Art Center Sarasota (ACS) has selected an artist to design a mural for a collaborative initiative it recently launched with the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County. Annie Dong, a student at New College of Florida, will design the wall mural and outline the major details of the design. Youth who attend the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County will then paint the mural, with supervision, over the course of four days in January. “This project fulfills two Art Center imperatives,” said Kinsey Robb, executive director of Art Center Sarasota. “To engage young people in the process of creating art and to foster public art. This initiative with the Boys and Girls Club, made possible through the generosity of Gwen and Joe Ziomek, offers a rare opportunity for young people to become intimately involved in an art project from conception to completion. The kids will get to learn how to paint a mural as well as learn about what conceptually inspired Annie’s design. Visible from The Bay’s “Mangrove Path,” this collaborative creation will be on public display to the many park and art center visitors for two years.” Robb envisions this project as a biennial event that demonstrates the important role art plays in childhood development and engagement. “This project is a perfect example of what can happen when organizations come together to inspire and support our youth.”

“It is an honor to be selected as the muralist for this project,” says Annie Dong, a self-taught artist who studies psychology and art at New College of Florida. “I am very grateful for this amazing opportunity to be able to bring my creative vision to life in collaboration with the youth participants and the community.” Dong has created two murals on campus and a third at the Kung Fu Tea Café in St. Petersburg and believes art has always been a vital outlet for her mental health and wellbeing. She hopes to get involved with public art projects after finishing her education.

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