Net Art Project Linked from Fourth Grade Computer Resource Links Page
March 24, 2004

(Wayne County, North Carolina)

For the second day in a row, an internet art project known simply as
"a digital quilt project" ( http://playdamage.org/quilt/ ), has
received a handful of web visitors from Grantham School 's "Fourth
Grade Computer Resource Links" page (
http://www.waynecountyschools.org/336/Grade%204.htm ). According to
Curt Cloninger, curator and host of the online quilt project, "The
[Grantham School] URL just showed up in my referrer logs out of the
blue a couple of days ago."

Cloninger noted a marked decline in the number of discrete visits
(down from a high of 6 on Tuesday to just 3 on Wednesday), but said
he was still enthusiastic about his site's inclusion in the Grade
Four links list. "I live in North Carolina too, but I've never even
heard of Wayne County, much less Grantham School," Cloninger
confided. "How they even discovered [the quilt project] is beyond
me. Sure, they link to the Mt. Olive Pickles site; no surprise
there. Whatever the explanation, I'm just thrilled to be in there at
all."

Several other links on Grantham School's Computer Resource Links page
are actually images with hyperlink tags surrounding them, whereas the
link to Cloninger's quilt project is merely a plain hypertext link.
But Cloninger is quick to point out that the digital quilt link
(which reads simply "Digital Quilt") appears third from the top of
the page, beneath links to "Waynesborough Historic Village" and
"Minerology 4 Kids," respectively. Regarding the link's hierarchical
location, Cloninger figures, "that's got to be worth something right
there. I mean, Waynesborough Historic Village is probably like their
last field trip, so give it up. And Minerology, I mean, what fourth
grader doesn't dig minerals? Plus, when they use the number '4'
instead of the word 'for,' that's a dirty trick. Who stands a chance
against such rogue tactics? Anyway, [the digital quilt link] is WAY
above a link to a .pdf file about striped bass, so now who's
laughing? What? I can't hear you. Yeah, that's what I thought,"
Cloninger challenged.

When asked about the digital quilt's utter lack of inclusion on the
adjacent "Grade 6" and "Exploring Life Skills" pages, Cloninger
refused to comment.

Grantham School is "Home of the Bulldogs," according to their web
site home page:
http://www.waynecountyschools.org/336/
The barking bulldog audio and shifty-eyed bulldog "gif" both serve to
reinforce the "online presence" of the school's "frisky" canine
mascot. The Grantham School home page further reveals the school's
mission, "To develop self-confident students who are knowledgeable
and demonstrate a passion to succeed. We will accomplish this by
providing a challenging curriculum, delivered by dedicated and
innovative staff in a secure and stimulating environment."