Article Title | Outside the Box | Post Date | Posted on
Thursday, September 23, 2021 | Rollup Image | | Body |
Outside the Box features thirty four public art installations inspired by contemporary and historical aspects of Belle Glade, South Bay, and Pahokee in Palm Beach County’s Lake Region.
Artists based in The Palm Beaches created original two-dimensional artworks with materials that were translated onto adhesive vinyl wraps, transforming traffic signal boxes into three-dimensional sculptures and pedestrian scale murals all rolled into one.
Traffic signal boxes are ideal “canvases” to enhance streetscapes, humanize the built environment and foster a unique sense of place for residents and visitors to The Lake Region.
A Harvest Celebration by Jennie Eve Barnett Avenue L & SR 715 (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
"A Harvest Celebration" captures
the steady movement of a tractor pulling a double trailer, filled with a fresh harvest. This piece was designed with vibrant colors to celebrate the meaningful work of local farmers and families who produce the sweet growth of sugar cane from the essence of the land, and to further celebrate the success of being thoughtful stewards maintaining clean air. My hope is that everyone in the community that views this piece feels empowered by their local farmers’ fruitful labor.
Medium: Altered Digital Photograph
Completed in 2023.
Our Interconnectedness by Susan Clemmons SR 80 & Glades Central High School (Southwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
My goal for this piece is to highlight the soil as a foundation, provider, and connective element for the community. Although roads, fields, water, and buildings divide the land, the ever-present bountiful “black gold” soil supports and sustains it. The artwork features an aerial view of the surrounding growing fields, the lake and communities in vibrant energetic colors crossed and surrounded by black lines symbolizing the soil.
Medium: Paper Collage on Wood
Completed in 2023.
The Chase by Gabe Curry Southwest Avenue M & SR 715 (Northwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
My idea behind this art piece was to captivate the culture of the region. Many young athletes have found ways of training for athletic events and sports teams. The chasing of cotton tails through fields has been none to a tremendous part of the athletic culture in this region. This is what gave me the inspiration behind the piece.
Medium: Acrylic Paint, Spray Paint, and Markers
Completed in 2023.
Treasures of Lake O by Samantha Dunne West Canal Street N & Northwest 2nd Street (Northwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
Lake Okeechobee has a complex environmental and historical importance to the Lake Region. This complexity was explored through 4 distinct sections, each featuring a unique aspect of the lake: life above the water, life on the lake’s surface, life underwater, and the prehistoric archaeological sites that have been found in the earth beneath the water. Native flora and fauna were depicted, as well as contemporary and historical man-made elements indicating the lake’s recreation and industrial importance. The goal of this piece was to strengthen our connection to, and appreciation of, our local natural resources.
Medium: Acrylic on Cotton Canvas
Completed in 2023.
Fern-o-Hope-ia by Mark Fletcher Northwest 5th Street & West Canal Street N (Northwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
8 days of on-location drawing and painting reacquainted me with the people and land of the Lake Region where I worked in the 1980s. I found thirst-quenching volunteer tomatoes in wind-twisted cones of giant ferns. Pollinating butterflies (themselves transformed from caterpillars) burst out of the fern-cornucopia, their forms visually rhyming with flying books: a metaphor for the opportunities of education. I designed my Art to be near a school, and it’s at Lakeshore Middle School!
Medium: Watercolor and Ink
Completed in 2023.
Waters for a Blue Heron by Arlet Gomez East Canal Street & Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (Southeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
My artwork is inspired by the magnificence of Lake Okeechobee and in the magic of the Blue Heron that kisses it. The bird is a symbol of beauty because it prospers and flourishes in the majestic realm where the land and shore dance in a symphony. The result is a wondrous spectacle! The heron shows us the abundance of life in the sea, for when we see the peace, contentment, and tranquility that the heron finds at the edge of the waters, we are assured of the plethora of life present in their bosom.
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Completed in 2023.
