Six mosaic sculptures commemorate heritage of Grandville Avenue

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Six mosaic sculptures created by the ArtWorks Summer Program of the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) commemorate the heritage of Grandville Avenue and the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood (RPNA).

A team of ten students ages 14 to 21 designed and installed the sculptures at 1500 Grandville under the guidance of professional artists Elisabeth Vedrine and Alynn Guerra.

Each sculpture is a five-foot pillar with 15-inch-square mosaics on all four sides. The pillars create a semi circle around a bus stop area. The mosaics depict six characteristics of the neighborhood: the Grandville Avenue Neighborhood Library, the neighborhood's diversity, its struggle for peace, its laborers, landmarks and buildings, and the vision for future growth.

"The students researched the neighborhood and met with Mary Angelo, the RPNA director," says Janet Teunis, UICA managing director. "They sent a short questionnaire to residents asking what the artwork would mean to the community, about the neighborhood's history, and what residents envision for the future. Then the students came up with the six themes."

A Community Development Block Grant funded the art as part of the Grandville Avenue Streetscape Project.

"The art means a lot to the neighborhood," Teunis says. "When we were installing it, people walking by said things like, 'That looks great,' 'We really needed something like that,' and, 'Those are really beautiful.' It makes the area look really classy."

A public unveiling of the sculptures with Mayor George Heartwell, city commissioners, the artists, and representatives from the UICA and the RPNA takes place on October 29 at 4 PM.

Source: Janet Teunis, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].