The 1st St. Mosaic Project is located in the parking lot of the Ithaca Sciencenter, at 600 1st St. The 8′ x 180′ concrete retaining wall, of the City of Ithaca Department of Public Works facility, has been our canvas. A collective of artists and scores of community members have designed, made & collected tiles, mortared, grouted, and worked very hard to create this sparkling, and impressive, work of art! In 2015, we worked with the Ithaca Children’s Garden to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the installation or “hatch” of Gaia, the concrete turtle, that is a much-loved feature of the Ithaca Children’s garden. ICG camp-goers made turtle and fairy tiles, and contributed to the overall design with their drawings.  We have had invaluable help from incoming Ithaca College freshman volunteering, through the Community Plunge and Jump Start programs. In 2016 we had the theme “Plants as Food” and worked with students at Boyton Middle School, in Ithaca, NY to make tiles about agriculture. In 2017, our theme was Ithaquatica, celebrating the flora and fauna of Cayuga Lake. We partnered with the ScienCenter’s Young Science Leaders who made tiles based on their studies of the Cayuga Lake Watershed and its biology. This 4 year project is now complete, and we, as a community, are so proud of it!  Pictures don’t do it justice. I hope you can experience it in person. Stop by our Facebook page to connect with our community of supporters.