IFC unveils, celebrates mosaic-tile public art

Correction

Due to a reporting error, the photo accompanying the April 21 article “IFC unveils, celebrates mosaic-tile public art” states that the person pictured is Lisa Munsat. She actually is Sally Erickson, the woman who created the art for the Inter-Faith Council’s homeless shelter.

 

Sally Erickson speaks the language of color, line and shape in her vibrant mosaic “The Fine Line Between Giving and Receiving.”

The local artist revealed her piece Wednesday at the newly renovated Inter-Faith Council men’s homeless shelter before a small crowd of town officials and community members.

“I wanted everyone who walked in to feel really nurtured and engaged when they saw it,” said Erickson, a self-taught artist from Chatham County, of her work.

The Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission charged her almost two years ago to create the mosaic, which was revealed to coincide with the shelter’s renovations. The shelter reopened in September.

“I was struck by … how simple it is and how much it conveys,” former IFC President Natalie Ammarell said.

The mosaic is part of the town’s Percent for Art program, which designates 1 percent of a project’s budget to public art.

Kate Flory, executive director of the arts commission, said three other artists have been selected for similar projects.

Erickson was given $4,500 to use for her work.

The town’s budget advisory committee recently scrutinized the Percent for Art project. It suggested that the town consider reviewing the amount of money it sets aside for public art.

But Mayor Kevin Foy emphasized Wednesday the importance of public art in the community.

“It’s a small amount of money, but you can see what it does,” Foy said.

“The role of art is unbounded. It can be an expression of feelings, beauty, joy, sorrow,” he added.

Ammarell said Erickson’s work encourages greater local acceptance of homelessness, which she called the essence of its beauty.

The three-paneled, broken-tile mosaic of gray-blue and peach colors covers part of a wall in the shelter dining room. Its images mirror the daily activities of the shelter’s volunteers and guests.

“I think it tells the story of this great facility and the great people that are involved,” Flory said.

An image of joined hands belonging to people of different races extends across the mosaic’s center to suggest the work’s theme of giving and taking.

“It’s just an exciting whole piece because it has all these different parts to it — there’s so much diversity,” said Kristin LaVergne, IFC programs director.

Ammarell added that she hopes the artwork inspires people to reach out to one another and learn from the IFC’s unique environment.

“People need to understand this concept of homelessness being not a problem but an opportunity,” Ammarell said.

“If there’s a sense of community, people are thinking a little more … about each other.”

Erickson said she hopes others can see how much energy went into her work’s creation.

“It feeds the heart to be part of this program.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.