Lost And Found Discovery Brings Artist To Tulsa McKinley Elementary

In a wonderful story of lost and found, an artist is reconnected to her work - and the students at McKinley Elementary School. <br /><br /><a href="http://mckinley.tulsaschools.org/" target="_blank">Tulsa McKinley Elementary School</a>

Wednesday, October 20th 2010, 4:52 pm

By: News On 6


By Rick Wells, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma - The art teacher at McKinley Elementary in Tulsa has a wonderful story of lost and found. A packet of student paintings had been lost behind a cabinet.

A teacher found the packet while cleaning up and gave it to art teacher Dania Santiago – who then found the artist who created it.

Teacher Dania Santiago helps young artists create fall color collages, but it's not that student art that brought us to McKinley.

"It's like finding a treasure," Santiago said.

Some student paintings were found among a packet of artwork discovered in another classroom.

"It looks like either they were just sitting there all this time, or they had fallen behind and no one had noticed them back there," Santiago said.

Since she liked what she saw and found a name on one of them, she thought - why not try to find the young artist.

"I typed into Yellowpages.com/Tulsa the last name, and I got one listing," she said.

Ann Guagliardo, now Ann Shelby's parents still live in Tulsa and passed the message that the art teacher

"I was amazed; I was amazed," said Ann Guargliardo Shelby.

She told me she didn't remember specifically painting these, but it's her style and she recognizes the place.

"Most of the time I was painting my Great Aunt's farm, that is out in Creek County because that was my favorite thing," she said.

She even recognizes her dog, Carl.

Ann has graduated to more grown up art now among other things she paints masks.

Santiago asked to keep one of the paintings. She wants to frame it and hang it as an inspiration to her students like her young Picassos creating collages of fall color.

Ann Shelby says the artwork find has helped her re-connect with McKinley and her artistic roots. She donates art supplies to the school hoping to help some of the young student artists develop their own artistic talent.

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