Blind Department library receives donated sculpture

For the last 10 years, local artist Jill Cerulli has made art pieces for the St. Augustine Art Association Tactile Show; and, last week, Historic City News learned that she donated her award-winning piece entitled “Read” to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind library.

The artwork is made out of large, wooden letters and includes other elements such as a frog reading a book with pens and pencils.

“I always have the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in mind when I’m creating works of art,” Cerulli told Historic City News. “I realize that there are a lot of different ways that art can be used to teach the lower elementary students.”

Joy Carriger, a blind elementary teacher at the school said, “Students are able to interact with this new sculpture and engage in feeling the raised, embossed letters, which are depictions of print.”

The sculpture will remain in the Blind Department library for students to enjoy.

About the artist:

Jill Cerulli was born and raised in the upper peninsula of Michigan. She started painting while living in a small town in Wisconsin in 1980. She moved to Minnesota in 1981 where she continued painting and attended classes for many years at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. In 1993, she moved to Jacksonville, FL participating in various art classes and shows.

She has been very active at the St. Augustine Art Association, where her work has been selected for many juried art shows and won numerous awards. She has a piece in their Permanent Art Collection. During her time there, Cerulli served on the Board of Directors for three years and was the Docent Coordinator for seven years. Currently, she assists in the installation of their many juried art shows.