7-Eleven Shoebox Art Piece Inspired By Teen's Covid Outing: Art Show

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A routine event — walking to a 7-Eleven store with friends — took on huge significance for a student isolated from friends during the early phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

The teen's artistic rendering of that time spent with friends is just one of the 243 3D artworks created by Pinellas County students that are part of the Dynamic Dimensions: Sculpture, Short Films, & Photography K-12 Student Exhibition, "Time inForms Art" show on display now at the James Museum in downtown St. Petersburg.

Additionally, 70 photographs and 40 films/animations were also accepted into the exhibit. The adjudication process involved several visual art teachers blind-scoring 628 student submissions., according to a Pinellas County Schools news release.

Amber Quimby, an art teacher at Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg instructed her 3D art & sculpture class to create a memory in a container.

"The prompt for the sculptures was a portable memory environment — thinking about a memory they had and then they had a lot of creative freedom to how they would create that environment to allude to or suggest what that experience was like," Quimby told Patch Wednesday evening at the exhibition reception.

A special memory for 14-year-old Haidyn Gordon is the first time she walked to a 7-Eleven by herself with her friends after the pandemic restricted gatherings. Gordon created a 3D art piece of that special time inside a large Demonia shoebox.

"It was one of the only times I saw my friends through quarantine," Gordon told Patch. "They all came over to my house, and we decided we wanted snacks and we walked over to the 7-Eleven near my house and that entire day stuck with me, so I wanted to do something from that day, and I thought creating a 7-Eleven would be cool."

Gordon created the 7-Eleven just off Fourth Street North near 62nd Avenue North. The piece shows 7-Eleven's exterior including details of the parking and details of Fourth Street North and 62nd Avenue North with the crosswalk and electric lines. The three figures using the crosswalk represent Gordon and two of her friends.

"I think the way Haidyn brought it together with the figures and the sense of place, the aerial perspective, is unique," Quimby said. "I really think it had so many outstanding features."

Gordon's mother, Allison Gordon, told Patch that they are incredibly proud of the amazing job she has done.

"She's shown artistic ability since she was little," Allison said. "It's really interesting to see someone who has a God-given talent and simultaneously has a passion for it. She came into the world as an artist and has always known that she wants to do something in art. How many of us get that in life?"

Allison, Gordon's grandparents and uncle enjoyed watching Haidyn's reactions and the rest of the kids' reactions as guests responded to their artwork

Students' works are on display at The James Museum until May 8.