A mosaic by two Maine artists, one of whom lives in Sanford, graces the entryway to Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center, made possible under the Percent for Arts Program. COURTESY PHOTO
SANFORD – A new piece of artwork depicting Sanford’s charm and history can be found in the new Sanford High School. In the mosaic created by two Maine artists, an eagle flies high overhead as people in kayaks navigate the Mousam River in Sanford.
There are the mills in the background, those familiar buildings that locals see everyday as a matter of course, but play such a role in the community’s history – and, though workers no longer churn out textiles inside — in its present.
Trees, symbolizing the city’s green spaces, appear along with ducks and geese in the river. And around the border of are photo tiles, showing historical glimpses of how life here used to be.
The mosaic was created specifically for the new school by artists Hilary Zayed of Sanford and Amanda Edwards Cape Elizabeth, and now hangs in the main lobby.
It is among several pieces that will be created for the school, and funded as part of the construction project under the “Percent for Arts” program, said Sanford School Department Business Manager Gwen Bedell Gadbois.
“It looks amazing,” said Gadbois. “What a tribute to this community.”
Zayed said she and Edwards have collaborated on other works, including a piece for Boston Children’s Hospital, so the two put their heads together to come up with a proposal that might be considered for the high school.
Zayed, who moved here with her husband, Salah, in the 1980s, knew some of Sanford’s history. She and Edwards put their heads together and each came up with some symbols they thought would work.
They did and their presentation was chosen.
Zayed, a former teacher, took up art after sustaining a brain injury from a serious horseback riding accident in 2006.
“I had never done art before,” she said. But cooped up in her house and unable to teach, she took it up – even though she said, she was so bad at art in college she was “kicked out” of the program.
“I had to reinvent myself,” after her injury, said Zayed. “I love creating mosaics. This was my way of taking shards and sharp pieces of glass, and putting them together.”
The photos for the tiles around the border of the piece come from the Sanford Springvale Historical Society.
The mosaic is eight feet by 10 feet. Zayed and Edwards worked in separate studios and then got together and pieced it together.
“Thousands of pieces of glass were cut by hand by both of us,” said Zayed. She pointed out that the windows of the mills are mirrors so those who view the mosaic see themselves.
Edwards has been creating mosaics for about 16 years, and her pieces can be found elsewhere in Maine and across the Atlantic Ocean, in London. She’s done about 40 pieces at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, and a 92-foot long installation for Allagash beer.
“We wanted to create something that showed the history of the town, but also was rooted in the present,” said Edwards. “The mills were such a big part of Sanford, we quickly decided to do a mosaic of Number One Pond with the mills in the background.”
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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