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East Rock (Morning, Afternoon, Late Spring, Early Fall and Sky)
Artist: Elizabeth McDonald
Date: 2001
Material: Ceramic tile
Location: Auditorium, Wilbur Cross High School, 181 Mitchell Drive
Wilbur Cross High School sits at the base of New Haven's prominent geological feature,: East Rock, a vertical red-faced trap rock ridge that rises 365 feet above sea level. Not surprisingly, Elizabeth McDonald, chose the beloved face of East Rock as her subject for a series of five mosaic panels. Like an Impressionist, McDonald finds continual interest in her subject due to the changing effects of light (seasonal and temporal) on the rock.
Described as "painterly" due to the soft effect the powdered pigments give to the mosaics, McDonald suggest that layering her pigments reflects the natural erosion continually occurring at East Rock. The Boston Globe has described McDonald's mosaics as "mysterious and archetypal, and the ragged edges of the tiny squares suggest something ancient."
From Bridgewater, McDonald's work can be seen in several venues in Connecticut, including tile work on the exterior of the Department of Environmental Protection in Hartford. She was awarded the Governor's Arts Award in visual art for her contributions to the "creative heritage" of the state in 1999.
Sky of Writing/Sky of Dreams/Sky of Delight
Artist: Suikang Zhao
Date: 2003
Material: Forged steel
Location: Celetano School, 400 Canner Street
Inserted into a lattice work of thin ribs of steel, artist Suikang Zhao presented the new Celentano School with a site specific project that is aesthetically pleasing, and incorporates traditional themes of learning through writing. Words chosen by school faculty were translated into thirty different languages and "weaved" into the dome and spaces between the lattice work of steel. Inserted into the work are also small pieces of glass which combined with flat gold of text create an enlightened atmosphere when bathed in light.
Zhao, born and raised in Shanghai, lives and works in New York City. He was assisted on this project by Pansum Cheng, Jillian Leedy, Matt Likens, Roman Sharf, Namie Taniguchi and Mei Tung.