Friends and families of the scholars at North Park Elementary School were invited to observe the unveiling of a new art project at an Open House event on Thursday.
Parents, younger siblings and members of the community were given a chance to visit the North Park campus, meet the teachers, tour classrooms and explore the work that students created throughout the year, including an art project that was inspired by the paper airplane art installations at LAX and the Denver airport.
“Every student from TK to 6th grade worked on the piece,” Art teacher Susan Blake said, and what resulted was a recreation of the Denver Airport installation, “Experimental Aviation,” by Patty Ortiz.
The new installation was chosen to hang in the Cathy Laws Garden, where it will permanently remain, according to Blake. The garden was a popular stop on Thursday as children rushed their families over to the atrium and suspended planes to present their metal masterpieces.
One student proudly stopped by the exhibit to thoroughly explain the coloring process to her family. She said students in each class were given 45 minutes to color the sheet metal with any design they wanted before Blake poured rubbing alcohol in an effort to lift and blend the colors, which created unique markings on each plane.
The location of the installation was chosen for its multi-sided views and the floating ceiling, “which allows the planes to show motion and lift when the ceiling moves,” Blake said, “as if the planes were about to all take flight.”
She added she hopes the art will inspire students to let their dreams take flight.
