Aquehonga

This 6' x 14' interior marble mosaic is a Percent for Art project created for PS 56, a new school that was constructed in 1999 in the Rossville section of Staten Island.  During the earliest phases of excavation, it was discovered that the school was an archaeologically sensitive site.  An archaeological dig was ordered prior to any further work.  Excavated stone tools and artifacts between 5000-8000 years old revealed that this site was a seasonal food processing camp for hunters and gatherers.  Hundreds of artifacts were unearthed and are now part of the collection of the New York State Museum in Albany.  A turtle is the centerpiece of the mosaic, and like the site, is revealed from underneath.  In the Lenape creation myth, a turtle rises up from the water's depths to become land.   "Aquehonga" means high sandy banks in the Lenape language and is the name given to this southern area of Staten Island.  Aquehonga was geographically suited to early peoples' survival - inland, seeds and nuts were gathered and processed.  Close proximity to the coast provided an abundance of fish and oysters.

The project was part of a year long visual art residency in the school. I worked with fourth graders to create the border pictographs, and with the greater PS 56 community to learn about the rich history, geography, and archaeology of their school’s site.

The mosaic was fabricated by Peter Colombo Artistic Mosaics.