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For two weeks, from September 4th to 18th, Historic City News readers are invited to visit the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum on Sevilla Street to view 53 obelisks, decorated by professional artists and area school children, reflecting the four foundational values of St. Augustine’s 30-foot Constitution Monument in the local public square: freedom, democracy, human rights and compassion.
The Obelisk Art 450 (OA450) project, a collaboration between Compassionate St. Augustine and The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, will commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine.
The OA450 Tour of Compassion is a collection of 25 eight-and-a-half-foot tall obelisks embellished by professional artists and completed for a public art exhibition scheduled to be installed throughout historic St. Augustine later in the month of September. The OA450 “Compassion through the Eyes of Children” is a collection of 28 four-foot-tall obelisks adorned by elementary schoolchildren from across St. Johns County.
This exhibition at the Crisp-Ellert will be the only occasion in which all obelisks, both large and small, will be on view together. The artists’ obelisks will be installed throughout historic St. Augustine later in the month of September, while children’s will also be displayed publicly at a later date.
The 25 professional artists selected to participate in the Obelisk Art 450 Tour of Compassion are:
| 1. Lucy Clark | Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind |
| 2. Warren Clark | Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archeological Park |
| 3. Liz Gibson | St. Augustine Visitor Information Center Compassion |
| 4. Jim Benedict | St. Augustine Visitor Information Center Freedom |
| 5. Don Trousdell | St. Augustine Visitor Information Center Democracy |
| 6. Jan Tomlinson Master | St. Augustine Visitor Information Center Human Rights |
| 7. Hiromi Moneyhun | Oldest Wooden School House |
| 8. Heather Blanton and Xavier ‘Javi’ Brunet | Milltop Tavern Courtyard Castillo de San Marcos |
| 9. Dustin Harewood | St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine the Courtyard |
| 10. Pablo Hugo Rozada Vena | Menorcan Pocket Park |
| 11. Donald Martin | Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront Monson Motor Lodge |
| 12. Kevin Curry | The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine |
| 13. Jeff Whipple | The Government House |
| 14. Joe Segal | Crisp-Ellert Art Museum of Flagler College |
| 15. Cecilia Lueza | Lightner Museum City Hall |
| 16. Yarn Bomb Jax | Lewis Auditorium of Flagler College |
| 17. Sydney McKenna | South Bridge of Lions Avenida Menendez |
| 18. Roxanne Horvath and Peter Rumpel | South Bayfront Avenida Menendez |
| 19. Julia Morrisroe | Aviles Street at King Street |
| 20. Wendy Mandel McDaniel | Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse |
| 21. Sylvi Herrick | Villa Flora Brown Hall Renewal Center |
| 22. John ‘Jahni’ Moore | Dow Museum of Historic Houses |
| 23. Leslie Robison | St. Francis Park |
| 24. Debi James | Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center at Excelsior School |
| 25. Thomas Farrell | Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida West St. Augustine |
Dates for OA450 Project:
Friday, Sept. 4, open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. only
Saturday, Sept. 5-18, open during regular hours:
Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Crisp-Ellert Art Museum, 48 Sevilla St.
Open to the public, free of charge
Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 to Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016
Tour of Compassion obelisks will be on view at sites throughout St. Augustine. Some sites will have limited viewing hours. Brochures and maps will be available at hotels, attractions and the St. Augustine Visitor Information Center.
The initial and title sponsor is The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, which provided a $30,000 Dr. JoAnn Crisp-Ellert grant.
Each Legacy Sponsor donated $15,000 to the project and will receive a completed obelisk. Legacy Sponsors include: Fraser Family Heritage and Oldest Wooden School House, Glenmoor Resort Retirement Community, Mrs. Claudia Gordon, Herbie Wiles Insurance, Allen and Delores Lastinger, Leonard’s, Ray and Linda Matuza, Old Town Trolley Tours, Petros Estate and Retirement Planning, Ring Power Corporation, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and Red Train Tours, St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park, St. Francis Inn and the Compassionate St. Augustine advisory board. Sponsorships are still available
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