By Paul Thompson
Northeast News

In an otherwise nondescript alley in the Historic Northeast’s Pendleton Heights neighborhood, Garfield Elementary students have collaborated with local residents to create a slice of artistic beauty.

The project – which is located between Ord and Park Avenues, south of Elma – made its public debut with an open house on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 16. The installation, located in what is known as Orchid Alley, features green rebar pipes bent to resemble flower stems, with ceramic flowers designed and painted by Garfield students strategically placed throughout. The final product is designed to look like blooming flowers.

The project was the brainchild of Pendleton Heights resident Holly Oden, who eventually brought the idea to Garfield Elementary art teachers to solicit student contributions. Pendleton Heights neighbors contributed by cleaning out the alley, putting down mulch and planting around the site of the installation. Oden’s brother, Jacob Kentner, donated his expertise to complete the ironwork for the installation.

Though the project went through growing pains, Oden said that the Garfield teachers and Pendleton Heights residents alike have embraced the effort.

“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been really challenging, too, but working with the art teachers has been great,” Oden said. “They’ve been really supportive, and the community members, especially the people here living off the alley, have come out to help clean everything up, helped us put mulch down, and actually string the logs together and do all the planting.”

Garfield Elementary art teacher Belinda Blake, who was present at the open house, told the Northeast News that she didn’t take much convincing to agree to the project.

“I love reaching out to the community,” Blake said. “Holly emailed me, and I was so happy to do it.”

Blake said that her students were equally excited about the art installation. Her classes worked diligently to create the ceramic flowers; measuring the width of the rebar, testing the ceramics in outdoor conditions and imagining how the pieces would interplay with the project as a whole. According to Blake, the students took real pride in the work they did at Orchid Alley.

“When they saw it they were so excited,” Blake said.

At the open house, Oden recalled a conversation with Blake about the budding Garfield artists.

“She said her students said they were going to be famous,” Oden said with a laugh. “So I think they were enjoying it.”

Now that the 2017-2018 school year nearly complete – and the Orchid Alley project completed – Blake is looking towards the future. Might she be willing to undertake a new community art project in the future?

“We loved it. It was really, really great,” Blake said. “I would love to do it again.”