Inhabited Waterways

A soundless cement boat sits in a sea of sand adjacent to a 42-foot water trough mural of pollinators at Gingerbread Preschool,4333 Black Avenue. Dragonflies, bees, ants, frogs, lizards, and snails peek out of water lilies, reeds, and cat tails in the ceramic tiles incorporated in the curvilinear cement short wall.  A ceramic tile tree stomp smiles as the viewer discovers a rabbit and nest. Artist Susan Dannenfelser created multiple focal points in her high-fired ceramic tile sculpture by using iridescent glass mosaic triangles, glass bubbles, and river stones to tell her story of pollinators.

Commissioned by the Friends of Gingerbread Preschool and donated to the City in 2011, Dannenfelser envisioned children touching the mural as their hands splashed in the trickling short wall water trough. The colorful mural wall points out the beauty of living things and invites the viewer to discover the small aspects of an environment. An important message in times of drought. The cement boat sits ready for an adventure with a dragonfly on the bow leading the way. A wood lattice archway covers the boat and offers shade.  

Susan Dannenfelser’s career began in 1980 with the Eisner Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sculpture, U.C. Berkeley later culminating in a Master of Fine Arts from Cal, Berkeley. Her creativity has spanned four decades and over 55 commissions. Her husband, Kirk Beck, is a licensed General Contractor with a specialty in tile installation and a collaborator in her projects. Among many inspiring sculptures are the “Dancing Bears Mural” at Disney’s Grand California Hotel, the Entry Plaza at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro, the Lafayette Community Garden, “Tree of Thanks” and “Garden Seeds” Tribute Mural. Her primary medium is high-fired glazed sculptural ceramic tile, alone or in combination with metal, stone, glass mosaic, and concrete. Visit Dannenbeck Studies at www.dannenbeck.com to learn more.

The message of this mural is interdependence, the balance of nature, and the commonality of all living things; hefty thoughts translated into an engaging, playful mural artwork.

Jan Coleman-Knight