Sarasota News Excerpt

A few students did talk of one disappointment – that they did not know about glow-in-the dark (“photoluminescent”) chalk before they arrived. Once they were on site in Burns Square, they heard about the light-into-dark effects German artist Edgar Müeller was incorporating into his design. Photo-luminescence reportedly was a last-minute design change he made, and a premiere for Sarasota. Still, the student artists wanted to know where to get that type of chalk, how to use it and how it works.
When Müeller’s photo-luminescence specialist Johnie Laham learned of the students’ excitement about adding glow-in-the-darkness to their designs, he said he could relate. After all, he’s the artist who created the world’s largest photo luminescent sculpture, a Lebanese cross that can be seen at night for 20 miles.
In short order, Laham bridged the gap between Sarasota’s chalk artists and the world’s foremost professional with a jar of the non-toxic liquid luminescence, all mixed and ready to apply with a paintbrush, finger or anything else handy. Laham even provided a bag of the powder and mixing instructions for Art Center Sarasota, a local nonprofit that works with all area schools.
A few minutes later, students from three schools were working together to collect water bottles and divide the greeny-yellow gooey spookiness. Portions went to school-sponsored artists from Riverview, Booker, North Port, Incarnation and Southeast high schools as well as Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences.