What a year it’s been. I had been waiting to have firm news before posting this update. If we learned anything from 2020, it’s patience and persistence in the face of the unknown.
Ever since the original Quake Mosaic location on Soscol Avenue became part of the flood plain of the newly completed Oxbow Bypass in 2019 (and no longer viable), I have been looking for its new home. And while there have been a few potential locations suggested by the City as well as private developers, nothing has stuck yet.
So last year, once we realized that COVID would be with us for a while, I decided to box up and store the completed work until we could begin again. But before we boxed them up (thank you, Cartons and Crates!), my sweet husband Israel photographed each and every completed mosaic sections. Here are a few samples of the beautiful work completed by over 400 community members:
Section A3: an example of a “gray” area
Section L26: a black area
Section E16: blue + brown areas, part of a circle
Section H16: red + “gray” areas, part of a circle
Section L12: another “grey'“ area
Section G25: white + yellow areas, part of a circle
So not only do we have a record of each contributor’s work, we were able to lay them out digitally according to the schematic (see “Envisioning the Quake Mosaic”). Since we have finished about 95% of the mosaic sections, we can really see the design as it might look once installed. It is so exciting to see it come together as originally envisioned.
As of today, the project is safely hibernating in storage. Hopefully one day soon it will awaken to its full spring potential. In the meantime, if anyone has a wall in downtown Napa that is publicly accessible and in need of a community-built mosaic, let me know!
Stay safe and healthy.