Senior Momentum: Christine Flanagan

Christine Flanagan SENIOR

MOMENTUM

By Mary Ricketson

“I always knew I wanted to teach art,” said Chris Flanagan. “I loved to sketch and have notebooks from school where I covered the margins with drawings, mostly of horses.” Her enthusiasm and commitment led to a career with the Suwannee County School District from which she retired in 2010. She frequently runs into her former students while she is out and about, taking a few minutes to catch up or reminisce. When she retired, it was actually a former student who took her place as art teacher at Suwanneee High School.

Chris and husband Joe moved to Suwannee County in the late 70s. Joe had a job with water management and she was a substitute teacher until hired full-time at the Boys Ranch to teach English and reading. After a few years, she left to raise her family and establish their homestead that over the years, besides housing children, also provided sanctuary to: horses, ducks, guineas, donkeys, goats, bunnies, a pot-bellied pig, dogs, cats, tortoises and lizards. While raising their children, she continued creating her own art and giving private lessons after school. She also worked with the Live Oak Artist Guild (of which she has been a member since 1979) to bring a program called “Art in the Classroom” to the students of Suwannee County. It was a grant program that provided posters of famous artists that the volunteers from the Guild could take to the students and give a history of that particular artist and their genre.

Chris was also an extraordinary Girl Scout leader. She took her troops on many adventures, including a trip to Savannah to the Juliette Gordon Low house and museum, which my own daughter still recalls fondly.

Her career in the Suwannee County schools began with an initiative called “Art in the Elementary Schools” when she was hired as the art teacher for both Suwannee East and Suwannee West, which were at that time the two public elementary schools in Live Oak. Then in the early 90s, she was hired to be the art educator at Suwannee High School (SHS). During her time at SHS, she promoted her students’ creativity by entering their works in the North Florida Community College High School Art Show where they won several trophies and over the years retired three(had to win that particular trophy three years in a row). “We always won a trophy,” she said, smiling. They also displayed artwork at Valdosta State and, for several years, her students’ art was accepted for exhibition in the Florida State Fair.

Even twelve years post retirement she continues at the school volunteering her time for Art Splash, a summer program she helped start that provides a limited number of students an opportunity to participate in a themed program that introduces a speci c art form to them, including art history. Morning and afternoon sessions allow them time in which they create either one large or several smaller projects representing that art technique.

Chris’s preferred medium is colored pencil. She is an active member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and a charter member of the Gainesville chapter (the rst in Florida) which is one of three in the state. She has had her pieces accepted into the International Show ve di erent times. Only 120 pieces are accepted internationally each year. She enjoys traveling to the shows and appreciating others’ art.

Other post-retirement, endeavors include being a committed volunteer at Heritage Park and Gardens where she and Joe are also sustaining members. Countless hours are spent there cleaning the gardens, decorating for the annual Tour of Homes, providing “sleigh” rides at the Christmas extravaganza, painting the photo ops for visitors to enjoy and generally whatever else needs done. She is also a volunteer for Friends of the Library, helping to set up and promote their annual book sale.

They are both a cionados of the Florida State Parks and have often odonated their time at the Florida Folk Festival at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park on Memorial Day weekend. She can’t commit to a favorite Park although she has said it’s Suwanneee River State Park, “But really it’s whatever one I’m in; they all o er something di erent and wonderful,” Chris said.

And as a member of The Live Oak Artist Guild, she has painted several of the barn quilts displayed throughout Suwannee County. “I don’t know how many I’ve painted; if I knew I’d probably stop!” She estimates she’s been involved with at least half; there are close to 70. These are very large works of art, (4’x4’ and 8’x8’) and the money earned goes back into the Guild.

When she isn’t volunteering, she and Joe have traveled extensively throughout the States and internationally. She picks Scotland as her favorite trip overseas because she got to ride horses on Loch Ness. Horses have been a passion of hers since childhood, and she utilizes the trails provided on water management land weekly. She also commits to cleaning them and is an advocate for the rules of use so the trails are available for generations to come.

Edward George said: “Everyone is enthusiastic at times. One person has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another person has it for 30 days, but it is the person who has it for 30 years who makes a success of life.”

And indeed, she has. ■