Proud to be Part of Art

After months of compiling student art work with cracked coffee cups and broken pieces of porcelain plates, the permanent mosaics have been installed as part of the Art in Public Places initiative in Desert Hot Springs.

"You can bring your grandchildren to see your art work,” said Tracy Powers, Angel View’s resale stores’ general manager. “This is a permanent display. It will be here forever and you should be proud that you were part of it.”

Powers stood in front of more than 30 students from Lon Mercer’s art classes from Painted Hills Middle School in Desert Hot Springs, Angel View staff, and representatives from Palm Springs Unified School District and the City of Desert Hot Springs touting the designs of 13 young artists whose work is now affixed to the entryway at the Angel View Clearance Center in Desert Hot Springs.

As part of the city-required Art in Public Places initiative, Angel View teamed with students at Painted Hills, Karen Riley of the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, and Old Town Artisan Studio for a hand-crafted art project where more than 100 submissions were received from students in Grades 6 through 8. After winners were selected by Angel View employee voting, top designs were transformed into mosaic panels under the direction of Riley.

Students learned about conservation, reuse and environmental issues thanks to hands-on exploration with the use of unsold, donated items, one-of-a-kind pieces and parts of cracked coffee cups or porcelain plates from Angel View’s stores.

The art project offered the opportunity to express the themes that are hallmarks of the city’s pride: Collaboration, Art, Recycling and Sustainability, and Caring for People with Disabilities.

Angel View clients participating in the therapeutic Day Program helped in the creations by painting red ceramic tiles of the signature Angel View heart. Some of the Angel View artists were also in attendance to see their handiwork and meet the student-artists.

The mosaics are located in front of the Angel View Clearance Center at 64669 Dillon Road.

13 Student artists whose designs were selected by Angel View employee voting received an art supply kit and a gift card.

Congratulations to the student designers from Mr. Mercer's art classes:

Angelina Alcala, Cihuapahtli Calderon, Maria Mereles

Victoria Teran, Elias Gonzalez, Ilijah Guzman,

Tony Alvarez, Andrea Morales-Rios, Sandra Ramirez,

Robert Reynolds, Valeria Padilla-Toledo,

Destiny Miramontes, and Emiliano Anguiano