Why?

I wanted to share Christi's and my own reasons for wanting to paint the carousel in a little more detail. These statements were a part of our original proposal for the project. There's been a lot of thought and a lot of love put into it already, and there is sure to be plenty more. -Julia 

My name is Julia John and I am a third generation Ithaca kid. I absolutely love this town, the people in it, its beauty and its personality. It’s been a wonderful place to grow up. More specifically, I have fond memories of picnics and play dates in Stewart Park, and of course, of the beautiful carousel.  The thought of those brightly painted horses makes me bubble up full of joy. What breaks my heart is to see them with peeling paint. But here’s an idea. I have been an artist since my carousel days, and currently I am a rising sophomore at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I am a seamstress, a painter, and a drawer. Something that has always bothered me is the way the art world often seems to exclude children, because art hangs high on a wall and cannot be touched. I have been wracking my brain for projects that can engage kids and let them interact with art. What better than a carousel? Let’s let kids play on our art, touch it, hug it, dream about it, make it their own.  I want to repaint this carousel, and make it beautiful again.

I am Christi Sobel, a local artist and scientific illustrator.  I was born in the hospital on the hill, and raised in the beautiful town of Brooktondale just outside of Ithaca.  I was away for a while for college, grad school and travel and adventure, but returned in 1999 by default and settled in by choice.  I am a member of the Ithaca Farmers' Market, where I sell my art in various forms, and freelance for a variety of clients.  I love to work with clients with an environmental mission, especially if the work leads to travel and adventure.  Having grown up here, though, I have a huge fondness for the beauty around Ithaca, and have great memories of going to the lake and the parks.  My appreciation for Stewart Park in particular was just rekindled by two young girls who have entered my life through my relationship.  They LOVE running around the park, playing hard on the playground and in the fountain, and always plead for rides on the carousel.  It's really so magic that there's a carousel in the middle of the park.  I would love to give something back to the community and make the Stewart Park carousel a freshly beautiful sparkling jewel.  Plus it sounds like a lot of fun.