing, photography, printmaking and sculpture. Through direct experience and classroom exercises we explored our economic, environmental, historical and emotional connections with the river. Then students were asked to work in small teams to conceptualize a traveling art piece. These maquettes were voted on by the students, and the "winners" became the design team of the final project. Students then created the full scale 30' mural installation, designed to expand and contract to fit different venues. So far the installation has traveled to the Main Library , Jacksonville,FL. The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Museum of Science and History, Jaxport and The Ritz and La Villa Museum. The project sponsored in part by the Florida Humanities Council, Jaxport and the St. Johns River Keeper provides a positive model for community collaboration.
View
now
|
