FRIDAY...field trip AND art opening!

Let me just say in advance that I do not recommend this for the faint of heART.
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Brent and I did a walking field trip with the students- walked close to 5 miles in south Florida in May (it's bascially already summer)...and then we did our art opening that same night.  

Both went AMAZING!  And now that I have had a full day to recover I can tell you all about it, so have a seat, get comfy, grab your coffee and keep on reading.

​First off... 'Art Tours by Brent'

Let me tell you- Brent Bludworth can plan a field trip!  I thought the Norton and Boca trips were good but man, this one was EVEN BETTER!  The whole concept behind this trip was a walking tour of all the fabulous artwork right here in our own backyard. We are fortunate to live within walking distance of murals created by talented regional, national and INTERNATIONAL artists, a bustling creative council, and SO many galleries- and even a clay studio AND glass blowing studio...all within walking distance to our school.

A little about my boy 'B'.  I know I have mentioned that he is a surfer but he also a Lake Worth local- and proud of it!  He knows all about the history of Lake Worth and whenever he gets a chance he is more than happy to tell you all about it.  And he makes it FUN, and always infuses ART into the narrative.  

So, Brent has mentioned this idea of a 'walking tour'...ummmm...I think ever since my first year at LWHS.  This year- he made that idea a reality.   We left with a small group of students around 8:30 in the morning and got back just in time for the bell.  We were literally on the move ALL DAY and walked as far east as you possibly can- the Lake Worth Pier!!  We meandered our way there and back through the downtown area, looking at the various murals...we did SO MUCH!

Okay, I am getting antsy- I gotta show the pics!

Please note, I will try to get the names or a website/info for any artists that I didn't properly tag- B probably knows them.  I just wanted to get this blog post up and share with the world  It really was a great experience.  Many of our students walk to school, most live nearby and even though some of them had seen a portion of the art in Lake Worth I could see they gained a greater appreciation for it from this trip...and were more knowledgeable of the rich cultural- within walking distance to school and their homes.  

Thank you to all of the folks that made the time to talk to us- you empowered our students with the possibilities of heART.  You made them feel like a part of the larger artistic community here in Lake Worth and Palm Beach County.  You made them feel important.  You inspired them.

And Brent Bludworth...YOU are the one that made all of THAT possible!  

Next.. our opening at CGMS!

Okay...so you walk around 5 miles in the SoFlo heat- what are you gonna do after that?  If you answered have an art opening- you answered correctly!

And maybe you are just as crazy as us LWHS art teachin' folk, 'cause that is EXACTLY what went down.  I mean, there was about a two and a half hour period for us to go to our respective homes and bathe, get fancied up and grab last minute items to bring for the opening...heck, I even made it over to Ross to pick up a new dress AND I squeezed in a 20 minute nap.  But we made it happen- our fourth show at Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery.

Just for fun, here are links to blog posts about our previous shows;

May 2015, 'Fish Out of Water'
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May 2016, 'Surfer's Paradise'

May 2017, 'Beauty and the Beach'

The first year we were both like...ummmm...here's our work, yay!  We didn't have a plan really, we just knew we were working towards a show in May.  Each year has been totally different, and totally FUN! Here are some pics from this year;

So that's my story- and why I slept all day yesterday.  Literally- ALL DAY. But I would definitely do it all again- I feel great about how I spent my time!

A special THANK YOU to Joyce Brown over at Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery for supporting not only the art students at Lake Worth High School- but also us teachers!