Mailing Address:
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Tallahassee, FL 32302
Email:
Executive Director
Telephone:
(850) 942-2569
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Local Artists Leave Special Message for Girls at PACE
Article published September 21, 2006
By TaMaryn Waters, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Linda Hall inched her way up a ladder Wednesday to put the finishing touches on a flying dove.
Its beak caught a white ribbon bearing a message of empowerment in shades of celery-green. More
birds carried more ribbons in a rippled trail.
Hall, 46, stepped down from the ladder and examined the formerly stark wall in the PACE Center
for Girls off Apalachee Parkway.
She and Su Ecenia were close to finishing their mural, spread across three walls in hopes of
surrounding PACE girls with images of fortitude and confidence.
The 12-year-old PACE program provides services for girls ages 12-18 who are having trouble in
school or at home. Staffers work with them to promote education and personal development and
prevent juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy and substance abuse.
"A lot of them feel isolated and hopeless," said Jacquelyn Ledbetter, special-projects manager.
She looked at one girl in the mural who starts off sitting alone under a tree and, after help
from counselors and teachers, proudly wears her cap and gown and pumps her fists in the air.
"It really shows how the girls evolve after they leave here," she said. "Sometimes it takes
physical evidence for them to believe it. The mural will help."
Said Executive Director Janet Ter Louw: "They did a beautiful job of sharing our guiding principles.
It will be a daily reminder of what we do every day."
The two artists collaborated to create the "Hold Fast to Dreams" images at the C.K. Steele Plaza,
but this is the first time they've worked together in 12 years.
Ecenia, 48, said she was honored to bring something special to a special place.
"I was so impressed by the organization," she said. "There's so much love here."
Hall, who teaches art classes at Florida State University, said Ecenia was the "secret force"
behind the project, although Ecenia shied away from any credit.
When asked what they'd do after they washed their last paint brush, Ecenia said, "I'll probably
scream out, 'Girl Power!' "
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