Known for its natural coastal beauty, Boca Raton, Fla., is home to many beloved public spaces, including Sugar Sand Park, with its large playground, hockey rink, and Exploratorium. To commemorate the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District’s (BPD) 50th anniversary, the City of Boca Raton partnered with BPD to unveil a 360-square-foot tile mural celebrating the region’s natural beauty and wildlife.
“The mosaic mural project—Boca Raton Composition 1—was the first permanent art installation from the City of Boca Raton’s Public Art Boca program,” said a spokesperson for the city. “The city’s goal with all public art is to enrich the urban landscape with captivating and engaging artwork and programming. Through a recent public art survey, community feedback showed a desire for more art in the city’s parks. Sugar Sand Park, one of the city’s most popular parks, provided an ideal location.”
The project cost around $65,000 and was funded by the BPD. Naturalist and artist James Prosek, whose work pays homage to the history of art and natural sciences, was commissioned to complete the mural. “His deep understanding and observations about the natural world bring to life this mosaic mural, making it a compelling and captivating experience for park visitors of all ages,” the spokesperson said.
Prosek collaborated with Artaic, which designs and fabricates custom tilework, to translate his artwork into the mosaic medium, designing a vitreous glass piece that reflects a commitment to sustainability, education, and community engagement. Prosek’s inspiration was “the beauty of some of the rich biodiversity of South Florida in the region near Boca Raton,” he said, with “colors and forms that people in the area might be familiar with in what we hope is a pleasing composition.”
The artwork showcases Florida species like the osprey, a symbol of successful conservation, and native plants such as seagrapes and palmettos, which form the foundation of the state’s ecological tapestry. Additional elements, such as the silhouettes of a hammerhead shark and a green sea turtle, invite layers of discovery. Other species, including the spoonbill, mangrove snapper, and blue crab, further enrich the mural’s celebration of Florida’s biodiversity.
The mosaic’s pixelated nature adds a compelling layer to the artwork, reflecting the way we observe forms in nature, noted Prosek. “In converting a painting to a mosaic pattern, you lose some resolution as you turn something that has no grid into a gridded pattern of squares,” he said. “You also have a somewhat limited color palette when working only with tile versus paint. But I find these limitations oddly freeing. In limitations, you often find great creative potential. Like what poetic verse forms are for poets or architectural codes for architects… or gravity for all of us.”
Given Florida’s tropical environment and the mural’s placement in a high-traffic area in the park, the city prioritized selecting a material that ensured longevity and durability. Artaic’s previous projects in the Sunshine State demonstrated the resilience of mosaics in challenging conditions.
“The recently installed mural aligns seamlessly with the park’s mission by providing an interactive art experience that encourages visitors to engage with and learn about Florida’s native flora and fauna. This integration enhances the park’s educational offerings, inviting guests to explore and identify the depicted species, thereby deepening their connection to the local environment,” Boca Raton’s spokesperson explained. “Boca Raton is excited to bring more engaging public art to the community, and Boca Raton Composition 1 was a successful start with its original approach to public art murals. We look forward to seeing how it inspires creativity and curiosity among parkgoers.” RM