FLOR500:  main project page | 2018 Day of Service | 2018 Cabinet of Curiosities  | Wildflowers for Sweetwater | FIU News

On May 30th, 2018 at 10am, artist Xavier Cortada will join Sweetwater Elementary principal Janet Olivera and art teacher Marlene Martinez in presenting wildflower plants to every one of the schools 700 students.   The students will plant the wildflowers at home and care for them.  The participatory eco-art project aims to engage students in prosocial actions that not only beautify the community but also activates participants as protagonists in addressing environmental concerns.

FLOR500 is a participatory art, nature, and history project created by FIU artist-in-residence Xavier Cortada to commemorate Florida’s quincentennial in 2013. The project marks the importance of the moment when the history of our state changed forever and gives us a glimpse of what its landscape was like 500 years ago.

500 flowers
A team of scientists selected the 500 native flowers-  the same ones that grew in our state when Juan Ponce de Leon landed in 1513 and named it “La Florida”–from “flor,” the Spanish word for flower.

500 artists
Five hundred Floridians were then invited to depict 500 native wildflowers. The artwork, along with information about each flower, will be posted on the project website (www.FLOR500.com).

500 gardens
A team of historians selected individuals who helped shape Florida history.  Florida schools and libraries (across the 67 counties and 8 regions) are encouraged to plant 500 wildflower gardens, dedicating them to one of 500 important Floridians selected by a team of historians.  These 500 new native habitats will help support Florida’s biodiversity.

Based at the Florida International University where he serves as artist-in-residence, the effort furthers Cortada’s long-standing commitment to eco-art projects that engage community and expose human impact on the environment.

To learn more about Flor500 please visit www.Flor500.com

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