Miami artist Romero Britto praises Florida Space Art Contest children
Driving to Merritt Island in a vibrantly decorated, vividly multi-colored Rolls-Royce, Miami star painter-sculptor Romero Britto strode to a podium surrounded by futuristic space-themed drawings crafted by children from across the Sunshine State.
Then Britto — who boasts more than 2.7 million Instagram followers — praised the kids’ artistic creations. Two of these artworks will fly into orbit aboard a SpaceX rocket later this year as grand prize winners in the 2023 Florida Space Art Contest.
“The arts definitely open the mind of a lot of people and children in general, to think about what can we do for the future. Or working with humanity, and our community. And for yourself, and for your family,” Britto said.
Britto and Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez greeted the 12 art contest finalists and their families Monday during an event at Space Florida’s headquarters near Kennedy Space Center. During the past two years, Nuñez said the creative contest generated more than 4,000 submissions from every corner of the state, from Key West to Pensacola.
This year, child contestants from kindergarten through fifth grade drew images based on a Buck Rogers-esque theme 100 years in the future: “Time Travel to 2123: Florida’s Future as the Space Capital.”
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After the Department of State’s Division of Arts and Culture whittled the field down to 60 entries, Nuñez selected 12 finalists, the two grand prize winners and a Romero Britto Award recipient.
Grand prize winners were Rafael Kleiman, a second grader at True North Classical Academy Dadeland in Miami-Dade County, and Ailynn Chen, a fourth grader at Windermere Preparatory School in Orange County. SpaceX will fly their art into space.
Chloe Barry, a fifth grader at Palmer Catholic Academy in St. Johns County, won the Romero Britto Award. The other 10 finalists from across Florida:
- Thomas Faye, a kindergartener at Florida Virtual School in Martin County.
- Kolton King, a kindergartener at Madison Creative Arts Academy in Madison County.
- Ripley Moore, a first grader at Pineapple Cove Classical Academy in Brevard County.
- Vivian Shafer, a first grader at Palmer Catholic Academy in St. Johns County.
- Sophia Gomez DaSilva, a second grader at Calusa Elementary School in Miami-Dade County.
- Zoey Ge, a third grader at Everglades Elementary School in Broward County.
- Sara Gavidia Prado, a third grader at Hialeah Gardens Elementary School in Miami-Dade County.
- Cameron Shapiro, a fourth grader at Boyette Springs Elementary School in Hillsborough County.
- Catherine Dajui, a fifth grader at Royal Palm Elementary in Miami-Dade County.
- Ankie Shi, a fifth grader at Spirit Elementary School in Volusia County.
Born in Brazil, Britto has a 60,000-square-foot studio in Miami. His eye-catching pop-art acrylic and oil paintings, along with sculptures and mixed media works, are displayed in more than 200 galleries worldwide. In 2016, he was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd told the crowd Britto has donated pieces to the Department of State art collection, and he walks by them every morning when he goes into the office.
“As someone who grew up in Florida fascinated by NASA and space exploration, I’m impressed and encouraged by their artwork,” Byrd said of the kids’ contest winners. “It shows us that the artist explorers and leaders of tomorrow are already dreaming big today.
“Not only do the arts inspire our future in space, but they also contribute to our future society here on Earth. Creativity prepares students to be good citizens,” he said.
“Children who participate in the arts are less likely to drop out of school, are more likely to have a higher earning potential, show improvement in cooperation and communication skills, and are more active participants in class,” he said.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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