Manatee Agricultural Museum hosts Easter Seals artwork

Her name is Pauline.

She has big brown eyes, wet nostrils and big ears.

She has also captured the hearts and imaginations of Diane Ingram and Melissa Dagenais, who have been hanging out with her the last few days where they work at the Manatee County Agricultural Museum inside the Palmetto Historical Park.

Pauline is a cow — actually a painted cow on a small canvas, created by a student of Easter Seals of Southwest Florida, whose mission is to provide services for persons with disabilities and their families.

Because of a new partnership between Easter Seals and The Ag Museum, the painting of Pauline, which is officially called, “Cow up close,” will be shown to the public 5-7 p.m. Friday as a part of an unusual exhibit called, “Art ‘n’ Agriculture,” at the museum, 1015 6th St. W., Palmetto.

Pauline is one of 31 Easter Seals student-painted artworks, all acrylic on canvas, which will be mounted at the museum for the one-day exhibit. The works are priced from $35 to $100 with a portion the proceeds going to the students as a source and a portion going back to the art program to replenish supplies, said Ingram, who is supervisor of the museum.

Pauline, whose price is $35, was painted by an Easter Seals student named Ashley. Easter Seals does not release last names.

The museum and Easter Seals met and became friends just recently when they were both part of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s 24-hour Giving Challenge, Ingram said.

The organizations decided to have a nonprofit partnership.

Subsequent brainstorming led to the idea of Easter Seals’ students painting agricultural subjects, like livestock, citrus, floral and pets and the museum hanging their work at an exhibit.

“We have a venue, and they have artists,” Ingram said.

Century 21 executives were so taken recently with Easter Seals student art that they bought several pieces for their agency in Lakewood Ranch, Ingram said.

“They have very talented artists,” Ingram said of Easter Seals. “They take photographs and use those for the basis of their paintings. The talent is incredible.”

Both organizations will benefit from the partnership, Ingram added.

The partnership will open up the Agricultural Museum to a new demographic since Easter Seals is located near the Sarasota-Manatee border, and many of is employees, students and families, had never visited the museum, Ingram said.

“This exhibit is just part of what we could offer Easter Seals as far as a venue for their artwork,” Ingram said. “We are looking forward to bringing their clients and students here for programing, both preschool age up to high school.”

As for the student art, Dagenais, curator of the museum, said, “I love it.”

Ingram has grown attached to Pauline.

“I think Pauline is very whimsical, but also realistic,” Ingram added. “The painting truly looks like a cow up close and if you have ever visited a field and you are at a fence and you have some cattle coming up to you, what you notice are their big nostrils and big, brown eyes when they get up to you and they are almost cuddly looking.”

“She is definitely a curious cow,” Ingram added of Pauline. “Probably looking to get into some trouble.”

The exhibit of Easter Seals students works can also be seen 6-9:30 p.m. Oct. 7 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 8 at Viktoria’s Studio, Village of the Arts, 1002 10th Ave. W., Bradenton.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 8:50 PM with the headline "Manatee Agricultural Museum hosts Easter Seals artwork."