FAIRHOPE, Ala. — As Yogi Berra once said, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Traveling Pants: Alabama Initiative is the latest incarnation of the popular student art project spearheaded by Nancy Raia, community arts director of the Eastern Shore Art Center. It’s hanging this month at the Fairhope gallery.

“The project was so successful, and the kids loved painting on a different medium,” Raia said. “They love the innovative quality, and it unleashed their creativity and expression.”

The unusual display began two years ago with Traveling Pants: Delta Denim, when Raia hung almost 600 painted pairs of recycled blue jeans on clotheslines at Earth Day Mobile Bay, held that year at the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort.

More than 28 schools along with student and community groups from the state’s two coastal counties took part, and 44 pairs of the jeans were ultimately exhibited in cities around the Southeast and Dallas, Texas.

This year with the help of an Alabama State Council on the Arts grant, students from across the Heart of Dixie were invited to take part, and some attending school in New York and other areas got in on the act.

Raia said, “They read about it on my blog site and wanted to participate. With students, if you get them in touch with an inner vision, it will come out. I spent time getting them to that space where they could imagine.”

She hit the road and visited various campuses while some kids traveled to ESAC.

Raia first asked them to imagine they were 6 years old and to recall what they enjoyed doing outdoors. She then had them consider life at 88, and think about what creatures they would want to still be around so they could share them with their grandchildren.

Some of the students (ages 2 to 20) painted and others used appliqués to illustrate on the pants the living wonders that hold a special place in their heart. Bayside Academy 8th-graders decided teamwork would best get their message across.

Art teacher Vikki Turner Finch and her class worked closely with Raia to design five pairs of jeans, all representing elements of nature they enjoyed. When the dust settled they decided to combine the best drawings and paintings from each into one pair of patchwork pants using hot glue and a bunch more paint.

“There are things in nature that you never lose — that you never want to lose,” Raia said. She noted many of the pants artists relayed that sentiment through their stories.

Alyssa Hawras of Chenango Park Schools in Binghamton, N.Y. wrote, “I chose to present the idea of recycling in a fun and eye-catching way so that people get the thought of recycling in their minds. Recycling is one major thing that could change the direction the environment is heading. People need to actually know the difference it could make.”

Hawras’ jeans are very colorful, using bright arrows to promote not only Earth-friendly practices, but world peace as well.

Raia said, “I wanted to see how we could make it grow beyond Baldwin and Mobile counties. There was a lot of writing involved — a lot of narratives.”

More than 900 entries were received for this “environmental art project with legs.” Only 95 were chosen for display at ESAC. They will be pared down again by three judges to determine which will begin traveling after the current exhibit ends April 25.

The top 100 Delta Denims were hung in places such as the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Hank Aaron Stadium and the Fairhope Music Festival. The best 44 pairs traveled more extensively, visiting faraway towns and distant states.

The 2007 project was honored with a prestigious Gulf Guardian Award in the Youth/Education category.

Raia will present free gallery talks about the Traveling Pants: Alabama Initiative exhibit April 13-14 and 20-21, at 10 a.m., at the 401 Oak St. location. She will also arrange after-hour tours for groups.

She said, “I just want to share the story.”

For more information, call the Eastern Shore Art Center at (251) 928-2228.