Celebrating Student Art in Our Neighborhood

This evening, Tim and I headed up to the Ringling College of Art and Design, which is at the north end of our neighborhood, to check out the senior student projects.  As I walked around the campus (for the first time ever), my mind was filled with ideas about how we might further develop the unique potential that relates to having an art college in our own neighborhood.   

In addition to the students who were exhibiting their work, there were many of the students’ friends, family and community members there to tour the exhibits and to celebrate the students’ accomplishments.  

Wouldn’t it be neat if we, as neighbors, were to similarly attend end-of-year exhibits and celebrations at the elementary, middle and high schools that our neighborkids attend?  And the reverse, too – for classmates, school teachers and staff to come celebrate students’ accomplishments here in the neighborhood.

Here are some pics of Tim checking out some of the exhibits.

 

  

Wouldn’t it be neat to connect with some of the talented illustrators, animators, and graphic designers who are part of our neighborhood (by virtue of their being Ringling students/faculty/staff), so that we might together bring to life some of the innovative ideas that our neighborkids have been generating? 

And here is a Ringling student whose last name is “Jones,” just like Amorie.  She created a self-promotional graphic design election sticker that says, “Jonesing for [name].”  When we told her that one of our neighbors, Amorie, also has the last name of “Jones,” she made this election sticker for him.  Can you see what it says?  “Jonesing for Amorie Jones.” 

 So does this now mean there’s only one degree of separation between the neighborkids and the Ringling folks?  Probably not quite yet, but it seems worth paying attention to all the ways in which this weak tie might become strengthened…especially given the artistic talent among both groups of students...