June 13 2024 – Over the last eight months CCF Trustee Ann Goodman and Executive Director Peter Pucci collaborated with Ann-Marie Thornton at the CCBC Foundation and CCBC’s Anne Lefter, Director of the Arts, to bring to the life a unique donation wall bird sculpture.
The sculpture was designed by Matt O’Connell and loosely based on the last dance that Carole Drake Cascio choreographed which was called “Aerial Maneuvers”.
The idea for a flock of bird donation sculpture came from Leslie Weiss Tinios, one of the original dancers in “Aerial Maneuvers” and a member of CCF’s Advisory Committee. Leslie worked closely with Carole during Carole’s tenure as Director of the Dance Program at CCBC. Leslie suggested the idea for the sculpture based on Carole’s last choreography which was about the movement of birds.
Ann and Peter thought that Carole would appreciate another Eastern Shore artist creating the bird sculpture. One of Carole’s old friends Maureen Wheatley at the Kent Island Federation for the Arts connected Peter with Matt.
Matt specializes in sculpture and signage projects. ONH Custom Designs, LLC was incorporated in 2017. He brings extensive experience in design, engineering, project management, fabrication, and installation to handle projects of all sizes from inception to completion. Matt has over 25 years of design, engineering, and fabrication experience. His projects extend beyond aluminum, steel, and bronze into mixed media pieces involving stone, wood, plastic, foam, and more. His passion is to bring clients’ visions to reality.
Matt immediately took to the project and started to create prototypes with his design colleague Christian Benefiel, Director of Welding and Fabrication Instruction at Studio 731. They based their ideas on a flock of birds that would be mounted just below the new signage of the Carole Drake Cascio Dance Studio West. Peter visited Matt and Christian in ONH’s studio in Centreville in March to look at all the proposed computer generated renderings.
Together they decided on the number of birds (23) and the placement/ flow based on the requirements of the space and its location. They also decided on the unique deep blue color for the birds.
Ann-Marie Thornton supplied all the names of the generous donors that contributed to the Carole Drake Cascio Dance Scholarship Fund that was the established at CCBC in Carole’s name in collaboration with the CCF. The Scholarship Fund will provide financial support to help dancers in the Dance Program. Donor names were etched onto the wings of the birds. The names of future contributors to the Fund will also be etched on the wings of a bird.
Peter was also working with Ann Lefter and Nicole Buckingham Kern the Gallery Coordinator for CCBC‘s art collection. Two years ago, CCF donated 6 of Carole’s artworks to the college’s collection. It was Ann and Nicole’s idea to place those artworks in hallways to the two new Carole Drake Cascio Dance Studios West and East Studios. Also, three of Carole’s artworks were placed in the office of Melinda Blomquist, Director of the Dance Program which is near the Dance Studio West.
Everything came together in the middle of June with Matt’s beautiful sculpture and the addition of Carole’s artwork, bio and dance photo. The sculpture and the artwork are a spectacular addition to the Carole Drake Cascio Dance Studios and honor’s Carole contributions to the dance program at CCBC.
An official unveiling of the sculpture and the artwork will be coordinated with Ann-Marie Thornton and the CCBC Foundation sometime in the fall 2024.
