In collaboration with Alchemy Art Center, a new ceramic tile mural is in the works for the Port of Friday Harbor.
Maria Michaelson, a local ceramic sculptor and founder of Alchemy Art Center, is partnering with Friends of the San Juans to create a community-driven ceramic tile mural inspired by eelgrass. While the project is currently pending final approval, fabrication is already underway.
Throughout the summer, community members are invited to participate in pop-up events where they can create handmade ceramic tiles. Each tile will be a unique, interlocking shape, fitting together like a puzzle, and will be glazed and installed as part of a bigger composition. The mural is intended for installation at the Port of Friday Harbor.
The final piece will form sweeping bands of color and texture, evoking underwater light, currents and the rich habitat of the Salish Sea. Through this visual language, the mural will highlight the ecological importance of eelgrass, an often overlooked but essential component of the marine ecosystem in the San Juan Islands.
Eelgrass meadows provide critical habitat for herring spawning, as well as nursery grounds for juvenile salmon. These species are vital links in the marine food web: herring and other forage fish sustain salmon populations, which in turn are the primary food source for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. The survival of this iconic species is deeply interconnected with the health of eelgrass ecosystems.
This installation builds on an ongoing collaboration between Alchemy Art Center and Friends of the San Juans, rooted in the tradition of participatory public art, where the process of creation is as meaningful as the final work, fostering both community connection and environmental awareness.
Michaelson first developed this participatory tile-making technique during the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020. Shortly after founding Alchemy Art Center with Glenn Hendrick, she sought ways to continue fulfilling the organization’s mission of expanding arts access during a time of isolation. She set up a simple roadside booth at the base of the Alchemy driveway, inviting passersby to take home a ball of clay and three pre-cut tarpaper templates, each forming a distinct tile shape.
The first mural created through this process depicted a salmon and is now on display at Alchemy Art Center. The following summer, a second, two-sided salmon mural was created outdoors at the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park in collaboration with approximately 400 visitors. That piece remains permanently installed at the park.
This new eelgrass design marks the first time the interlocking tile system will be used to create an entire wall installation. The team is excited to see how the mural evolves through collective participation and to share the final piece with the broader community.
“When something is personal enough, it becomes universal. My work is about reaching into my own mythology and uncovering something that is intrinsic to being alive on this earth. I am illustrating what it means to be part of the human story. My work is about the spirit world, the material world, the emotional world.”
—By Maria Michaelson
Maria Michaelson was born and raised on San Juan Island. After going to Spring Street School, she received her BA degree in Ceramics from the California College of Art in 2009. Michaelson spent many years in West Africa learning the craft of bronze casting. In 2016, she was an Artist in Residence at 69 Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Since 2016, she has been working to create Alchemy Art Center, where her art practice is currently based.