Photo Replica Of The "Kids Art Wall" To Be Displayed By Westport Historical Society

When the Westport Historical Society unveils its "The Kids' Wall -- Tenth Anniversary" exhibit Friday, it will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Kids Art Wall at the Longshore Country Club pool.

In a news release, Westport artist Miggs Burroughs says the event also will be a tribute to the dedication, tenacity and spirit of a passionate group who fought Town Hall to bring the project to fruition.

In his release, Burroughs says the six-foot-high, 44-foot-long Kids Art Wall, decorated with 32,000 hand-placed tiles, was first proposed in 1998 by Westporter Katherine Ross. An artist and a teacher, Ross envisioned a community art project that would honor and celebrate the creative spirit of Westport as well as encompass the artistic contributions of all middle-school children throughout the town, Burroughs says.

As long-time friends, Burroughs says Ross and he sought to have the Kids Art Wall established near the library, outside of the Levitt Pavilion. Instead, he says, the project was greeted by resistance from the Planning and Zoning Commission and scrutinized by local bureaucrats and some members of the community.

Opposition to the project, he says, included concern that kids would skateboard on top of the wall, that the wall would create visual clutter, that headlights would reflect against the wall and cause motor vehicle accidents and that the wall would cause the amplification of sound coming from Levitt Pavlion performances.

"We struggled with the idea of building the wall at the Levitt for about a year and a half," says Burroughs.

Burroughs says that, thanks to a suggestion by Westporters Stephen and Toni Rubin, the Longshore pool was recognized as a site where a mosaic mural could serve artistic yet practical functions.

 "Locating the Kids Art Wall at Longshore gave the green light to getting the project under way and, once built, the wall hid the pool's filtration system," says Burroughs. "It was practical, beautiful and logical."

The next step for Ross and him, Burroughs says, was to interact with fifth, sixth, seventh and eight graders at Coleytown and Bedford Middle Schools. The students were tasked with creating art for the wall's theme, "Life Above and Below the Sea."

Every student in each art class at both middle schools submitted drawings of sea serpents, mermaids, octopi, dolphins and every other conceivable form of marine life, says Ross. We had about 1,400 drawings to work with.

The unveiling of the wall on May 28, 2000, says Burroughs, was a triumph. "We created what I believe is the largest piece of children's art in Connecticut."

The exhibit at the WHS will conclude Sept. 4. The exhibit will include an actual-size photographic replica of the Kids Art Wall, a time line of events and interactive mosaic art opportunities.

The exhibit is being held concurrently with a show celebrating Westport's 175th birthday and an exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of the town purchasing the Longshore Country Club.