Joel W. Rogers Photography

Seattle, B.F. Day School, student art, elements in nature theme,

Caption: Seattle, B.F. Day School, student art, elements in nature theme,
Location: Fremont, Seattle, Washington State, Pacific Northwest,
Copyright: © Joel Rogers / joelrogers.com
AGPix ID: AGPix_joelrogers_1406
Digital Original
Comments: B. F. Day School, built in 1889, is the oldest continuous operation school in Seattle. The tile project is ongoing to this day - here's an excerpt from the Fremont Arts Council on the creation of the idea: http://fremontartscouncil.org/projects_bfdaytile.html At the beginning of the '94-'95 school year, a serendipitous meeting between PTA members and the Fremont Arts Council led to a dream of covering the corner retaining wall with ceramic tiles created by BFDay students. Tile artist Steve Roache, owner of Aruba Pottery and Tile in Fremont, had worked with other schools on similar projects and proposed to coordinate the project. The PTA in cooperation with the Arts Council received funding from the Department of Neighborhoods Small and Simple matching grant fund. Tile workshops were held at BFDay in January '95 and all Day students made a tile. In addition, the public was invited to attend community workshops at the F.A.C. Powerhouse in February. The theme of the project is "Elements in Nature" and teachers and students chose a variety of sub-themes such as "weather", "salmon," "protecting and preserving our natural environment," for their artwork. A beautiful border tile featuring "vine and leaf" pattern was designed by Dave McKay. Fremont Arts Council artists also created a special design for each side of the Powerhouse building. Tiles were created and fired under the direction of Steve Roache of Aruba Pottery & Tile. Hundreds of volunteer hours went into the project including installation of the mural. We believe the project will be a special feature of the Fremont community for many years to come. "