Others see a drab gray wall along Route 1 in Elkridge.
But the artists ? middle school students, their teacher and volunteers ? envision so much more: They?re creating an elaborate mosaic of birds, trees and fish that will grace the exterior of the Elkridge branch of the Howard County Library.
The mosaic, with a theme of land, sea and sky, will be assembled on three 8-by-15-foot panels.
“The community recognized that the library on the Route 1 corridor was pretty nondescript and wanted to do something to beautify it,” said Coleen West, executive director of the Howard County Arts Council Inc.
Mary Deacon Opasik, an artist who works with Elkridge Landing Middle School, the branch library and the community?s senior center, has led the project, which grew out of a partnership among Howard County government, the school system and the county arts council.
Opasik says the land panel will feature an elm tree and a “tree of knowledge,” the sea panel will have fish and crabs, and the sky panel will have ravens and orioles, in honor of the Baltimore sports teams.
“We chose the three themes to encompass the knowledge of the library,” Opasik said.
The mosaics will be created from donated ceramics, plates, pottery, colored glass and china, said Patti Battaglia, an Elkridge Landing art teacher.
Under Opasik?s leadership, students at Elkridge Landing will help glue together the pieces onto the panels, while senior citizens will do grout work.
“I really like making mosaics; it?s a lot of work, but it?s fun,” student Alexa Paganini said.
The cost of the project, not yet known, will be picked up by a grant from the county arts council and matching funds from the government, West said. Completion is expected by early summer.
