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RESID ENT C OM M UNITY NEWS
A stunning statement of resurrection By Marcia Hodgson Resident Community News
Everything is coming up sunflowers now that two local artists have finished the AIDs Memorial mural on the side of the Park Street bridge over Willowbranch canal. Keith Doles and his assistant, Zac Freeman, both artists with workshops in the Cork Studios, painted the bright, cheery mural on the historic bridge in late August. “We’re hoping to create a somewhat realistic sunflower garden,” said Doles, who designed the mural. “The concept is a memorial for people who have passed away from HIV/ AIDS. I’ve had some relatives of mine pass away from HIV, so this is special to me.” Freeman said he relished doing the mural, even though no one in his family has died of HIV/AIDs. “I’ve always thought this park was beautiful, and as soon as I heard
RESIDENTN EWS. N ET | SEPTEMB ER 2020
the project was being done in Willowbranch, I was in,” he said. Painted on a bright blue background, the sunflowers, which are different sizes, sit in a field of green, and the names of local residents who have died of HIV/AIDS will be written in the center of the larger posies, he said. After the mural is finished it will be covered with a transparent sealant to protect it from vandalism or graffiti, Doles said. More than 5,000 Jacksonville residents have died of HIV/AIDs, said Richard Ceriello, and organizer with the AIDs Memorial Project of Northeast Florida in Willowbranch Park, which will be in full view of the sunflower bridge once it is built. “We will add the names to the flowers of the (deceased) local individuals who lived within a block or two of this park,” Ceriello said. Although several local artists submitted proposals to paint the mural, Doles was selected because of the quality of his artwork, Ceriello said. “We had this blank wall, some of it was covered with graffiti, which was pornographic. We wanted to come up with something that was uplifting. How could you not be inspired by a blue wall filled with sunflowers? It’s a stunning statement of resurrection.”
Keith Doles and Zac Freeman
Using an auger, Dan Hutton digs the holes while Knight Ratliff, Gary Lambert, Richard Ceriello, Jordyn Simon and Janette Ratliff assist with the planting in Willowbranch Park Aug. 22.
Parenting Willowbranch’s Centennial Garden Willowbranch Park’s Centennial Garden began to take shape as volunteers with Plant Parenthood planted a variety of greenery in a boggy area of the park Aug. 22. Leading the way were Wally Ericks, Dan Hutton, and Plant Parenthood founders, Gary Lambert, Richard Ceriello, and Theresa Parlato, but several others from the neighborhood helped out as well. The group was excited to receive a hand from Jordyn Simon and Knight Ratliff, who dropped their basketball game on the park’s nearby court to lend a hand along with Ratliff ’s mother, Janette, who also joined in. Plant Parenthood is an online LGBT gardening club dedicated to socializing as it focuses on developing and celebrating gardening arts among members of the Jacksonville LGBT community regardless
Plant Parenthood founders Richard Ceriello, Gary Lambert and Theresa Parlato
of whether they have a green thumb. The group is assisting in beautifying Willowbranch Park by building a garden near where the future Aids Memorial Project will be installed.
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