Ceilings go from bland to beguiling at SFX School

   When she began teaching art at St. Francis Xavier School in 2006, Kelly Bates looked up and had an epiphany: Why not use some of the school’s acoustic ceiling tiles as canvases for original works of student art?
   Bates felt that when painted, these previously nondescript “blank slates” could become part of a unique overhead gallery showcasing students’ artistic talents and varied interests.
   Even the way the square-shaped tiles were attached to the ceiling – with metal banding – would make each painting appear to be a “framed” piece of art.
   “Whatever I get my hands on I’ll try to paint,” chuckled Bates, who got the green light from St. Francis Xavier’s principal, Barbara Martin, to pursue the endeavor. “I was thinking of a project that would add some life to the hallways, and I just thought it would be cute for the kids in art club to pick a topic and paint a ceiling tile.”

Things are looking up

   Eight years later the fruits of Bates’ novel idea add unexpected pops of color to ceilings on all three floors of the Metairie school and have even made their way to the ceilings of the library, school office and cafeteria. About 150 ceiling tiles have been painted to date, with student-artists depicting everything from their favorite hobbies, animals and movie characters, to the mottos of their future high schools and their most beloved New Orleans icons.
   “This project requires a lot of space – the kids are out in the hallway painting their tiles. It’s a mess, but they love it,” Bates said, noting that the school staff members play a pivotal role in the undertaking by removing tiles so students can paint them at ground level and reinstalling them after completion.
   “The first question my students ask (at the beginning of the school year) is, ‘When are we doing the tiles?’” Bates said.

   Annual additions to the overhead gallery are made each spring by members of St. Francis Xavier’s after-school art club, who meet for two hours every Wednesday. Bates encourages her young artists to come up with their own tile designs, while cautioning them to keep their schemes simple, given the material’s spongy texture.
   “It takes a few coats of acrylic paint,” Bates explained. “That’s why we try to keep the design really simple – because (the tile) is porous and doesn’t lend itself to too much fine detail.”
   Despite the limitations of their canvases, occasionally a student will come around who is able to execute a more elaborate piece. For example, a tile painting created by former student Allison Stuart in 2010 depicts St. Louis Cathedral in stunning detail through the application of deft shadowing and attention to the tiniest of architectural elements.
   “We put (Stuart’s tile) in a strategic place,” said Bates of its spot above the exit of the school library.

Permanent fixtures

   Bates said the ceiling project has been a hit at St. Francis Xavier since its inception, with current parents bursting with pride over their children’s work and visitors made mindful of the school’s flourishing art program at open houses.
   Most importantly, the art teacher said, students get to leave a legacy at their elementary school. Bates makes sure each artist signs and dates his or her tile.

   “When they come back to our school after graduation they can see their artwork,” she said. “I also think it’s important for (current students) to see their work around school and not just stuck back in a portfolio.”
   The project also illustrates how Catholic schools are venturing beyond their traditional color palette of white and khaki. At least two of the St. Francis Xavier tiles depict the “Blue Dog” – nods to the year George Rodrigue was the school’s artist-of-the-year – while other ones portray mermaids, butterflies and ballet dancers.
   “They cheer the school,” Bates said of her students’ lofty masterpieces. “We need that! We’re an elementary school!”
   Beth Donze can be reached at [email protected].