Farmington Art Teacher Going for the Prize

Farmington resident Maria Blanco was on her way home from teaching students in the Dominican Republic last summer when she realized where her true path led.

"I had a 12-hour layover in Atlanta, and I wrote a poem," said Blanco, who is with Farmington Public Schools. "I came back, and I just started doing these."

The pieces inspired by the poem are 200 canvases and 250 shells that will be part of an installation she has entered in ArtPrize, a competition open to any artist in the world who can find space at established venues in Grand Rapids. ArtPrize opens Wednesday; Blanco is in Grand Rapids this week setting up at San Chez Bistro & Cafe, a Latin-themed restaurant with a family connection.

"The father of the original owner, the restaurant's namesake, was a family friend and worked at Keebler with my father," Blanco explained.

The art installation, which will be spread around a central area in the restaurant, reflects her poem. Translated from Spanish, it reads:

Missing pieces
Feeling disconnected
Shells pave the way
Waves move my hips
Sun warms my heart
Follow the path

Blanco has left her art teaching position at (she'll come back to the district, but not necessarily the same school) to spend eight months, starting Oct. 16, teaching in the Dominican Republic with Vermont-based The DREAM (Dominican Republican Education and Mentoring) Project. She got involved with the project after looking for volunteer opportunities in the Caribbean, close to her native Cuba.

If she wins any part of the $484,000 in prizes awarded — including a $250,000 grand prize — the money will go toward the cost of her volunteer efforts in the Dominican Republic, she said. A recorded artist's statement that will be part of the tour will help draw attention to the cause, Blanco said.

Customers at in Farmington got an ArtPrize "sneak peek" this summer; some of the pieces were on display there over the past two months, along with a copy of the poem. Bakery owner Becky Burns, who volunteered in Blanco's Gill classroom, said her children helped pick out the pieces from the dozens in Blanco's basement.

Visitors to ArtPrize can start their tours at any of eight exhibition centers, which open at noon each day and offer shuttle stops, voting registration and a store. This unusual competition has no jurors or curator; the grand prize winner in selected in a popular vote through mobile devices and the Internet.

For more information about the competition, visit artprize.org. Artwork will be displayed through Oct. 9.