Percent for Art

I would like to once again ask the input of anyone who cares to give it. I am applying for a percent for art competition to design a piece of public art at a middle school. This is my letter of intent. If anyone feels incline to praise, mock, or deeply and honestly criticize this idea, please feel free, and don't hold back. Art has much room for loud voices. I would love to hear yours.

Dear ....

In a period of transition such as adolescence, children deeply need to feel the support of their community. In addition to this, they need to feel that they are connected to and valued by each other and the wider world. We don't need a scientific study to tell us that children who have these conditions affirming them will learn better and have higher self esteem, be less likely to use drugs and more able to choose a course in life which is successful and fulfilling to them. I feel strongly that any work of art installed at the school should contribute to these factors, and that the students, in turn, should be able to directly contribute to the work of art.

What I propose to install at the new Medomak Middle School is a kind of walkway by which the students and faculty will enter the school. The walkway would have two ten foot diameter circles made of black granite installed in succession. Surrounding these circles would be concentric rings of clay tiles, carved by the students. These tiles would use the natural colors of different types of clay to create pattern. The creation of these tiles could be guided by questions such as "What is important to you?" or might be simple self portraits, or freely created works of art. This would allow the students to have their individual voices visible in the piece. They would be able to find their on tiles, and show their families how they had contributed a permanent piece of art to the grounds of the school.

Each of the two granite circles would be carved with a chart of the stars in the night sky. Each chart would correspond to the position of the stars on one of the two equinoxes, as both of these fall during the school year. This would account for both summer and winter constellations. While standing on one of these circles, a student would be able to find a star labeled on the chart and then find it in the sky in the corresponding direction.

The charts would be lit with just enough light to make them visible at night, while not creating so much light pollution as to dim the appearance of the stars. These lights would be installed in short stone cylinders, standing upright, which would also function as places to sit, creating a pleasant common area or place to wait for a ride.

Art is important to children's development. Many artist have spoken of art as the process of becoming sane, and of learning to experience one's life more fully. Writer Ursula K. LeGuin spoke of this, saying, "...I use the words "literature," "art," in the sense of "living well, living with skill, grace, energy" - like carrying a basket of bread and smelling it and eating as you go." It is this sense of connectedness, of living well, and of appreciating and supporting each other that I intend to convey with this work.

This project would give the students each an individual connection to and voice in the final product. It would also create a visual display of the connection of the students to one another and to the wider world, and the stars. It would illuminate the idea that we all affect each other and none of us is alone. As Natalie Goldberg put it, "Art lives in the Big World." Functionally, the work would create an exciting entrance to the school, a tool for learning, and a common area for students to gather and spend time together.

My intention with this work is to support the needs of the students and encourage them to contribute their voices. I feel strongly about the need to create a good environment for young people. I expect that the direction of the project will evolve to be able to support this need as well as possible, given time and new information.

Sincerely,
...Leopold