Concord 250 to present the gift of art to the City
CONCORD, NH – June 7, 2015 marks the 250th anniversary of the City of Concord and plans for the citywide celebration are already underway. Concord 250, a newly formed non-profit organization, is a group of citizens and friends of Concord, New Hampshire with the mission of supporting and promoting the 250th anniversary of the City of Concord for the benefit of all residents, guests and friends of the city.
What is a birthday celebration without a gift? Over the next 6 months, during various community events that take place in the City, mosaics will be created by community members. (Please see below for list of events) The finished product will be a beautiful display of artwork that Concord 250 will present to the City of Concord to commemorate its 250th Anniversary and installed publicly in Downtown Concord for all residents and visitors to enjoy. The project is sponsored by Lincoln Financial Group and being organized by Concord 250, Jessica Fogg of JFogg Social Inspirations and local artist Lizz Van Saun of Kast Hill Studio.
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Community members are invited to participate in the creation of “Mosaic 250,” making the project truly a community owned work of art. “Mosaic 250” will be a piece of history that will live on in the Concord community for many years.
“We recognize that art builds community, so what better way to celebrate Concord’s 250 years of history and achievement than through a community art project?” said Byron Champlin, program officer at Lincoln Financial Group. “We hope that this mosaic will be a lasting gift to the city on its birthday as well as a project that brings the diverse parts of our community together in a common endeavor.”
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During its tenure as public art, the mosaic will serve as a focal point in the City and its legacy will live on as subsequent City anniversary celebrations occur. The location of the final installation is still to be determined but organizers are working with downtown building owners to select the ideal location.
“Creative choice and placement of public art can make the difference between a “nice” downtown and a really cool downtown. And public art that involves the public in its assemblage adds a real depth of meaning for the community,” said Tim Sink, President of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce.
Community members can participate in the creation of Mosaic 250 during the following events:
Concord 250's Dancin’ in the Streets Party
Friday, June 6, 6:30-8:30pm
City Plaza and Capitol Street
Concord Arts Market
Saturday, June 7, 9am-12pm
Bicentennial Square
Midsummer Night Magic
Friday, June 20, 4-7pm
Downtown Concord
Granite State Music Festival
Saturday, June 21 & Sunday, June 22, 2-5pm
Kiwanis Riverfront Park
Free Family Fun at Market Days
Thursday, Friday, Saturday July 17, 18, 19, 10am-2pm
State House Lawn
Concord Arts Market
Saturday, August 2, 9am-12pm
Bicentennial Square
Concord Arts Market
Saturday, August 16, 9am-12pm
Bicentennial Square
Porkfest
Sunday, August 17, 12-2pm
Merrill Park
Concord Arts Market
Saturday, September 6, 9am-12pm
Bicentennial Square
Concord Multicultural Festival
Saturday, September 13, 1-6pm
State House Lawn
For more information about the project, please contact Jessica Fogg at 603.568.5740 or Jessica@jfoggsocialinspirations.com. Like Mosaic 250 on Facebook to follow the progress: www.facebook.com/mosaic250
About the artist:
Lizz Van Saun, BA Visual Arts, member of SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists), NH Arts Learning Network, NH Art Educators Association, Mosaics New England, Contemporary Mosaic Art, NH Made, Women’s Caucus for Art NH, Instructor at Vermont Carving Studio and Sculpture Center. Lizz has facilitated community mosaic projects throughout New England and been an Artist in Residence in schools working with grades K through 12 since 2009. For her own work, her favorite style of mosaic making is called “pique assiette,” which translated means “thief of plates.” She uses recycled materials in the form of broken china, mirror pieces and found objects. When working on Community Mosaic projects, she uses recycled stained glass pieces. Lizz has been known to include visual puns, related images and the creative use of three dimensional objects within the mosaics, producing interesting effects or functional elements.
Lizz is passionate about sharing her art form with other people, teaching and building community. “The act of taking something that is broken and using it to create something whole and meaningful is for me, a symbol of healing, connection and making community. Everyone adds their pieces and has an important contribution to make. Everyone counts and feels included. When I facilitate a community mosaic project I feel I’ve accomplished something positive and hope it has a lasting positive impact on not only everyone who worked on the mosaic, but also on anyone who sees it.”
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