Gridded Garden

The Petit Library mosaic mural was installed on the east wall of the Library in 2011. The work was a project of local artist and teacher Ann Cofer; Ed Smith K-8 School art teacher Mary Lynn Mahan; and students from Ed Smith School. The mosaic mural, called Peace by Piece, represents white doves against an abstract background. It is inspired by a paper-cut work by Matisse: Polynesia, the Sky. Cofer and Mahan adapted Matisse’s design into shapes the students could make with single or groups of tiles. About 175 students from grades three to eight worked on the mosaic during the 2010-11 school year. New tiles were created, and these were mixed with left-over tiles from the 1999 mural on Harvard Place. The library was an active participant in the process, as was the Syracuse Public Art program and the Westcott Neighborhood Association which had sponsored the previous mosaic. New tiles were fired in a kiln at Syracuse University. The mural was made by gluing tiles onto cement boards.