Welcome
to the Art Page. Here I will hi-light all Art Class
happenings such as art contests, current projects,
and any other creative things that happen in the
Art Room.
March
26th, 2008 - Luis Caballero was honored at Kendale
for winning the Epic Threads / Macy's create-a-t-shirt
contest. Chosen from 12,000 entries nationwide,
Luis' t-shirt creation was selected not only for
it's design, but also for the explanation of the
design.
Luis
explains : "If there was a clothes
line that was all about peace, and everyone liked
it and wore it, then maybe more peace would spread
around the world."
Kendale
was visited by executives from both Macy's and Epic
Threads to honor Luis' win. His prize? Luis was
presented with a Macy's gift card for $100
AND his own, one-of-a-kind edition of his t-shirt.
On top of that, Luis' design will be included on
this season's Epic Threads clothing line for boys
sold exclusively at Macy's across the country AND
online. ON TOP OF THAT . . . all the students
at Kendale received a t-shirt with Luis' winning
design. And finally, Kendale was presented with
a $5,000
check as a donation for the art program!! (El mejor!)
I
have to say, Luis definitely surprised me with his
entry; even more so in winning the contest out of
so many entries. I guess you never know what you've
got going on creatively or artistically until something
comes along and pulls it out of you.
Luis poses with (on the left) Dr.
Dittmar, Susan Grant from Alloy Marketing,
(on the right) Joseph Mazloom, General Manager Macy’s
Dadeland Home & Kid’s Store,
with Mr. Hall brandishing the $5000 check for Kendale's
art program.
Congratulations
Luis!!
In
late February 2007, Rick Abrams - a former student
here at Kendale - came by for a visit with the students.
Being a repeat artist 
allowed
to participate in the Coconut
Grove Arts Festival, Rick makes it a point to
come by and share his art and creativity.
The
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade levels were invited to the
Media Center to listen to Rick and ask questions
they wanted answered about his art, his creativity,
and the process of being a working artist. Never
one to provide a boring answer, Rick kept the students
entertained with stories of his creative process
and some of the more "colorful" aspects
of being a working artist travelling and interacting
with people from all over the country.
The
students asked varied questions from, "How
long does it usually take to do a painting?, to
the more financial ideals of, "How much do
you charge for your paintings?" Having attended
the Arts Festival the previous weekend, many of
the students are usually quite pleased to see someone
from outside the school, particularly a "celebrity"
from the Art World who participates in such a public
venue as the Coconut
Grove Arts Festival.
Taking
the opportunity, students were allowed to view up
close examples of Rick's work - taking mental note
of the detail and differing aspects that each painting
presented visually, students could make connections
to lessons taught in Art class and plan for their
next creative endeavor.
We
here at Kendale look forward to Rick's visits and
anticipate seeing him again this time next year!
This year allowed for Yours Truly (Mr. Hall) the
opportunity to buy some art at "special discount
teacher prices". Now I just need to find a
place for them!
Back
in October 2004, Carlos Devon Fernandez won 1st
place in the Ford-sponsored Race to
the Finish Line art contest in conjunction
with the Miami Herald. Carlos 
came
in 1st place in the design of a NASCAR racing pick-up
truck. The winning design was applied to the actual
race truck! Carlos had the opportunity to meet the
driver of the truck - Rick Crawford. Carlos also
got the chance to hop in the truck and have pictures
taken for the local press with Rick at his side.
On
top of meeting Rick Crawford, Carlos joined in unveiling
the race truck with Cisco Codina, Vice-President
of Ford Customer Service Division and Steve Lyons,
President of Ford Division. Carlos and his family
were also invited to attend the race truck races
later on in the week as VIP guests. Rick, in Carlos'
design, came in 2nd place in the race!! Talk about
looking fast!!
To
cap off the entire week though, Carlos, as well
as the other winners of the contest and their families,
were invited to a small awards ceremony where all
the winning entries were displayed, along with their
stories. Carlos was asked to say a few words about
his inspiration for the design when he was presented
with his award, AND a prize of a $2500 US Savings
Bond!! Overall, I'd say Carlos and his family had
a pretty whirlwind week seeing another aspect of
where art and creativtity can take you.
