Basilica kids visit Council Connection Project

By C.S. GILBERT

A few days before Florida Keys Council of the Arts dismanteled the Connection Project, its final showing was enlivened by the visit of dozens of third, fourth and fifth graders from The Basilica School. The youngsters, accompanied by their teachers, the art teacher and parent chaperones walked over to the Gato Building midday on Friday, May 8 (fifth grade) and Monday, May 11 (third and fourth grades).

The culture vulture stopped by during the Monday visit, joining Michelle Schoensiegal (third) and Beth Kilrose (fourth) and their students.

Art teacher “Miss Nancy” LaRe organized the field trip. “I came to the exhibit at the (Searstown Royal) furniture store and thought it was such a great idea,” she said. “I like collaborative projects.” Surely the 300-plus separate six-by-six-inch canvases, created by almost as many Florida Keys folks and configured into three colorful mosaic panels by Susann and Bob D’Antonio, aided by Dennis Caltigirone and Bob Sandifer, are a shining example of collaboration.

The visit began with arts council Executive Director Liz Young telling the students the story of the project, now in its third year. LaRe had divided the youngsters into teams of two, one with pen and clipboard, and handed out question sheets for a “Scavenger Hunt” covering material she had taught them in art class. Some questions were easy, a matter of simple addition and multiplication: exactly how many canvases are there (336)? Others required the children to identify the subject matter or genre of the art: the number of fish or chickens or mermaids; the number of abstracts and colleges; and—this initially stumped this arts writer—how many zentangles? (A zentangle is essentially a black and white, pen and ink doodle, a Zen drawing, LaRe explained. We think there were four or five.)

Mid-visit a pretty third grader collapsed onto a bench and erased an answer, looking overwhelmed. What did she think of the mosaic? we asked. “It’s awesome!” said Mari O’Neil.

“Really cool,” said fourth grader John Searcy. His mom, Jennifer, was there as a parent chaperone. “I’m so glad they get to come here,” she said. “It’s a wonderful addition to their art class.”

The Connection Project III A Mosaic of the Keys (its full name) made its debut with an opening reception at Royal Furniture in Key Largo on Jan. 27. (Royal Furniture is the major sponsor of the project.) The traveling exhibit was then mounted in Key Largo’s Nelson Government and Cultural Center opening Feb. 3; Islamorada’s Gallery Ocean Sotheby’s beginning Feb. 12; Marathon’s Royal Furniture on Feb. 26; Big Pine Key’s Artists in Paradise gallery on March 13; Royal Furniture in Searstown, Key West on April 2 and finally the arts council’s headquarters in the Gato Building in Old Town, opening May 1. A reception accompanied each opening.

The project “connects everyone in the Keys,” Young told the students. Then on May 14 she, assisted by staffers and volunteers, took the velcroed, six by six-inch canvases off the three large panels and placed the canvases randomly in mailing envelopes bearing labels addressed by supporters who had, throughout the tour, donated $35 (three labels for $100) to the council. A list was made cross-referencing each canvas number with the number on the recipient’s mailing label, lest any go astray. Some canvases remain; phone the council at (305) 295-4369 to indicate your interest.

 

That’s all for now. Gotta fly!

 

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