The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery is proud to partner with Arts4All Florida and Clay County Public Schools for this collaborative art exhibition. Arts4All Florida is a not-for-profit organization that supports and champions arts education and cultural experiences for and by people with disabilities. Arts4All Florida coordinates a statewide 'My Art My Way' artist in residence program for students with and without disabilities in public schools. Teaching artist Raymond Jimenez taught visual art lessons at Clay County’s Tynes Elementary that resulted the works presented in this dynamic virtual exhibition. Artist Raymond Jimenez explains that the students' process was one of reflection and evolution: "Inspired by the virtual exhibition 'Biological Futurism' at the Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, the students' work reflects on nature and draws from their own personal experiences and instincts. Through collaboration, they created works that are imbued with each of their own individual personalities and sensibilities, much like in an ecosystem where every life contributes to the whole. Students learned about the artistry in biological life, such as how the octopus can blend, and that the moth uses camouflage to survive. Like them, the students used colors and images to reflect their world, yet still show parts of themselves. They have learned to not be afraid to evolve messily if necessary, especially when it comes to art" The students' teacher, Mrs. Sabre Ziegler, describes their Spring 2021 Arts4All experience: "Our class was so excited to learn to make visual art with Teaching Artist Raymond Jimenez through the Arts4All grant. Throughout the 6 week class Mr. Ray invited us on a virtual tour through the Frank C Ortis Art Gallery and Exhibit Hall in Broward County. Each week our students would anxiously await for the virtual lesson to begin with Mr. Ray as he would explain our new masterpiece. We learned about the diversity of art and inspired us to incorporate art with Music, Literature, Science, and teamwork. The project “A Tune to Paint to” taught us to express our emotions with color and music. Painting to music was fun and messy. “A Pop-Up Appears!” was a project inspired from pop-up books, teaching us that art can be found in books and literature. Additional projects included science vocabulary such as camouflage, metamorphosis, collaboration, habitat, and ecosystem. Mr. Ray let us use our own ideas, experiences, and feelings to create our own smaller piece of art. Later, all the small pieces of art were “morphed” together to make one large piece - specifically a sculpture. These collaborations started with camouflaging moths called “Moth-ercise.” The next step was to texture sections of a caterpillar to create “A Caterpillar Party.” Next, we patterned tentacles of an octopus which became “A Call to Arms.” Finally, we sculpted a piece of coral to make “Ocean Floored”. Mr. Ray added something surprising to our Coral Reef habitat that turned it into an ecosystem. After helping us download an app to our phones, we were able to snap a photo of the QR code Mr. Ray included, which added animated ocean life to our sculpture! We had so much fun and learned a lot."

The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery is proud to partner with Arts4All Florida and Clay County Public Schools for this collaborative art exhibition. Arts4All Florida is a not-for-profit organization that supports and champions arts education and cultural experiences for and by people with disabilities. Arts4All Florida coordinates a statewide 'My Art My Way' artist in residence program for students with and without disabilities in public schools. Teaching artist Raymond Jimenez taught visual art lessons at Clay County’s Tynes Elementary that resulted the works presented in this dynamic virtual exhibition. Artist Raymond Jimenez explains that the students' process was one of reflection and evolution: "Inspired by the virtual exhibition 'Biological Futurism' at the Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, the students' work reflects on nature and draws from their own personal experiences and instincts. Through collaboration, they created works that are imbued with each of their own individual personalities and sensibilities, much like in an ecosystem where every life contributes to the whole. Students learned about the artistry in biological life, such as how the octopus can blend, and that the moth uses camouflage to survive. Like them, the students used colors and images to reflect their world, yet still show parts of themselves. They have learned to not be afraid to evolve messily if necessary, especially when it comes to art" The students' teacher, Mrs. Sabre Ziegler, describes their Spring 2021 Arts4All experience: "Our class was so excited to learn to make visual art with Teaching Artist Raymond Jimenez through the Arts4All grant. Throughout the 6 week class Mr. Ray invited us on a virtual tour through the Frank C Ortis Art Gallery and Exhibit Hall in Broward County. Each week our students would anxiously await for the virtual lesson to begin with Mr. Ray as he would explain our new masterpiece. We learned about the diversity of art and inspired us to incorporate art with Music, Literature, Science, and teamwork. The project “A Tune to Paint to” taught us to express our emotions with color and music. Painting to music was fun and messy. “A Pop-Up Appears!” was a project inspired from pop-up books, teaching us that art can be found in books and literature. Additional projects included science vocabulary such as camouflage, metamorphosis, collaboration, habitat, and ecosystem. Mr. Ray let us use our own ideas, experiences, and feelings to create our own smaller piece of art. Later, all the small pieces of art were “morphed” together to make one large piece - specifically a sculpture. These collaborations started with camouflaging moths called “Moth-ercise.” The next step was to texture sections of a caterpillar to create “A Caterpillar Party.” Next, we patterned tentacles of an octopus which became “A Call to Arms.” Finally, we sculpted a piece of coral to make “Ocean Floored”. Mr. Ray added something surprising to our Coral Reef habitat that turned it into an ecosystem. After helping us download an app to our phones, we were able to snap a photo of the QR code Mr. Ray included, which added animated ocean life to our sculpture! We had so much fun and learned a lot."

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