OKA CHOPI (sub)marine by Celine Lemieux West Canal Street N & Northwest 7 (Southeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
Belle Glade! What is the vital center in this area? What the people like? To be outside going fishing and boating. And they have a JEWEL nearby: the big O, Lake Okeechobee. So what is better to represent this town that a painting of the flora and fauna of the big O!! All that is represented in that project are the real fishes and native plants. On each side of the box appear bass, crappies, long neck turtle with native plants as water lily, eelgrass, floating bladder worth. Beauties to admire and to protect!
Medium: Watercolor
Completed in 2023.
Hope Is The Thing With Feathers by Craig McInnis Palm Beach State College & SR 715 (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
I have always been intrigued by the aesthetics of birds’ markings, textures and shapes. This is what inspired my first sketches. As I worked through my process I became even more fascinated by our local birds. My intention is that when the public views my piece they receive a feeling of HOPE. My art and concept ties to the region in that I believe those that have chosen to live and work this land must be filled with strength of spirit, wisdom, perseverance and therefore hope.
Medium: Digital Illustration
Completed in 2023.
Fertile Ground by Eduardo Mendieta Canal Street & Main Street (Northwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
The title of my piece is “Fertile Ground” which I painted with spray paint and acrylic on canvas. The concept behind the design is pretty straightforward. In the foreground of the design is a portrait of an elderly man tending to his land. He represents the important part agriculture has played in the history of the Glades. Behind him is the Florida landscape showing the natural beauty of the lake region. The stylized sky in the background depicting a sunset it is inspired by Seminole Patchwork design.
Medium: Acrylic Paint and Spray Paint on Canvas
Completed in 2023.
The Lost Tribe by Christina Mitchell Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & Southwest 16th Street (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
Eventually eradicated through disease and slavery in the late 1700’s, this artwork pays homage to the Calusa tribe, who inhabited Florida before the Seminoles. The three seashells and the two Calusa hammers, typically made from shell, represent their nickname of “The Shell People”. A water hyacinth, which is a flower native to South America but can be found in Lake Okeechobee, is also included. Lastly, the sugarcane plants acknowledge the crop involved in one of Florida’s main industries—agriculture.
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Completed in 2023.
Gone Fishin’ by Ken Mullen Big Lake Plaza & SR 80 (Northwest Corner)
I grew up in West Palm Beach and would often go fishing with my father on Lake Okeechobee. I remember cruising in our boat, and hours spent quietly waiting for a fish to bite. My father can no longer fish, but I have attempted to instill his love of fishing in my own children, who regularly catch more than me when we throw out a line. Given the Lake region’s reputation for beautiful sunsets and the best bass fishing in the south, I felt it appropriate to pay homage to those things in my artwork.
Medium: Digital Painting
Completed in 2023.
Gator Sunrise by Sam Nagel Eggert SR 80 & SR 715 (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, Florida
"Gator Sunrise” depicts an aquarium-like perspective of two alligators amongst wildlife in shallow and grassy waters, representing the native and original wetland environment of the Lake Region. I took inspiration from retro style images of old Florida, particularly midcentury postcards of the 1950s, and incorporated a mixed-use of bold graphic color with a painterly illustrative technique.
Medium: Gouache on Illustration Board
Completed in 2023.
Big Water by Kathleen R. O’Neill Schuler Hooker Highway & Lakeside Medical Center (Southeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
My inspiration for this vector illustration came while driving through the city of Belle Glade and seeing the pictured tiller in a field of freshly tilled soil. My intent when creating this image was to portray the essence of a geographic area bountiful in agricultural growth and harvest because of fresh water and rich soil.
Sources say that Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti words oki(water) and chubi(big) hence my title Big Water.
Medium: Vector Illustration
Completed in 2023.
