The sculpture will be similar to the whimsical, out-of-the-ordinary lighting sculptures that LaCasse is known for designing and installing in places such as downtown Portland and Deering Oaks Park.
Last spring, Longfellow art teacher Emily Serway wrote a grant to bring LaCasse into Longfellow School as an artist in residence. The project was funded in part by a grant from the Perloff Family Foundation.
“Pandora gave a presentation on site-specific installation art to the whole school in September,” Serway said. “Then, kids in grades 1 to 5 designed their own ideas for light sculptures for the front of Longfellow. They also voted on a color scheme. Pandora distilled their designs into a brand new form that honors and reflects the work the students did. Then she worked with fourth- and fifth-grade students to string lights on the forms.”
Serway said, “The students learned a lot during this long process. They learned what it means to design sculpture for a specific site; they thought about the translation of two-dimensional ideas into three-dimensional forms; they worked together to graph the color vote results; and they learned that if you have an idea you can make it a reality through hard work. They also have a new connection to the larger arts community in Portland, as Pandora is a well-known and respected local artist.”
Longfellow is located at 432 Stevens Avenue. The school’s PTO will provide refreshments at the lighting ceremony.
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