Feature Details

Name: Not If But When

Description: The title of this work came from the community's aspirations for each child in Edenvale to find success in life. The artwork consists of two elements: bronze sculptures inset into the exterior walls at each of the three entrances to the building, and vinyl drawings on the large gymnasium windows that face Branham. All the elements are based on objects, images and ideas cultivated by the artists from the community. The artists engaged in extensive interaction with the Edenvale community in the creation of the artwork. They went out to schools, neighborhood and community gatherings, youth centers and the library to encourage community members to "Be a Part of the Art" by contributing objects, stories, photos and memorabilia that represented their own lives. The window drawings depict a series of doors, many photographed in the adjacent neighborhood. The doors become an entry point to different ideas the artists wanted to convey, based on the community outreach and their own research. Sculptures are set in boxes that are inset in the façade of the building. The sculptures are hybrids of many of the donated and discovered items from a very diverse community brought together in a way to inspire new thinking about everyday objects, as well as the long and interesting history of the area. The bronzes are accompanied by quotes from A Spiritual Thought for Each Day, a book of inspirational thoughts by Mary Hayes- Chynoweth, an early settler in the Edenvale, and builder of Hayes Mansion