Culture Club – Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance

The completed Mosaic Project.

Whether you have a passion for the arts or are an art appreciator, look no further than the walls of the graffiti-covered Anderson Warehouse in Ephraim – home to the Francis Hardy Gallery – and you will discover a creation like no other. Individuals of all ages and all walks of life have created a whopping 312, six-inch-by-six-inch canvases that have been joined together to create a 12-foot-by-six-foot mosaic. The display collectively depicts the thoughts and showcases the artistic abilities of all participants.

You may ask, why such a project? The answer is simple. When former director Jan Comstock and I began brainstorming about a community event last year, the idea was to continue building awareness of the arts in our community while giving people an opportunity to utilize their inherent creativity. The Mosaic Project was formulated from a multitude of ideas, but most prominent was a concept utilized in 2007 where the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts (FHCA) sold drawings created by professional artists in numbered envelopes for $20 each. Working with our exhibitions committee, we were able to incorporate this idea of the “blind buy” into the project, and it evolved into a new idea. Thus, in addition to the creation and display of the work, the public is invited to purchase a number(s) in anticipation of owning an individual canvas once the mosaic has been dismantled. A personal statement by the artist accompanies each piece. And, the number(s) purchased corresponding to the number on the artwork(s) will be sent directly to the purchaser at the conclusion of the exhibit. The exciting part is not knowing which canvas you’ll receive!

The project has already garnered great community support and has impacted in some form or another the lives of the participants and those visiting the display. Participants include children as young as the age of two, disabled youth, professional and amateur artists, senior citizens, art appreciators, and many more! And, the artworks are just as intriguing as the people who created them.

“A Summer Visitor,” created by Phil Berndt, rather uniquely depicts one of summer’s most delightful creatures: the lightning bug. For me this piece brings fond memories of frolicking in the fields at a young age with my siblings (with a Ball jar in hand I might add), chasing and attempting to capture the elusive bugs. This particular canvas comes to life in the dark as it is outfitted with glow-in-the-dark paint and a battery pack, which allow it to light up.

Dave Dittman, a 37-year veteran sign professional, illustrates a lifelong love of letters and type on his six-by-six canvas. It reads, “Type gives Body & Voice to Silent Thought.” He used primer and finish coats of aerosol acrylics readily used in his shop to create the layered types.

Particularly interesting is John Whitney’s piece titled “Combine for Robert.” He writes, “This work was created in memory of Robert Rauschenberg (1925 – 2008) who, by drawing on (and erasing) the past, mined the contemporary world to expand & redefine the limits of art.” The mixed media collage is, in part, inspired by Rauschenberg’s 1955 work titled “Bed.” Whitney, who was trained as a traditional silversmith, notes that he “…relies on Rauschenberg’s work as an antidote to his usual Bauhausian tendencies.”

Utilizing a love for the literary arts is poet and laureate Nancy Rafal, who shared one of her poems, “Lighthouse Keepers Wife,” juxtaposed with a photograph taken in the 1980s of the Cana Island Lighthouse in Baileys Harbor. Rafal writes, “I’ve been taking photographs for some fifty years…the poetry came later but is an important part of my life.”

As you can imagine, the subject matter and media are quite diverse. Other participants utilized such media as watercolors, oil pastels, crayons, acrylics, oils, glass, metals, clay, fibers, beads, found objects and much more! A complete list of participants can be found at the gallery.

Most importantly, though, it is the broad scope and the idea of a coming together that is most appealing. The arts play such an integral role in our everyday lives, but yet, they still seem to be distant to many. The FHCA is pleased to have a great new initiative that is truly connecting people to the arts and bringing the people of Door County together.

What better way than to inspire, share, educate and encourage people to participate in the arts?

The Francis Hardy Center for the Arts has a marvelous vision to encourage your creative dreams through the arts, and our lively and thriving art community is a great source of inspiration. I encourage everyone to stop at the Hardy Gallery to view the Mosaic Project. You won’t be disappointed.

For more information about the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts, please call 920.854.2210 or visit http://www.thehardy.org.