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The students at Perkins Elementary have a special interest in the arts, and when they linked up with a renowned local sculptor, their combined inspiration became new artworks for the school.
By BRANDY STARK
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 16, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- Thanks to some dedicated teachers, hard-working children and one enthusiastic artist, Perkins Elementary Center for the Arts and International Studies has five unusual sculptures installed and ready for the new school year.
The statues, which are child-scale life size, are the works of Paul Eppling in conjunction with the students in grades kindergarten through five at Perkins. The project started four years ago, before the school had moved into its current location, 2205 18th Ave. S. Students from the graduating class had earned $500 through fundraising projects and decided they wanted to create permanent art for the new building.
Art teacher Michelle Crosby contacted local artist Paul Eppling to see if he would be interested in the project.
"Paul had come to the school many times during our Careers in the Arts week. The students were familiar with him, and he worked well with them in the past. I also knew of his strong dedication to community art. After discussing our ideas with him, Paul told us that he'd be delighted to help."
The first project was a series of four sculptures, featuring different artistic disciplines, to be installed in each of the stairwells. To emphasize the school's international studies, all four works were titled in Spanish: El Arte (visual arts), La Musica (music), El Baile (dance) and El Teatro (theater).
Eppling suggested making mobiles to accentuate the dynamics of movement, and to use lighting inside the stairwell. To keep them light, the hanging sculptures were made of aluminum.
Eppling began by assigning students in each grade to draw pictures depicting the four areas of study.
"Basically, I wanted them to work as freely as possible. I did not want the children to be influenced by me; I wanted them to utilize their own ideas," he explained.
Crosby and Eppling then studied the pictures, selecting the strongest works. Some pieces are the work of one artist; others were created from several students' submissions. The drawings were transferred onto acetate, and an overhead projector enlarged them to the proper size for patterns that Eppling used to cut the aluminum.
Assembly was one of the most intriguing aspects for him.
"Think of the lines of a jigsaw puzzle, and then imagine them pushed out onto different planes. Essentially, this is what I did with the sketches. The arms were one plane, the body another, special instruments were in a third, and so on."
When the fourth mobile was installed, principal Bob Lister proposed a second project showing other school-related activities. Installed in March 2000, it is tentatively titled A Day at Perkins. It depicts students riding the bus, walking to school, playing sports and studying. Mounted to a wall outside the administrative offices, it is made of stainless steel.
To continue raising money for the projects, students held a number of events, including auctioning art, hosting a booth at Mainsail and writing grants. A student's father donated the stainless steel for the fifth sculpture.
"I was really touched by the level of dedication from the students," Eppling said. "As my wife, Sandy, and I installed the fifth piece, one student came up to me. She asked me, 'Will this be here forever?' I told her it was made of steel, a long-lasting metal. She answered 'So, someday, I can bring my own children here to see this, and tell them that I helped to do it.' I just felt so good hearing her say that."
Finishing touches are being added to the works. Framed plaques containing the names of all who worked on the project will be installed. The school would like to add floodlights for night viewing of A Day at Perkins.
The main walkway in front of that sculpture will be named Eppling Boulevard.
"It is our way of saying thank you to Paul. We want to make his name a part of the school," Lister said, "He not only helped the students learn, but together, this group has created something that is really special and will be part of the school for a long time to come."
At a glance: To see the sculptures at Perkins, contact Pat Archibald during office hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.) to schedule an appointment and tour. Phone: (727) 893-2659.