Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Students Unveil Their Mosaic Panels at Vilano Boardwalk
Contact: Janine Regina
386-446-9154
hammockgardens@gmail.com
Saint Augustine, FL – Six mosaic panels, created by visually impaired Clay Club students of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB), will go on permanent display at the Vilano Nature Greenway Boardwalk in St. Augustine during a dedication ceremony on September 5, 2013.
The panels, representing wildlife from our area, were created the students through a grant from The Northeast Florida Community Foundation (Crisp Ellert Art Ventures Program) and North Shores Improvement Association/Vilano Beach Main Street, Inc.
Their teacher and owner of Hammock Gardens Nursery in Palm Coast, Janine Regina, has been the Clay Club teacher for three years. She and volunteers guided students to create the mosaics.
The Clay Club at FSDB is an after school program for middle and high school students. Learning about the nature of clay and techniques used in working with clay, students use ceramic tools to form and design each piece. Projects take multiple steps to complete, with all processes encouraging the development of motor skills. These inspiring students, with their passion for art, unselfishly devoted themselves to this mosaic project.
Beginning in January 2013, eight of the Clay Club students dedicated an extra hour a week to create six mosaic panels for the Boardwalk project. "Ms. Janine" and the students designed each panel to include texture and a three-dimensional focus. After students rolled out the clay, pre-cut poster board templates of the mosaic pieces were used to trace and cut the clay. All of the mosaic pieces were glazed by the students, prior to and after the kiln firing process. The six mosaic panels include five raised designs, each representing a green sea turtle, giant blue heron, blue crab, spotted trout, and snowy white egret. The sixth panel, forming a rising sun, includes the handprints and signature tiles recognizing the individual contributions of enthusiastic FSDB students. The overall design of the mosaic panels encourages visitors to use their tactile senses as they experience the displays.
The formal ceremony on September 5 will reveal the new mosaic panels on the boardwalk under the Vilano Bridge. Named after Frank and Mary Usina in St. Augustine. FSDB's "Outta Sight Band" will provide musical entertainment at the ceremony. During a class discussion on the significance of this community project, one of the students shared that she was happy to be part of the project because, " ..... now people will see that blind people can do art too." These students invite us to feel their world through their hands. This outstanding Vilano Nature Greenway Boardwalk mosaic project highlights artwork created by visually impaired FSDB students on permanent display for public viewing and touching.
Additional thanks are extended to collaborative partners including Friends of A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway, the St; Johns County Recreation & Parks Department, St. Johns County Facility Maintenance and Vilano Beach Main Street volunteers.
For more information, contact Janine Regina at 386-446-9154.
