FLOR394 of the FLOR500 Participatory Art Project

I’m pleased to participate in Xavier Cortada’s FLOR500 eco-art project with the 10″x8″ oil painting of the FLOR394 Sweetbroom (Scoparia dulcis).

FLOR394 Sweetbroom (Scoparia dulcis)10″x8″ oil on museum panel

FLOR500 is a participatory art, nature and history project created by Miami artist Xavier Cortada to commemorate Florida’s quincentennial in 2013. The project marks the importance of the moment when the history of our state changed forever and gives us a glimpse of what its landscape was like 500 years ago.

Five-hundred Floridians have been invited to depict 500 native wildflowers – the same ones that grew in our state when Juan Ponce de Leon landed in 1513 and named it “La Florida” from “flor,” the Spanish word for flower. The artwork, along with information about each flower, is being posted on the project website, http://www.FLOR500.com

Beginning at 5:45pm, Monday, March 4, 2013 Collier County’s South Regional Library in Lely will host a dedication of a FLOR500 wildflower garden and a presentation about the program by Xavier Cortada. Afterwards, Cortada will invite participants to transform his original drawing of a Florida wildflower on exhibit at the library into 100 living gardens.

His drawing will be cut into 100 tiled pieces; each tile comes with a packet of Florida wildflower seeds. Participants are asked to take the drawing and seeds home and plant a garden dedicated to a Floridian who is special to them. In the process not only will they pay tribute to someone special in their lives, but they will also help improve Florida’s biodiversity by growing native plants.

Following the FLOR500 program will be a reception with artists whose FLOR500 works will be on exhibit:

• Celeste Borah
• Andy Brown
• Rodney G. Busch
• Pat Collins
• Veron Ennis
• Patricia Esposito
• Lydia Fogaras, M.D.
• Muffy Clark Gill
• David Hatchett
• Lily Hatchett
• Raymond Hernandez
• Doug Heslep
• Connie Killebrew
• Megan Kissinger
• Matt Lackey
• Ann McCarty
• Kerri Meehan
• Carl Schwartz
• Elizabeth Smith
• Renee Rey
• Mary Voytek
• Anita Wexler

For directions or information about Monday’s wildflower garden dedication, FLOR500 presentation and artist reception, call 239-252-7542 or see http://www.colliergov.net/library.