JOHN ELIOT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, NEEDHAM MA
Garden Mosaic
Handmade high-fire ceramics, vitreous glass tile, ceramic tile, colored grout
10 feet high x 10 feet long

The Eliot School's kitchen garden is used to teach children hands-on lessons about gardening and nature. The mosaic, sited on an outdoor wall near the garden, shows the garden in four panels that represent the seasons. The design moves in a clockwise direction, starting with Spring in the upper left panel, then Summer to the right, Fall below right, and Winter below left. The upper two panels depict the garden above ground. The lower two panels depict the underground world. Above a girl is watering strawberries surrounded by a lush garden of spring flowers and vegetables . The summer scene shows peppers, corn and tomatoes on the vine, while a boy is digging potatoes. Underground there's a compost heap, fossils, arrowheads, reptiles, a sleeping fox and snow crystals.

The vegetables and fruits were made by the students from clay, then glazed and fired to high temperatures in the school kiln. These were cemented onto the panels first, then the students added glass and tile mosaic to complete the composition. The artwork was finished with colored grouts that bring out the color of the mosaics.