PALM COAST, Fla. – Installing the 19th turtle in the Palm Coast Arts Foundation series along the Turtle Trail, friends of Walter Arzonetti gathered to see the official unveiling of ‘Gustav’ on July 3rd at the entrance to the Hammock Dunes community in Palm Coast.
Nestled under the canopy of trees, the loggerhead turtle’s ‘Tree of Life’ display design was created by Flagler County artist and Hammock Dunes resident, Judi Wormeck.
“I’ve lived Hammock Dunes for many years, I’m a full-time resident here. I always wanted to do a turtle but I wanted to keep it in our community. When a sponsor agreed to do a turtle for our community, I jumped on the chance,” said Wormeck.
“I’ve always wanted to do Gustav Klimt’s ‘Tree of Life’ because we have a tree in our community that is a rookery for hundreds of birds year-round and they nest here full time. The Tree of Life fit that perfectly. When it was being presented as a memorial for Walter, it was even more fitting to do the Tree of Life.”
Wormeck was given total artistic freedom with the piece, and allowed her talent to shine.
“I had all the freedom and they were just appreciative of whatever I did,” she said. “The Turtle Trail is so special for all of us. It brings our community together. Art in public places is so important to our community and we just need so much more for people to appreciate the art and artists in this community.”
Turtle sponsor Barbara Azronetti and family were and thrilled by the choice of artwork to represent her late husband, an avid patron of the arts. The unveiling took place on what would have been Walter’s 85th birthday.
“He was a real patron of the art. He loved it. When they called me and said could we do this dedication to Walter, and I found out Judi was doing the artwork. She has captured him so well because he loved the island with the birds, the roots are his family,” said Azronetti.
“I haven’t seen all of the Turtle Trail but the ones I have seen are so impressive. What a wonderful idea!”
The Flagler County Cultural Council will take over the Turtle Trail program from the Palm Coast Arts Foundation early next year, but will continue to be overseen by PCAF executive director and Flagler County Cultural Council co-chair Nancy Crouch.
“The opening of this turtle today, number 19, is a good indication of a good thing that’s happening with the Flagler County Cultural Council,” said Flagler County Commissioner David Sullivan, an early supporter of the Flagler County Cultural Council.
“The Turtle Trail has been an amazing thing. It does things for families with grandkids who are here, you can take them on the trail. It also helps tourism in general and makes this one of the reasons we want to live in Flagler County, because of the nice things like arts that we do here, and this is a good example of that.”
The Turtle Trail was created in 2016 as an art in public places series across Flagler County, featuring the works of various artists in the style of famous or historical artists including Monet and Picasso, with the latest turtle Gustav, based on the works of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.
There is no cost to tour the displays along the Turtle Trail. Plan your visit at www.palmcoastartsfoundation.com/the-turtle-trail or pick up a free Turtle Trail map at the Flagler County Tourist Development Office located at 120 Airport Road, Palm Coast on the third floor.
