Our Journey

In October of 2022, artist Kate Ten Eyck was visiting Austin, Texas, where she came upon an amazing mosaic located by the Deep Eddy public pool. That mosaic was created by Wanda Montemayor and Lisa Orr with the assistance of hundreds of community members, and featured historical data surrounding the site.

Inspired by the idea of a community based mosaic project, Ten Eyck brought the idea back to Middletown, Connecticut, where the obvious fit was the pedestrian tunnel leading to Harbor Park. The idea of going back in time as one goes deeper into the tunnel spurred conversations with organizations like the Middlesex Historical Society, and local scientists and geologists at Wesleyan University. The idea developed into an ambitious plan to cover the walls of the tunnel with this rich historical and scientific information.

After conversations with the mayor and common council, the project moved forward not in the tunnel, but on Main Street. Partnering with the Middletown Downtown Business District, funds allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act were used to create mosaics and install them in empty store front windows, with the intention of these mosaics eventually finding permanent installation in the tunnel. This phase of the project was dubbed “Mosaics on Main” and resulted in nine mosaics of varying sizes and complexity that represented a span of time (with significant gaps) from the present day to 200 million years ago. Eight lead artists and hundreds of community members participated in this phase of the project, which began with exhibitions starting in June of 2023 and ended when the last exhibition was taken down in May of 2025.

All of the mosaics are currently in storage until the time is right for installation in the tunnel to take place.