“The Art Of Influence” And “The Influence Of Art”
Two Unique Projects – One Unique Art Exhibition
At County Hall
Thirty running feet of tapestry panels – a montage of artwork and narratives created for both “THE ART OF INFLUENCE” and “THE INFLUENCE OF ART” will be on exhibit in the lobby of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center building, 111 NW First Street, Miami, FL. The display will be up for the entire month of November.

For “The ART of INFLUENCE”, under the guidance of Center for Folk and Community Art artists Dena Stewart and Stewart Stewart, Elementary School youngsters, Middle School youth, and Senior High School teenagers learned how ART INFLUENCES the way we live our lives and spend our money by deconstructing ads and analyzing pictures and paintings. They also learned how to use ART to INFLUENCE others by writing their own advertising copy that included both positive and negative aspects for a real or imaginary product, as well as by creating their own ART to entice the public to want their product.

For “THE INFLUENCE OF ART – We Are Artists, Too!”, developmentally disabled adults (ages 18 to 68 years) discovered the artist within by creating artwork about their daily activities and what they would like the public to know about them and the meaningful things in their lives.

Additionally, for the “Influence of Art” project, deaf and hard of hearing teenagers used ART to express how bullying affects them.

These tapestry panels will tour schools, libraries, and community centers to stimulate dialogue and create an awareness of the importance of ART in communicating feelings and addressing issues.
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CFCA projects are made possible through the generous support of: The City of Miami Beach Department of Tourism and Cultural Development, Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners. The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Miami Dade County Commissioners Sally A. Heyman and Bruno A. Barreiro.