Cycles
A public art commission for the Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with Ellensburg School District.
Ida Nason Aronica Elementary School in Ellensburg, WA | Stained glass, glass beads, glass gems | 28’ x 4’
The changing of the seasons and the beauty of nature affect and inspire us all. This artwork contains bead designs inspired by Ida Nason Aronica’s collection, translated into mosaic. Aronica (Yakama Nation, K’tɨ ́ taas Band), was a prolific bead artist and was gifted many traditional beaded works. Local community members selected this artwork through a process managed by the Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with the Ellensburg School District.
Designing Cycles Public Art Mosaic
As a site-specific artwork, Cycles was created with careful attention to the school’s vision and to its namesake, Ida Nason Aronica. The school maintains a strong connection to nature through its educational approach and even through its architecture. The building is arranged in a square around an open courtyard where students grow vegetables. Each of the four hallways surrounding the courtyard represents a season, and each season is identified by its own color.
I incorporated these seasonal colors into the structure of the mosaics: green for spring, yellow for summer, orange for fall, and blue for winter. There are five panels for each season. The first and last panels are radial mosaic designs that feature the season’s primary color, with the next season’s color subtly entering the center and the previous season’s color flowing outward on the edges. The second panel is a mosaic interpretation of one of Ida Nason’s beadwork pieces, which she was well known for. The third panel features a symbol of the season created with intricate beadwork. The fourth panel depicts a floral representation of a seasonal food source that holds significance for local tribes in the Ellensburg area.
Seasons
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Individual Mosaic Panels
Spring I: A mosaic with radial symmetry emphasizing spring green with the summer yellow peeking in the center and the winter blue washing away.
Spring II: One of Ida’s beadworks interpreted in mosaic, using beads to pay homage to Ida’s work and maintain coherence through the panels.
Spring III: A detailed beaded raindrop to celebrate spring.
Spring IV: The beautiful flower of the bitter root, an important food source with medicinal properties.
Spring V: The final spring mosaic is created mostly with beads. The summer starburst is larger than the first panel as the season comes closer.
Summer I: This radially symmetric mosaic shows the summer yellow with the fall orange beginning to creep in the middle as the spring green fades out the edges.
Summer II: This is a mosaic version of another one of Ida’s gorgeous beadworks, using stained glass and beads.
Summer III: A vibrant beaded sun mosaic with tiny circles to represent summer.
Summer IV: Huckleberry is a healthy food with medicinal purposes and makes for a beautiful summer mosaic.
Summer V: This final panel ends the summer with a larger fall starburst coming in the center while the spring is fading away.
Fall I: This mosaic focuses on the orange fall while the winter pokes into the center and the summer falls off the edges.
Fall II: A mosaic interpretation of Ida’s fabulous bird beadwork.
Fall III: This fall leaf mosaic created out of bugle and seed beads is a spectacular representation of fall.
Fall IV: This is a mosaic with beads of the nootka rose bush, which has vitamin-rich fruit with medicinal properties.
Fall V: A radial mosaic symbolizing the end of fall with a larger blue winter starburst and summer yellow exiting on the edge.
Winter I: The first mosaic panel of winter blue shows the spring green beginning to come in the center and the fall orange leaving.
Winter II: This beautiful deer is one of Ida’s amazing beaded works. It was carefully interpreted in mosaic using stained glass and beads.
Winter III: A shimmery silver beaded snowflake mosaic to represent winter.
Winter IV: This is a mosaic of the camas flower. The bulbs can be eaten or ground into a nutritious flour.
Winter V: The final winter mosaic is created mostly with beads. The spring starburst is larger than the first panel as the season comes closer.
