Project 365 - Photo of the Day - November 21, 2008

On Friday I led a group of five board members and staff members from one end of Broward County to another on a Familiarization (or FAM for short) tour of our cultural facilities. We had a VERY ambitious schedule that included stops and drive bys of 20 different cultural locations including many public artworks along the way. It was a fun day and I was completely exhausted when I got home and rewarded myself with a glass of red Malbec wine as I sat in the living room unwinding. I drove about 80 miles but it was all worth it. These photos are just some of the highlights.
























This is a chair at one of the art centers. They had many of these plastic chairs. But they take every opportunity to make art out of everyday objects and put a lesson in it for the children. This chair was decorated in the style of Jackson Pollock. Each chair around the center had a different famous artist's style.

























I loved this paper mache dragon. I am not sure if the children made him or if the staff did. But I just loved crawling around on the floor to give you impression that he was HUGE!
























Here we are at the Miramar Cultural Center. I just loved the angle of the building along with the deep blue of the morning sky with a palm tree peeking in the corner.




This is a children's museum. I was into angles today. I liked this angle because I caught a corner of the sign that tells you about the exhibit while I captured the busy pattern of the black and white tiles and my group looks so small in the background.
























OK, this needs a bit of explanation! This is part of the children's museum exhibit, Oh Seuss! You lay down on the floor on a wooden platform that is painted with Dr. Seuss graphics. You pretend that you are falling and hang onto the wooden bar above your head. There is a TV camera above your head which takes a still shot of you and then the image comes up on the TV monitor. It looks like you are falling. I had to get in on this one. It looked like way too much fun to not!!

























This is an image of the boathouse at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. It is the last pristine 35 acres along the beachfront in Fort Lauderdale. It has been preserved because the owners who built a really artsy and unique house on this property in the 1920s gave their estate to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. It was also a shrewd way for Mrs. Bartlett to continue to stay in her home (during the winters) until she died. She gave the home to the Trust in the 1980s when she was in her 80s. She lived until she was almost 110!! Smart lady, huh?
























This slough is located very, very close to the beach, however it is completely freshwater! Very unusual and very interesting. it used to be connected to the Everglades which allowed alligators to swim in these waters. But not anymore.



And this photo shows you a view from inside of the boathouse.