STUDENT ARTWORK CONTEST WINNERS CREATE MOST CREATIVE
CONSTRUCTION FENCE….IN LOCAL HISTORY!
PALM BEACH, Fla. (March 16, 2004)—Thirty
local students are the talented winners of a county-wide
school contest among public elementary, middle and high
schools to create historically-themed artwork to be applied
onto the construction fence surrounding the 1916 Palm Beach
County Courthouse. A panel of judges, comprised of Palm
Beach County School District officials, Historical Society
leaders and members of Palm Beach County’s committee
for Art in Public Places, selected the final 30 works of
art from more than 300 submitted from 67 area schools, judging
each piece for historical integrity, accuracy and artistic
merit. The final 30 illustrations, which depict an aspect
of Florida or Palm Beach County history, will be digitally
enlarged with the representing school's name and transitioned
to 8 x 10 ft. vinyl panels that will be placed on the Dixie
Highway perimeter of the construction fence. The panels
will remain in place during the restoration of the 1916
courthouse, anticipated to be approximately two years.
The Historical Society of Palm Beach County
launched the art project in October 2003 as a creative way
for students to learn about local and state history, while
generating excitement and public awareness about the planned
countywide history museum, to be located inside the historic
courthouse once it is restored.
In a series of contests managed by classroom
teachers, students were asked to draw, paint or illustrate
an aspect of Palm Beach County or Florida history onto an
8 x 10 in. sheet of paper. The Historical Society and the
School District provided a list of suggested themes and
historical figures for students to use as guidelines, including
the legendary Barefoot Mailmen, Seminole Indians of South
Florida, Trapper Nelson, the Storm of ‘28 and Addison
Mizner. The best works of art were then selected by each
classroom teacher and presented to the school’s principal,
who made a final selection to represent the school. Addie
Greene, Palm Beach County
Commissioner; Bill Graham, Vice Chairman of
the School Board of Palm Beach County; Joan Goldberg, Director
of Art in Public Places for Palm Beach County; Harvey Oyer,
President of the Historical Society; and other members of
the judging committee met in February to view and make the
final artwork selections.
“This is a creative way to let Palm
Beach County teachers and students know that there is a
new, state-of-the-art educational venue on the horizon,”
said Harvey Oyer, president of the Historical Society of
Palm Beach County. “The history museum will become
an integral aspect of the Palm Beach County School District’s
history and social studies curriculum, providing students
with a fun, interactive environment to learn about their
local and state history. The stories behind the images these
students created will be brought to life inside the completed
museum through interactive exhibits, field trips, festivals
and re-enactments, educational camps and much more.”
Local businesses, including Gunster Yoakley,
P.A.; Lytal, Reiter, Clark, Fountain & Williams; Pioneer
Linens; Braman Motorcars; Colonial Dames of America, Palm
Beach Chapter; Fidelity Federal Bank & Trust; and Nowlen,
Holt & Miner, P.A. are supporting the production expenses
of the project through the sponsorship of individual panels.
The sponsoring company’s name will be featured on
the artwork along with the name of the school for the duration
of the restoration. The construction fence artwork is expected
to be erected in May, 2004, and will remain in place until
the completion of the courthouse restoration in 2006.
Artwork contest winners
Elementary Schools Winners
