Call for Support: Miami trip and tribute the Mary Bethune

Miami, FL - Art Force 5 is planning three mosaic-building road trips for the spring. The team is considering one trip to Miami prior to the next Super Bowl on February 2nd. Florida is in the process of sending a new statue of Mary McLeod Bethune to Washington DC - the first African American represented in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

The Art Force 5 has experience partnering with the City of Atlanta and NFL Network prior to the 2019 Super Bowl, building mosaics of the city’s first 8 African-American police officers. The project was filmed and featured on “NFL360: Black and Blue” on the NFL Network. Bethune’s legacy includes founding a college for African-American students (now Bethune-Cookman College) and founding the United Negro College Fund to support higher education funding of students.

For Miami, the Art Force 5 is seeking locations and partners for this mobile mosaic. The team will also be creating a fundraising effort to cover expenses for a team of five students and two professionals to travel to Miami the week prior to the Super Bowl.

The team is nimble enough to set up their pop-up art making in almost any space, indoor or outdoor. Ideal locations near the stadium or NFL experience and may include schools, parks, and restaurants willing to grant a small outdoor space to the art build. The Art Force also welcomes opportunities to present at schools and engage youth in educational art-making. To offer support and/or ideas, please contact Dan Napolitano at artforce5@alfred.edu.