Cool Waters, 2012

Cool Waters, 2012. Joanne and Bruce Hunter , Mosaic in Porcelain Tile.

“We let a river shower its banks with a spirit that invades the people living there, and we protect that river, knowing without its blessing the people have no source of soul. A river sings a holy song conveying the mysterious truth that we are a river, and if we are ignorant of this natural law, we are but.” , , Thomas Moore , The Enchantment of Everyday Life

, Cool Waters was designed by Connecticut artists Joanne and Bruce Hunter as part of a State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) “placemaking” initiative entitled “City Canvases.” The City Canvases initiative encourages communities to transform public art into dynamic and inviting places where people live, work, visit or do business. The initiative was funded by the Connecticut DECD, Office of the Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts., The City of Waterbury, in partnership with the Arts and Culture Collaborative of the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce Foundation, received project funding through the City Canvases initiative. Additional donations of services, local contributions of individuals, businesses and nonprofits and the efforts of approximately 1,000 community volunteers of all ages were instrumental in making this community mosaic a reality., Community Vision and Teamwork , Cool Waters was commissioned as a community mosaic project, so that generations of area residents could share in the joy of creating a tangible, visible piece of Waterbury’s history. A community-based steering committee selected Connecticut artists Joanne and Bruce Hunter for the project and asked that they create a design that expressed Waterbury’s roots. The final design was chosen for its color, boldness, message balance of representation and abstraction and complex imagery., The Waterbury community at large quickly came together to make this project happen. Businesses, nonprofits and individuals contributed additional funds. The Palace Theater donated the use of its stage for the community tiling. Industrial Riggers, Inc. volunteered to install the mosaic upon the large brick wall of 90 South Main Street. People of all ages and walks of life volunteered to adhere tiles, students from public and parochial schools, neighborhood associations, church groups, businesses, nonprofits, City employees; individuals and entire families, all wanting to donate their time and become part of Waterbury’s future. AmeriCorps volunteers helped put together a team of young adults who volunteered every day. A “Waterbury Tile Team” was formed. This group of 50 individuals, primarily composed of volunteers from the Older Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Connecticut Waterbury Campus, tiled every weekday afternoon, and in no time became volunteer experts on the project. They are symbolic of the community’s love for and dedication to this project. When the panels were completely tiled, over 1,000 volunteers from age 5 to 80 plus had turned out to put together the pieces of Waterbury’s first community mosaic. Many of these people would tell stories about how the making of the mosaic impacted their lives, hopes and dreams for their city., Theme: A Celebration of Waterbury’s Past and Future , The theme of the mosaic celebrates Waterbury’s origins as a 17th century river settlement, its journey through the industrial age and its new future as a sustainable city. Waterbury received its name in 1686 as homage to the Naugatuck River. In the early 19th century, factories and mills became the many mills that would make Waterbury a world leader in the brass industry. Unfortunately, while industry made Waterbury an economic success, there were severe consequences to the river, as it became a dumping ground for industrial waste. Today, the City looks forward to a new future for itself and its river. The Naugatuck River is clean and healthy again, due to the work of federal, state and local agencies, the advocacy of civic associations, environmental groups, and the many volunteers, community leaders and city visionaries. Fish are plentiful and bald eagles, osprey and herons have returned to fish along the river’s banks. Waterbury is now looking to reconnect to the river that gave it birth and became its namesake. Working together, we are planting a future that grows our local economy and creates a community that is truly livable and sustainable with an understanding that our greatest natural resource is the key to our success., Cool Waters is a celebration of Waterbury’s roots, its journey through time and its promising future. The dynamic design and movement of bands of blue and brass capture the feeling of moving water. The brass tiles recall Waterbury’s past, while also evoking the flow of golden molten metal. Within the river’s currents, brook trout merge and dance, symbolizing the health and vitality of the Naugatuck River. While the mosaic can be read as a dynamic and bold representation of a river teeming with natural life, it can also be interpreted as a metaphor for the life cycle itself, the human soul and the natural force that connects all living things. Waters in a river flow, forever new, yet the same, and complete a journey only to start again. As Thomas Moore has so eloquently stated, “A river sings a holy song conveying the mysterious truth that we are a river…”, The Making of the Mosaic , Cool Waters is made of solid color porcelain tiles that are frost-proof and thus able to withstand cold New England temperatures. The large 30 x 10 ft mosaic is composed of sixty individual 3 x 5 ft. concrete panels. The artwork was divided into sixty rectangular sections, each of which was transferred onto an individual panel and painted in colors representing the colored tiles. Once color-coded, the panels were transported to the stage of the Palace Theater, where community volunteers adhered the tiles under the direction of the Hunters and assisting artists. Due to the overall size of the mosaic, volunteers were able to discern the theme of the mosaic while tiling the individual panels., Work started on June 6, 1021 and proceeded for eight days, with approximately 200 different volunteers on stage each day, seven hours a day. As each panel was completed, it was grouted with various colored grouts. The panes where then delivered to the 90 South Main Street location for mounting. Over the course of several days, Industrial Riggers, Inc., bolted each panel to the brick wall, all the time keeping the artwork under a tarp so the original design would be a surprise. On June 26th, 2012 the completed mosaic was revealed to the pubic and the community celebrated!