Hurricane Inspires Art in Seminole County

From hurricanes to wild fires, it has been a year full of unexpected natural disasters with many of them effecting our venues across the country. However, rather than give up, our venues have persevered thanks in large part to our very passionate coordinators. Coordinators like Christine Patten from Seminole County, Florida who when their 13th Annual NAP Exhibit was threatened by Hurricane Irma, was able to move their show dates back a month rather than cancel.

As a longtime coordinator, Christine knows the importance this annual show holds for not only the participants, but the larger community. By postponing the exhibit, it allowed people the opportunity to focus on recovering and gave many a chance to heal through the creation of art. “The judges and the staff really enjoyed seeing hurricane related artworks,” said Christine; an element that would have been completely missed if the show had been cancelled. Beautiful art pieces like “Sunset Double Rainbow at Lake Charm 8 Hours After Irma” by Charlotte Sladek (Youth), who won the Art Education Award for her photograph and “Hurricane Irma” by Tory Mahan (Youth), who received an Honorable Mention for his painting, would have never been displayed.

The NAP is truly thankful for Christine and her team for providing participants and their families a way to heal while bringing the community together through the arts.