Sculpture takes wing for 4th annual Village in Bloom Arts Fest
Who: To celebrate Earth Day, the media are invited to view a new sculpture created almost entirely from recycled materials for the 4th annual Village in Bloom Arts Festival.
What: Wacky Bird was created of recycled materials by Stacey Houk’s Jackson School Stepping Stones students for exhibit at the 4th annual Village in Bloom Arts Fest.
When: Photo and interview opportunities will be available Thurs. Apr. 21 4:30-5:00 p.m. and by appointment Fri. April 22. (contact information below).
Where: Isabel Bloom, 1109 Mound St., Davenport
Why: As Earth Day approaches, it’s fitting that area schools are completing giant sculptures made from recycled materials for the 4th annual VIB Arts Fest.
It’s fitting, too, that Isabel Bloom sponsors the annual event.
“Isabel the artist repurposed and recycled long before it was cool,” Isabel Bloom sculptor and VIB organizer Donna Young says. “For example, she melted broken glass from car windshields to form eyes for her sculptures, and stored them according to size in empty egg cartons.”
Art teacher Stacey Houk led her students through the process of creating Wacky Bird for display at Village in Bloom, Sat. May 7, in the Village of East Davenport. The sculpture, made of 95% recycled materials, explores the 2016 VIB theme: Flight of Fancy.
Contact: Donna Young, 563-349-3167
Background: Village in Bloom: A Festival of the Arts (VIB) is a daylong event sharing free arts activities with the community. Featuring the fine and performance art of area school children, performances by puppeteers and other groups, arts activities for children and exhibits of Isabel and John Bloom’s artwork, the event encourages youth to enjoy - and get involved in - the arts.
This festival is entering its 4th year. As in the past three years, area school children will exhibit sculptures that they have created to reflect the foundational principle of the regionalist movement that Isabel and John represented. That principle – making art based on your own experience – will feature “Flight of Fancy” in 2016, and will again be primarily composed of locally available recycled and reclaimed materials.
Schools that are creating sculptures for display during the 2016 Village in Bloom Festival (Sat. May 7) include:
Thomas Jefferson School K-5th Meghan Purcell (teacher)
Buchanan School 5th grade Kay Steele (teacher)
North High School 9 – 12 David Schaeffer (teacher)
Central High School 9-12 Renee Ott (teacher)
Sudlow Middle School 8th Annette Eechaute-Lopez (teacher)
Jackson Stepping Stones K-5th Stacey Houk (teacher)
Rivermont Collegiate 8th Colleen Tomlinson (teacher)
Walcott School 8th Anna Blackburn (teacher)
Creative Arts Academy 7th Nick DiGioia (teacher)
Washington School 5th Ann Rannfeldt (teacher)
McKinley School 4th, 5th Michelle Lindquist (teacher)
PLEASE NOTE: All activities – concerts, puppet shows, caricature drawings, magic shows, arts and crafts, and much more - are presented free of charge thanks to our wonderful sponsors and grantors. They include, to date:
Alcoa (Presenting sponsor)
Northwest Bank & Trust (Presenting sponsor)
Isabel Bloom
Union-Hoermann Press
Edward Jones
Hahn Ready Mix
The Isabel Bloom Art Education Endowment at the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend
Many In-Kind Sponsors
