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 located on 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 were placed in the collection of the New York State Museum in Albany.  The underside of 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" translates into 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. It had abundant sources of  fish and oysters along the coast, and rich food resources inland - where seeds and nuts were gathered and processed.

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

Aquehonga, the mosaic, was fabricated by Peter Colombo Artistic Mosaics.