81.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesFrench Artist Visits St. Croix's Good Hope School

French Artist Visits St. Croix's Good Hope School

Feb. 27, 2009 – Sewer covers protect water mains, sewer lines and cable corridors, but few would ever think of them as objects used to create art. Artist Ralph Brancaccio, who is on St. Croix until Monday, March 2, changes people's perceptions of manhole covers and says, "By putting myself at people's feet I bring beauty up to their level causing them to look down."
His collection of sewer-cover prints changes one's regard for common everyday objects and the extraordinary designs that adorn them. Brancaccio is on St. Croix teaching students at Good Hope School how they can create prints of their own from sewer covers. Good Hope students are learning his techniques and how to share their talent in hands-on workshops. Cast-iron covers can date back to the early 1800s and reflect the eras in which they were produced. Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco patterns gave traction to horses and buggies, and today, they do the same for cars and pedestrians. During his travels he has canvassed city streets around the world to find unique covers.
The artist signs his prints, including the exact street address, city and country where he found them. Based in Paris, France, and sponsored by New York Foundation for the Arts, Brancaccio currently has a public sculpture installation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, titled The "Y" Project.
The Minister of Culture in Paris, France, sponsored an exhibition in the city museum Musée des Egouts, titled "D'Egouts et des Couleurs," in 1998. They also commissioned a 1999 New Years card, which was created using a Paris manhole cover on Avenue Rapp. "Being" at the Zhu Qi Zhan Art Museum. Over the past 17 years, he has printed in 17 countries and more than ten U.S. states. A product line inspired by these mono prints has been created and sold in venues around the world, and now St. Croix will be added to this collection. He enjoys sharing his vision and encourages students to listen to their own ideas in his hands-on workshops.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.