Rue Vendome Plaza in North Beach will soon be replaced by a park, so to say goodbye the Normandy Fountain Business Association hosted “Paint the Pavement!” Thursday. Locals showed off their skills as they painted designs on the street with materials supplied by Painting with a Twist. Their works of art will remain there until Sunday, March 1, 2020, the day construction for the new park starts.
Maria José Carron and her kids, 13-year-old Arianna and 11-year-old Aiden, attended the event. Maria found out about it as they were driving home and decided to head there instead. Their painting focused on pollution affecting the ocean surrounding Florida’s coast. Arianna and Aiden said they learned about climate change and its effects through school, the social media app Tik Tok and their parents.
“We’re fighting pollution,” said Aiden. “So, we can save the turtles and the fish!”
Elidea, a contemporary artist who moved to Miami from Milan, also painted a piece based on ocean wildlife being affected by climate change. It depicts two jellyfish and a fish swimming. In the background, it reads, “Earth was created for all of us, not for some of us.”
Maria Tokareva, an artist and designer, attended the event as a vendor. She displayed art and clothing she created to motivate people to wake up to their “best day ever” every day. Tokareva said she wants to use her art to “eliminate all the invisible frontiers” and inspire others to “explore what makes them happy.”
