With plenty of charm, intrigue and whimsy, Krysia Ara enlivens her hometown of Athens through intricate, glittering mosaics that often pay homage to local history, culture and nature.
In addition to Project Ginkgo, which consists of 20 unique mosaic light pole bases around downtown, her public art projects have ranged among the “Heron Sighting” mosaic mural in Dudley Park, “Flow Mosaic” seat walls at Cobbham Triangle Park, and a giant ladybug sculpture in the Children’s Garden at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Unveiled in June as part of a new art walk at Harris Shoals Park, her latest creations are a pair of larger-than-life mosaicked sculptures of an Eastern box turtle and green anole lizard.
Located directly behind Watkinsville City Hall, the art walk was established along a paved pathway that connects Harris Shoals Park to Extra Special People’s universally accessible Playground of Possibilities. The works selected for the art walk are intended to represent the native flora and fauna in the area, and to emphasize the importance of environmental preservation. The sculptures were funded by the City of Watkinsville through voter-approved sales tax funds (SPLOST) in collaboration with the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation.
Ara’s kid-friendly play sculptures join a unique work by Dietrich Hoecht that was installed last November. Resembling a giant wheel of fortune, his rotating wheel includes a dozen images of plants and animals, such as an owl, fern, salamander and crawfish. As the wheel is spun, an adjacent panel provides information about each image. The images were hammered in copper repoussé that, along with the bas-relief patterning and raised lettering, encourages tactile exploration by children.
“It’s important to the City of Watkinsville to have all kinds of art for the public to enjoy and to support local artists,” says Watkinsville Mayor Pro Tem Christine Tucker. “Over time, we would love to have a scattering of other pieces connecting Harris Shoals Park up to the Playground of Possibilities and City Hall. It was a joy getting to work with Krysia and have her beautiful pieces in our community.”
Though Ara leaves room for intuition in her creative process, she does not identify as a self-taught artist, and instead gives credit to the many mentors who have shared their knowledge with her over the years. Recognizing the potential for mosaics to survive centuries, she knew very early on that she wanted to have a strong technical grasp on the art form. To prepare for these sculptures, Ara attended a five-day intensive workshop with Sherri Warner Hunter, a Tennessee-based artist and teacher who specializes in large-scale mosaic and cement sculptures. During the workshop, Ara created “Naomi,” a life-sized Burmese python that was inspired by the one her sister had for 30 years. This sculpture was later mosaicked and exhibited at the Athens Institute for Contemporary Art in early 2024.
Hunter’s tried-and-true method involves carving industrial grade foam that is then covered in layers of fiberglass mesh and polymer concrete. While simple rebar can often be used to support smaller-scale sculptures, larger-scale ones require a metal armature that will strengthen appendages and, in this case, support the weight of humans who may climb on for photos. To create the metal armature, Ara sought the expertise of Leonard Piha, an Athens-based art educator, sculptor and painter, who led her through the process during a one-on-one welding workshop.
Ara’s newly expanded skills in three-dimensional sculpting will allow her to create lighter-weight works that can be completely fabricated within the comfort of her home studio and transported to the installation location. Considering the challenges of working on-site—a time-consuming, labor-intensive process subject to the mercy of climate and weather conditions, construction schedules and other factors—this should open up a world of possibility in terms of submitting proposals for public art opportunities outside of Athens.
Like “Naomi,” Ara’s Eastern box turtle and green anole lizard were inspired by her late sister Michelle Haag, who despite suffering from chronic health conditions since childhood discovered a deep passion for herpetology and became a veterinarian. Following Haag’s death in 2019, Ara hoped to one day create a public artwork that could honor her memory.
As a socially and politically conscious person who has taken interest in global events from a young age, Ara considers her artwork to be a coping mechanism through which the “pain and sadness and ugliness in the world” can be offset by creating work that is uplifting and beautiful.
“I can be a dark cloud, but you need dark clouds to have rain,” she says.
Much of the turtle’s tile was handmade and brush-glazed with the assistance of community members. Over the years, primarily for Project Ginkgo, Ara has hosted intimate drop-in gatherings in public spaces or her own art-filled home where interested folks can gather around the table and participate by glazing ceramic pieces. Though much of her work requires extreme precision, she recognizes the simple joy of creating an opportunity for community members to later take pride in having performed a small role in bringing public art to fruition. This past May, she also attended an inspirational conference in Providence, RI hosted by the Community Built Association, a nonprofit that promotes the practice of involving community volunteers in the design and creation of murals, playgrounds, parks and other public spaces.
“It’s not about efficiency, it’s about building community involvement,” says Ara. “It’s really a great thing to bring people into your projects when you can.”
In addition to the sculptures at Harris Shoals Park, another intricate mosaic by Ara was recently installed in a new Rotary Peace Garden located at the Classic Center, right outside of the box office. A symbol of “recognizing diversity and celebrating inclusion,” the Peace Garden is a collaboration between five different local Rotary Clubs.
Aiming to create a mosaic that would reflect the humanitarian organization’s mission of advancing world understanding, goodwill and peace, she decided on a theme of children representing global diversity. While surfing the web for inspiration, certain children caught her eye—ones living in Ukraine, Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Ireland, Thailand and Chad—and these photo references guided the creation of hand-crafted ceramic relief forms that add a three-dimensional element to the mosaic.
“I wanted to push my creative boundaries,” says Ara. “I like challenges. I decided I wanted to make these ceramic faces somewhat realistic.”
Ara began working on the Rotary Peace Garden Mosaic in 2021 when it was originally envisioned for a different location. The project was temporarily put on hold when the site fell through, however, and Ara’s own focus soon shifted to treatment for breast cancer. A few years later—and now thankfully in remission—she’s thrilled for her mosaic to be at the Classic Center where tens of thousands of people from all walks of life pass through every year.
“It’s in a better location than I could have even imagined, and it’s also in a time in the world where we really need peace,” says Ara. “We need a lot more peace.”
Dedicated in late June, the Rotary Peace Garden is part of a worldwide initiative to establish tranquil spaces for self-reflection. The mosaic’s message “Divided We Are Apart – United We Thrive” and sparkling mirror accents invite visitors to imagine how they might promote positive change within their own communities.
“Even if it’s just that you need some peace within yourself, it’s a special little place for that,” says Ara. “It was very heartwarming to get to be a part of that project.”
Looking towards the future, Ara is currently working on four additional Project Ginkgo designs that are expected to be installed on downtown Athens streetlight poles this fall. As part of her ongoing effort to invite community participation, she’ll set up a tent at the upcoming FoxSaid Fest for attendees to help glaze ceramic ginkgo leaves. The new festival, which features live performances across three stages, an art market and kid-friendly activities, will be held at Athens Cotton Press on Saturday, July 27. Visit foxsaidfest.com for event details, and explore Ara’s body of work over at creativeflow.art.
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