Watershed Wall
a community-made public art mosaic
a community-made public art mosaic
As New York state weighs the risks and benefits of high-volume, hydrodic fracturing gas drilling, a lot of people are bringing their attention to the integrity of our watersheds. In 2010, all ten schools in the Ithaca City School District took on this topic as the subject of public art ceramic tile mosaic mural. The Ithaca Fine Arts Booster Group, the Ithaca Public Education Initiative, and the City of Ithaca, NY generously sponsored the project. The mosaic is an image of the Ithaca area watershed with the smooth dark pebbles representing Cayuga Lake inlet and the tributary creeks that flow into it. Students made the tiles that represent the land masses from slabs of clay carefully cut out to create a map. I worked with student, teachers, organizers, and engineers to help the 54' x 5.5' piece come together. It is mounted on the exterior wall of a parking garage in downtown Ithaca, just off the Commons, a short distance from City Hall.
