Stephen Street Mosaic Artworks
Public Art in the Heart of Downtown LemontWalking along Stephen Street in the heart of downtown Lemont, visitors encounter a series of colorful ceramic mosaic installations that quietly tell the story of the community.
Spanning both the bridge and the streetscape, these works are the result of a collaboration between the Lemont Art & Culture Commission and the Lemont Center for the Arts. Together, they’ve transformed an everyday route into a place of reflection, history, and beauty. |
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Art You Can Walk Through
Walking along Stephen Street in the heart of old downtown Lemont, visitors encounter two colorful ceramic mosaic installations that quietly tell the story of the community. A series of large planters and bridge pillars--both collaborations between the Lemont Art & Culture Commission and the Lemont Center for the Arts, have enlivened this charming streetscape for years. This is public art, not tucked away in a gallery but a vital part of daily life.
Stephen Street Planters: Homegrown History
One of the first permanent public art projects led by the Art & Culture Commission, the Stephen Street planters highlight key moments in Lemont’s history. These include the exploration of Marquette and Joliet, construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, the Smokey Row district, the 1885 Quarry Strike, and the building of the Sanitary & Ship Canal.
Each story is depicted in ceramic tile across large concrete planters lining the sidewalks between Canal and Front Streets. Designed in 2005 by lead artist Rob Moriarty, the mosaics were created by hand with the help of local artisans and high school students. The planters themselves were assembled in the Lemont High School woodshop and dedicated to the Village on October 29, 2005.
Seasonal plantings, maintained by the Lemont Garden Club, continue to enhance these vibrant pieces of Lemont’s story.
Stephen Street Bridge Mosaic
Titled Blowing in the Wind, Water Under the Bridge, this large-scale project beautifies the existing bridge over the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal. The design combines site-specific imagery (landscape, water, swallows) with poetic hopes and memories of Lemont. An event was held to invite community members to draw, stamp, and write on slabs of moist clay
signifying hopes for, and memories of Lemont. Once complete, these slabs were cut, dried, fired, and glazed and later combined with commercial tiles to form the 20 (?) mosaic panels that ornament the upright pilasters of the bridge on either side of the street. In 2007, lead artists Rob Moriarty and Sonata (?) coordinated the effort of many helpers over the course of
the summer to create and install this beautiful landmark. Dedication, October 7, 2006.
Inspired by Lemont, Created by Local Artists
Public art projects like these are made possible by artists and community members who believe
art should be part of everyday life. As locals and visitors experience the Stephen Street
mosaics, the color and sparkle of the images invite you to slow down, look closer, and savor this
unique place. Led by the Art & Culture Commission and supported by local partners, these
projects represents what’s possible when creative imagination and community pride combine
to tell a visual story that is rooted in place.
Next Time You Cross the Bridge…
Take a moment.
Look a little closer.
You might notice something you missed before.
Walking along Stephen Street in the heart of old downtown Lemont, visitors encounter two colorful ceramic mosaic installations that quietly tell the story of the community. A series of large planters and bridge pillars--both collaborations between the Lemont Art & Culture Commission and the Lemont Center for the Arts, have enlivened this charming streetscape for years. This is public art, not tucked away in a gallery but a vital part of daily life.
Stephen Street Planters: Homegrown History
One of the first permanent public art projects led by the Art & Culture Commission, the Stephen Street planters highlight key moments in Lemont’s history. These include the exploration of Marquette and Joliet, construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, the Smokey Row district, the 1885 Quarry Strike, and the building of the Sanitary & Ship Canal.
Each story is depicted in ceramic tile across large concrete planters lining the sidewalks between Canal and Front Streets. Designed in 2005 by lead artist Rob Moriarty, the mosaics were created by hand with the help of local artisans and high school students. The planters themselves were assembled in the Lemont High School woodshop and dedicated to the Village on October 29, 2005.
Seasonal plantings, maintained by the Lemont Garden Club, continue to enhance these vibrant pieces of Lemont’s story.
Stephen Street Bridge Mosaic
Titled Blowing in the Wind, Water Under the Bridge, this large-scale project beautifies the existing bridge over the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal. The design combines site-specific imagery (landscape, water, swallows) with poetic hopes and memories of Lemont. An event was held to invite community members to draw, stamp, and write on slabs of moist clay
signifying hopes for, and memories of Lemont. Once complete, these slabs were cut, dried, fired, and glazed and later combined with commercial tiles to form the 20 (?) mosaic panels that ornament the upright pilasters of the bridge on either side of the street. In 2007, lead artists Rob Moriarty and Sonata (?) coordinated the effort of many helpers over the course of
the summer to create and install this beautiful landmark. Dedication, October 7, 2006.
Inspired by Lemont, Created by Local Artists
Public art projects like these are made possible by artists and community members who believe
art should be part of everyday life. As locals and visitors experience the Stephen Street
mosaics, the color and sparkle of the images invite you to slow down, look closer, and savor this
unique place. Led by the Art & Culture Commission and supported by local partners, these
projects represents what’s possible when creative imagination and community pride combine
to tell a visual story that is rooted in place.
Next Time You Cross the Bridge…
Take a moment.
Look a little closer.
You might notice something you missed before.