All Together Now

Thank you to all who participated in FishES (Fish at the Elementary School) this school year!

In 2009-2010, Youth Arts designed a permanent piece of public art for the two-story entryway of the Camden Rockport Elementary School.  This kinetic sculpture features 4 large schools of fish, created with individual  fish made by each student at the school and many of the staff members.

At the beginning of the school year, this project was introduced during an all school assembly where each student was given a Youth Art’s FishES  t-shirt, color coded to match each grade’s color palette that would later be used when making their wooden fish.  Every grade participated in a community building activity in which everyone in the school assembled into a giant “human fish” formation in the gym which Geoff Parker captured on film by suspending a camera from the ceiling.   Everyone received a copy of this picture last fall.

Throughout the year, every child in the school created a fish during a week-long art residency.  Students worked with local artists to create fish that were unique to their class.  Sizes and shapes of wooden decoys, color palettes, artistic techniques, and materials varied in each grouping.  The fish created were fun and fantastic and each one is unique!

All these fish, created by students and staff (more than 400 in total), are now permanently suspended from aluminum wave-forms that were fabricated by Charles Duvall.  Working together, a spectacular kinetic art sculpture was created for all to enjoy for many years to come.

We have entitled this collaborative work of art “All Together Now” as we feel this name embodies the coming togetether of an entire community to create something wonderful as well as celebrates the accomplishment of having all Camden Rockport elementary school students at long last, together in one school, under one roof.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in helping to create this impressive piece of art.