Green Street Garage / Installed June 2010

Watershed Wall.

Interactive school legendA calmer framework for the 55-foot student-made clay mural showing Ithaca's creeks feeding Cayuga Lake.

Full 16-panel legend view Scroll to explore the school sections at mural scale

Project archive

An aerial view, built by students.

The Watershed Wall is a permanent public artwork on the back wall of the Green Street Garage, near the pedestrian walkway to The Commons. Its design represents Ithaca's watershed: creeks flowing into Cayuga Lake.

Students made clay tiles for land, while local lake stones define the water. The project was coordinated by the Fine Arts Booster Group, an IPEI affiliate, with ICSD art teachers, the City of Ithaca, Annemarie Zwack, and community partners.

Back to legend Acknowledgments

55 ftApproximate mural length documented in the final report.

10ICSD schools made clay tiles for the wall.

1,000Students participated in clay-making across the schools.

800Additional students connected through lake, stream, and trout classroom studies.

Schools art legend

Every section has a classroom behind it.

The legend assigns colored mural sections to ICSD schools and names the related waterways: Six Mile Creek, Cayuga Inlet, Cascadilla Creek, Fall Creek, and Cayuga Lake.

School detail panels are built from the plaques, final report, public art summary, and press release. Final student stories, photos, and scans can be attached as the archive is completed.

Archive photos

From classroom tiles to public wall.

Long view of the Watershed Wall installed on the Green Street Garage — **Installed wall**The Watershed Wall in the Green Street Garage alley.

Close detail of Watershed Wall clay tiles and lake stones — **Material detail**Clay tiles represent land; lake stones represent water.

**Project team**Annemarie Zwack with ICSD art teachers during the project.

Thanks for support and cooperation

A community collaboration.

Schools and art teachers

Created by students and art teachers of the Ithaca City School District, with school sections assembled into a shared public artwork.

Coordination

Coordinated by the Fine Arts Booster Group, an IPEI affiliate, with artist Annemarie Zwack and support from the Ithaca Public Education Initiative.

City and fabricators

Support included the City of Ithaca Department of Public Works, City of Ithaca Public Art Commission, Finger Lakes Fabricating, All Stone and Tile Company, Cayuga Lumber, and Tim Merrick Construction.

Community support

Documented support includes the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom, Strebel Community Enrichment Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, Tompkins Trust Company, and The Service League.