Special Moments by Simmone Sallo West Canal Street & SR 715 (Southeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
I was inspired by the resilience of the Lake Region community to create Special Moments. I used Monarch butterflies to symbolize this community's strength and uniqueness. I included plants native to the Belle Glade region including the strikingly vibrant and beautiful Tithonia rotundifolia. As they are an endangered species, one aim of my work is to promote the conservation of Monarch butterflies. I would also like my piece to serve as a reminder to cherish each moment we are given.
Medium: Vector Illustration
Completed in 2023.
The Drive by Shani Simpson West Canal Street S & Northwest 5th Street (Southwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
The Drive visually represents what I love to see on a sunny Florida day driving out to Belle Glade. The geometry of the sky meeting the land...whimsical clouds dot the sky. The green represents the sugarcane that lines both sides of the road. The golden shapes represent the black gold soil of the Glades. The orange pays homage to the glorious poinciana trees that line the streets of Pahokee. It is my hope that with this piece the viewer can appreciate my view of one of the best drives in Palm Beach County
Mixed Media Collage
Completed in 2023.
A Day in the Glades by Stephanie Stinchcomb Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & Main Street/SR 80 (Southwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
As a Palm Beach county native, I wanted to create artwork that is representative of the daily cycle on Lake Okeechobee. From the many alligators basking in the sun, to the fishing and boating on the lake, to endangered species like the snail Kite, there is so much to enjoy in our natural wetlands.
Medium: Acrylic Paint on Canvas
Completed in 2021.
Come Together by Enido Michelini Gator Boulevard/L Avenue & Main Street (Southwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
My inspiration came from the dynamics of the Belle Glade region’s ecology which encompasses wildlife, nature, tourism and intensive agriculture. The Ibises, always moving in groups along the water and plants are like a ballet tying together all aspects of life. I sincerely hope that my concept will attract the attention of mainly students and help them understand the importance of protecting and combining environmental preservation and progress.
Medium: Watercolor and China Ink
Completed in 2023.
Sweet Habitat by Missy Pierce NW. L Avenue/Gator Boulevard & Sugar House Road (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
My artwork celebrates sugar cane agriculture, particularly for the benefits it provides to the local avian wildlife. The artwork honors the intricate detail and elegant beauty of the sugar cane stalks and features a cross-section of the birds that thrive specifically in this farm habitat. I have incorporated a combination of different media to represent the unique bird populations that benefit from this crop.
Medium: Found and Repurposed Ceramic Dishes and Jewelry Pieces, Marbles, Glass, Sanded Grout, Acrylic Paint on Watercolor Paper on Canvas
Completed in 2020.
Everything is Connected by Freddy Hennevelt NW Avenue L and NW 12th Street (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
The Lake Region is known for its agriculture, football and Lake Okeechobee's natural beauty. I love nature and wanted to take the opportunity to show the relation with nature to people and everything around us. You can see a young man chasing a rabbit. The left side of his body shows a football player. Nature provides food and the young man is developing skills and maybe, if he has enough fire in his heart, he will be a famous football player in the future.
Medium: Acrylic Paint on Canvas
Completed in 2020.
Sustaining Life by Renata Rodrigues Southwest Avenue A & Southwest 5th Street (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
I created this after I learned about the 1928 Hurricane that killed thousands of people from the swampy farmlands in the Glades. I used symbols that represent the strength and determination of its people, and the power we all have to renew ourselves and start over. Sugarcane is a natural renewable resource that provides us with a multitude of byproducts and grows in the muck, which is home to many bird species. Birds symbolize peace, transformation, freedom and power. The piece is dedicated to all the people from the farming communities who perished that day.
Medium: Acrylic Paint on Wood Panel
Completed in 2020.
Alligator Flags by Isabel Gouveia Avenue A & NW 4th Street (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
My inspiration comes from my late afternoon visit to the town of Belle Glade. Plants known as alligator flags were most commonly present in my photos. Native to Florida, Thalia geniculata is also found throughout the Americas and western Africa. This rhizomatic wetland plant is a habitat for gallinule birds and is also a favorite breeding ground of the Brazilian skipper butterfly. With this artwork, I have highlighted a small patch of uncultivated land to remind us of this environmentally essential wetlands habitat for which Florida is well known.
