MENTOR, Ohio — Last summer, the Cleveland Museum of Art debuted Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Room Exhibition. It was one of the most popular installations the museum ever had. People from all over came to see the seemingly never-ending mirrors and an array of polka dots, and one of those visitors, was Mentor art teacher Jacqui Spetrino.
One of Kusama's exhibits pictured above.
She said it inspired her, and she knew that she wanted to bring that inspiration to her students at Sterling Morton Elementary School.
Spetrino and her students, ranging in ages, have worked on the installation all year long, all the while, learning about Kusama.
Pictured above is Yayoi Kusama.
Kusama is a little unusual or unique,” said Spetrino.
“She created these infinity mirror rooms to have you have the experience, or feeling what she feels, by being just one of the dots among millions or an infinity number," Spetrino said.
To some, it’s a deep lesson for the students to grasp.
“There’s this artist and she thought we were just a dot in the world, just one small dot,” said Jacksen Schultz, one of the students who helped create the installation.
But it’s also clear, the exhibit celebrates each person’s differences.
“Some people are different than other dots and I like that,” said Alyssa McCann, a Mentor art student.
Spetrino said the uniqueness of the exhibit, is a direct reflection of each person’s differences.
“Sometimes students will say somebody is weird or crazy,” she said. “I try to tell them that people are different. People are always different, and the world doesn’t change, the world doesn’t get better, we don’t have new inventions, and we don’t see new things, until there is someone that comes along who is a little unique or different."
Sterling Morton’s Art Fair, 9292 Jordan Drive, starts Thursday April 4, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. for families.
