The Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI) has unveiled giant artworks at two Leon County elementary schools. KCCI Executive Director Betsy Couch said the reveals happened during the week of May 12th at DeSoto Trail Elementary and Sabal Palm Elementary.
“These projects at the schools were created in tandem with school leadership and also student engagement. For example, you’ll see at DeSoto Trail, the huge mural that’s going to be unveiled, it’s an artistic representation of some of the very special moments and experiences that kids at DeSoto Trail get to experience.”
Couch said the Sabal Palm artwork decorates a fence around the school and is themed “Community is family.” More than 130 4th and 5th grade students supplied the images.
“At Sabal Palm Elementary School, we’re going to showcase how community is family. And what’s really cool with that artistic piece is that 138 4th and 5th graders all submitted their own artwork that was combined together to create the big art piece.”
All of this is just part of this year’s KCCI project using bold public art to turn Tallahassee’s everyday spaces into vibrant community landmarks. Another is the massive collection of shipping containers lined up behind the SoMo Walls complex on South Monroe Street. Couch said, even in its unfinished state, the assemblage has already attracted plenty of attention.
“As people are coming and taking pictures by The Stacks, they’re either talking to the artists or (going) to the restaurants and then going out and discovering other artistic features on the southside, which is exactly what we wanted them to do.”
On Thursday, May 14, community members joined artists Meghan Micks and Sam McCoy as they painted locally linked images on the sides of the giant, corrugated steel “canvasses.”