Medium: Altered Digital Photograph
Completed in 2020.
Crystalline Brink by Molly Aubry SW Avenue A & NW 2nd Street (Southeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
This work explores the relationship between land and water, and its fertile possibilities for the environment and the human mind. In framing pure abstraction with geometric form I am able to heighten the fluidity of the materials themselves, mimicking the movement of the land. In exploring the relationship between memory and place, Crystalline Brink celebrates the pre-historic “People of the Water" who lived for thousands of years in Belle Glade. I hope that this installation will invite poetic moments of contemplation for passersby.
Medium: Archival Ink on Paper
Completed in 2020.
Watchful by Jennifer Love Gironda SW Avenue B & SW 5th Street (Southeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
Over a decade ago I attended a Florida Humanities Council workshop focused on the writings of Zora Neale Hurston. During that experience I had the chance to visit many sites mentioned in her books, as well as some locations where she lived and worked. This piece is inspired the main characters who worked alongside migrant workers in Belle Glade, in Hurston's,
Their Eyes Were Watching God. The watchful eye and a serene face connect with Hurston's writings and the locale.
Medium: Spray Paint, Marker, Watercolor and Acrylic Paint on Paper
Completed in 2020.
Okeefloral Fantasy by Michelle A.M. Miller SW Avenue B & SW 2nd Street (Southwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
The Lake Region offers some of the most remarkable views of Lake Okeechobee and I was immediately drawn to the idea of creating a fun, dynamic image for community enjoyment. I looked to the flora growing along the lake's shoreline and found the luminous yellow flowers of spadderdock and the pale pink swamp rosemallow to be instant inspirations.
Okeefloral Fantasy reimagines this special place where water, big sky and quirky flowers combine to create a colorful and lively view.
Medium: Acrylic Paint on Wood Panel
Completed in 2020.
Cane Fire by Night by Sarah Bennett Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & SW 2nd Street (Southeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
Sugar cane is a primary crop of the Glades area because of the area's rich muck land. The burning of cane at night is becoming historical because of new regulations. However, the burning and harvesting of the cane is still very much a part of the life of the Glades. I saw a field burning one night, snapped some photos, and out of that image I painted my original work. I added the cane workers to represent the many men and women who work to harvest the cane.
Medium: Oil Paint on Canvas
Completed in 2020.
Waddles the Muscovy Duck and his Florida Friends by Danny Caro Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & SW 10th Street (Northwest Corner), Belle Glade, FL
The story behind this painting is about the overabundance of Florida critters that you see every day sometimes without even thinking of it. Whether you're fishing or hiking around Lake Okeechobee or cruising through the intracoastal or Florida beaches, you may have come across some of these. I want this painting to be a reminder to the residents and onlookers of the beauty you may come across just down the road, and to not take it for granted.
Medium: Digital Painting
Completed in 2020.
Gathering by Lynn Doyal Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & SW 5th Street (Northeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
I created an image that was contemporary with a nod to the past. The symbolic, bold image can be appreciated while walking by, or passing in a vehicle. The painted images of sugar cane are the basket "bows" woven with strands of beads and thread, representing the agricultural colors of the area. The basket pays homage to the history of agriculture in this area while also being contemporary in design and style.
Medium: Acrylic Paint, Hand Stitched Thread and Beads on Canvas
Completed in 2020.
Farm to Table by Jhonattan Arango (anón) E. Canal Street/State Road 880 & Duda Road (Southeast Corner), Belle Glade, FL
I approached developing my piece with a historical lens and sought inspiration in Belle Glade's 1920s agricultural boom which earned her the motto, “Her soil is her fortune." The artwork features migrant workers packing cabbages in a truck in Belle Glade, re-interpreting a 1939 black and white photograph by photographer Marion Post Wolcott. My composition uses a modern geometric style that breaks down each element into 6,712 triangular forms.
