Following ONE by ONE campaign, art exhibition installed permanently
9/4/2013
September 4th, 2013
Following ONE by ONE campaign, art exhibition installed permanently
Faces and stories of 20 Duval County students show the role of community in education
Jacksonville, Fla. - At the Duval County School Board meeting on Tuesday, September 3, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund presented Duval County Public Schools with artwork representing community commitment to public education.
The art includes a mural created by hundreds of students at the P.E.P. Rally for Excellence on June 1, 2013. Volunteer artists at the CORK art district assembled the tiles. The installation was also made possible by The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and the Mayo Foundation.
"We are delighted that JPEF has allowed our central administration office to serve as the permanent home for the photographs depicting Duval County students and experiences," said Nikolai P. Vitti, Superintendent of Schools. "These photos serve as an inspiring reminder of the child-centric services and work we commit every day to more than 120,000 students throughout our district."
The art exhibition, called ONE in THREE: Let's Solve Our Dropout Crisis, was part of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund's ONE by ONE campaign. Through dramatic portraits by local photographer Ingrid Damiani, the ONE in THREE exhibition displays the faces and stories of 20 current and former students of Duval County Public Schools. Each student featured in the exhibition has faced obstacles to achieving academic success. The exhibition was in The Cummer of Art & Gardens and 16 locations throughout Jacksonville from August 2011 to September 2012.
"We saw through ONE by ONE that art has the power to spark imagination and action." Cindy Edelman, Chair of JPEF's board continues, "I couldn't think of a more fitting way to celebrate this moment of unprecedented collaboration between our community and schools."
The ONE by ONE campaign engaged more than 1,600 diverse community members through 169 community conversations about their hopes and aspirations for the future of public education in Duval County. 15 distinct themes emerged from the community conversations that were narrowed to 4 priorities for a Community Agreement in January 2013. Three of the four priorities from the Community Agreement are included in the new district strategic plan.
Photos and video of the dedication ceremony and the portraits are available upon request.