A local school administrator recently came up with a novel way of giving students there some much deserved recognition for their endeavors in the classroom while providing the institution with a bit of positive publicity as well as give motorists a bit of a respite from a recent calamity.

Greg Abel, the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Providence Country Day School in city, ran a "billboard art show" on an electronic screen located adjacent to Interstate 195-West close by in Rehoboth, Mass., just past Exit 5 and the busy Routes 6/136 connecting the neighboring border towns of Swansea, Mass., and Warren, R.I.

Abel said each week between 15-20 pieces of PCD student artwork have been highlighted since the program began. The school had access to the space throughout April. He noted one of the challenges he faced was making sure he representative work from every grade level because the space available didn't always accommodate the size of the pieces.

The genesis of the idea came to Abel with the onset of the Washington Bridge westbound side closure in December of 2023, which became a traffic nightmare that lingered to a large extent for four months until just a few days ago when congestion was eased a bit with the opening of a three-lane branch headed west on the eastbound portion of the bridge structure.

"With the bridge issue in Rhode Island, it seemed like a really cool thing to simply provide commuters with a tiny, tiny bit of joy in their day. So for a couple of hundred thousand drivers each week, they get to see a little glimpse of fun artwork. I hope we brightened their day," he explained. "And we are always looking for ways to show off how incredible our students are. And this is a really cool and dramatic way to do that."

On a more personal/professional level, Abel said he has long been intrigued by the modern incarnation of billboards, which now allow for basically instant transitions from one subject/customer to the next.

"I've in the last couple of years become fascinated with these digital billboards from a marketers standpoint," Abel said. "They are really interesting because you are not limited to one design like in a traditional billboard. The way these work is six customers each get 10 seconds out of every minute on the board. Each time my screen is shown I could have a different design. So over the course of 10 minutes I could have 10 different designs.

"You can update your design set as often as you want. So I could have 10 different designs and then have them change every week for a total of 40 designs. This concept works really well for something like artwork because I have lots and lots of student artwork."

Asked how the effort was received, Abel said, it was "definitely a success." He continued, "I am thrilled more than I can say. The parents, kids and teachers loved it and I heard from lots of folks who saw it. I think it is worth the cost, although I would not do it all the time."

As for the future, Abel added he's looking to another billboard bit closer to the state line "by the Seekonk Speedway that I have my eyes on...So I might do this again in June or July, and then almost definitely again in the fall."