By David Haerle

The Daily World

A new piece of public art was unveiled last weekend in Westport, and this one captures the small-town spirit of the coastal community.

The mosaic mural, which measures 5 feet by 7 feet, depicts a large quilt, and is made out of mosaic squares with one large central piece and 20 smaller surrounding squares.

This work was put together by community members under the supervision of local mosaic artist Jennifer Kuhns. It was made possible by the collaboration of local business owners and private citizens with the common goal to create public art for the community.

The smaller squares were sponsored by local merchants and citizens and then created during local workshops by various volunteer artists under Kuhns’ supervision and by Kuhn herself, who then assembled the entirety of the mosaic. There’s a large plaque with the mural acknowledging and identifying all of each quilt section’s contributors and sponsors.

The project was the brainchild of Michelle Beaugrand, owner of Stitches Quilt and Craft in Westport.

“Michelle reached out to local businesses and the 20 squares were sold,” said Liz Coverdale of of Winderemere Real Estate. The mural can be seen on the southeast side of the Windermere building, located at 2601 Westhaven Drive.

“It’s for everyone to enjoy,” said Coverdale. “It belongs to the community. “I am very grateful with everybody coming together on this project. In these divisive times, it is a great reminder of the power of unity. … and the mosaic of a quilt is a very strong metaphor for all of that,” she concluded.