Ninth grade SCFCS student Laura Whalen has been chosen to participate in the 2015 Embracing Our Differences exhibit.
Whalen’s artwork, “Don’t Be Mean – Be Green,” has been enlarged to 16 feet by 32 feet and displayed in the outdoor exhibit that runs March 29 through May 31 at Bradenton’s Riverwalk, 808 Third Ave. W., and Sarasota’s Island Park, One Marina Plaza.
“I created four different areas in my picture. In the three green areas there are diverse items that we accept like different architecture, art supplies and food. In the last red section, there are many different people. It is red because we haven’t learned to accept people. So – Don’t be Mean – Go Green,” said Whalen in her artist’s statement.
Whalen’s submission to the exhibit was a response to the SCF Diversity/Multicultural Awareness Committee’s Call for Quotes and Artwork throughout the College. The committee submitted 36 quotes and 25 pieces art work to the Embracing Our Differences executive board. Out of the 6,400 submissions, representing 80 countries and 42 states, one of SCF’s submissions was selected.
The 2015 exhibit features 39 billboard-size images created by local, national and international artists, writers and students offering their interpretations of the theme: enriching lives through diversity. This year’s exhibit includes artwork from students in Manatee and Sarasota counties and in places as diverse and far away as Santa Clara, Calif.; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Kuwait City, Kuwait; and Sydney, Australia.