What is the Quake Mosaic? How did it start?

Thank you to Israel Valencia for editing this video and Joe Shotwell for the use of his original song “Quake Me”!

Project Goals

The Napa Quake Mosaic was created to:

  • Offer therapeutic reflection opportunity for the community in aftermath of earthquake;

  • Explore the connection between communities that experience trauma (in this case natural disaster) and the arts: how art making and exhibition supports emotional healing as communities rebuild;

  • Offer a simple, clean and relevant design that is easily understandable and experienced;

  • Create safe, restorative public build opportunities for the community;

  • Document residents’ experience and specific donation information;

  • Provide opportunities for students interested in learning about public art construction and process.

Mosaic Design

In 2016, Kristina Young designed the project to be installed on one side of a 12’ x 40’ rail car. It is meant to resemble a rectangular ‘core sample’ of the earth, sitting on top of the ground, composed of horizontal bands of various sizes, shapes and colors. She planned to create a roof garden on the top of the rail car and landscape the surrounding exterior area.

Long bands of donated, mosaicked material that are organized by color and texture and inspired by the earth’s underground layers of strata. In addition to the broad horizontal bands of color, the design incorporates a ring pattern based on an aerial view of an earthquake’s epicenter and waves of aftershocks. The rings are composed of broken mirror shards to make them stand out in the pattern.

2016 Project Concept by Kristina Young

2016 Project Concept by Kristina Young

Where is it?

Napa Valley Wine Train will be donating a retired cargo rail car and place it off the main tracks in downtown Napa, within the Rail Arts District, ‘RAD Napa’, an outdoor arts corridor featuring public art adjacent to the Napa Valley Vine Trail. RAD Napa has been a project partner since its inception.

We hope to have installation complete by summer 2024 in time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Napa earthquake.

[Here is Kim Powers (former NV Wine Train employee and early supporter of the Quake Mosaic project) standing next to a sample disused rail car like the kind we planned to use for the mosaic substrate. ]

[Here is Kim Powers (former NV Wine Train employee and early supporter of the Quake Mosaic project) standing next to a sample disused rail car like the kind we planned to use for the mosaic substrate. ]