In December, 14 Holy Cross students and 13 members of the College Hill community gathered to unveil a new community mosaic, “Civitas Branching,” in the Millard Art Center. The ceramic mosaic, three feet tall and 24 feet wide, is composed of six separate panels showing a series of trees whose intermingling branches represent the blending of students and neighbors on College Hill.

The project was the invention of Worcester Art Museum teacher and mosaicist, Hillary Sloate, who lives on College Hill. A member of the Civic Association, Sloate thought that creating a mosaic would improve relations between the College and its neighbors. A course in mosaics was developed through the College’s Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies as a community-based learning course. Linking learning and living, community-based learning programs combine rigorous academic course work with community-based service opportunities.

In addition to weekly readings and assignments, and a trip to the Worcester Art Museum to study ancient Roman mosaics, students were asked to keep a journal—they were encouraged to write about the mosaic process and the techniques they learned, as well as the camaraderie that formed between them and members of the community. This spring, the mosaic will be installed on the foundation of the College Hill Civic Association building at 79 Kendig St. in Worcester.

Community mosaic