Medium: Vector Illustration
Completed in 2020.
Pahokee Skyline by Gregory Dirr 1st Street/Bacom Point Road & Lake Avenue/Main Street (Northeast Corner), Pahokee, FL
When creating a public artwork I like to familiarize myself with the location's culture. I spent some time adventuring the lake region. I was immediately drawn to Pahokee. Driving through the Palm lined road to Pahokee was like passing through a gateway into old Florida. I am attracted to the culture of the city and its well preserved history. Pahokee has a charm that evokes nostalgia. I wanted my artwork to reflect the beauty and calming I found in Pahokee.
Medium: Watercolor, Charcoal, Pastel, and Altered Digital Photograph
Completed in 2023.
Lilygator by Noelle McCarthy 1st Street/Barack Obama Boulevard & N Barfield Highway (Northeast Corner), Pahokee, FL
My love of nature led me to paint Lilygator, inspired by a local iconic predator, depicted in a unique and peaceful light. I photographed an alligator gliding through the waters; her wet, armored skin glistening in the evening sun. Painted layers of rainbow color detail captured the gator's iridescent tones. The deep rich bluey green waters and vibrant lily pad blooms celebrate the local natural environment in all its glory. Through my artwork, I aim to bring awareness to the need to protect and preserve wildlife and their habitats.
Medium: Acrylic Paint on Canvas
Completed in 2020.
The Flow of Things by Chrisanthy Varga PBC Fire Station #74 & US 27/ SR 80 (Northeast Corner), South Bay, FL
I wanted my artwork to convey the natural beauty of the Glades area. It is made from hand cut paper on canvas. The cut shapes create a flow from the leaves of the tree across the canvas in a mosaic like effect. The pieces then fall into place as a football player, a symbol of the passion for high school football in this area. My artwork is like a drive through the Glades. The plants and animals fade into the greenery, only to be noticed if you really observe.
Medium: Paper Collage on Canvas
Completed in 2023.
Florida’s Great Fishermen by Erica Kyle SR 80 & US 27 (Southwest Corner), South Bay, FL
Florida’s Great Fishermen was inspired by birdwatching at sunset over the lake. Known for fishing, Lake Okeechobee draws people from all over to compete in fishing tournaments and charters, but there is no better fisherman that mother natures own! The birds in my painting represent the wildlife that are natural inhabitants of the region, who have been enjoying fishing in the fresh waters long before the rest of Florida’s great fishermen discovered it.
Medium: Acrylic on Wood
Completed in 2023.
Not Forgotten by Gillian Kennedy Wright SR 80 & Hatton Highway (Southwest Corner), Unincorporated, FL
“Not Forgotten” fabric collage is inspired by a series of power words; site visits; visuals; sounds and smells of Lake Okeechobee. Water, blue, fresh, earthy, blood, sweat, tears, black gold, sugar, agriculture, indigenous people and symbols portray specific historical and contemporary cultural significance.
The concept of “Not Forgotten” is fueled by my love of creating and melding, community with history and nature. It allowed me to weave a myriad of races, peoples, colors and symbolism with the land. Its interwoven fabrics make a statement about our ever changing contemporary Lake Okeechobee.
Medium: Fabric Collage
Completed in 2023.
Bringing Alive the Rivers by Gwenn Seuling SR 80 & SR 15 (Northwest Corner), Unincorporated, FL
In my artwork I show a canal leading to Lake Okeechobee. There are machines parked in the distance, hay bailers and metal storage units. There is a boat entering the lake from the canal – all evidence of humans, but then, right up front is a Kingbird flying off with a lubber grasshopper for a snack, and beyond that a river otter watching a raccoon eating a crawfish. I wanted to show how the wildlife has adapted and continues to adapt and thrive in our shared singular environment.
Medium: Gouache on Arches
Completed in 2023.
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