On The Road Again
*All photography taken by Israel Valencia, Infinity Visuals
In collaboration with Kristina Young, Artaic created this beautiful mosaic using our 1/2″ Vitreous Glass for the Chrysler Wall in Napa, CA.
“The History of Chrysler Motors: On the Road Again, 2022 glass mosaic
In 1957, Peter Gasser opened the first car dealership on Soscol Avenue establishing Napa’s “auto row”. Built two blocks from of the original, the new building’s architecture reflects the original dealership’s ultra-modern design. The distinctive V-shape of the rooflines of both buildings mimic the hemi V8 muscle car engine design introduced in 1955.
This mosaic celebrates the history of Chrysler car design with seven models driving down a two-lane highway: 1924 Chrysler Model 60 (the first Chrysler car produced); 1930 Chrysler Imperial Roadster, Model 70 Convertible; 1936 Chrysler C24 Sedan; 1941 Chrysler Town + Country Station Wagon; 1956 DeSoto Firedome Hardtop; 1972 Chrysler Town + Country Station Wagon; and a 1974 Dodge Charger.
The top right side of the design shows music notes coming from a Firedome Convertible. In the 1955 edition, Chrysler introduced the world’s first transistor car radio as a $150 option. The subsequent popularity of car radios heralded a huge shift in recorded music.
Peter and Vernice Gasser were visionary community leaders and philanthropists, always trying to meet the needs of the community. The Gasser Foundation continues that legacy today.
Commissioned by The Peter A. & Vernice H. Gasser Foundation, in memory of Peter and Vernice Gasser. Produced with support from Artaic, LLC and Iuliano Construction.”
View More on Kristina Young’s Website >>
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Installation Details
| Tile Type | Vitreous Glass |
|---|---|
| Application | Artwork, Public Art, Landscape |
| Industry | commerical, Outdoor, Public Art |
IDEA TO IMPLEMENTATION
Napa Valley’s Chrysler Dealership’s roadside mural, commissioned by local artist Kristina Young, captures the evolution of the Chrysler brand in an everlasting mosaic nestled upon a 100-foot-long, ten-foot-high concrete wall, delivering a colorful mirror to the adjacent Soscol Avenue.
As the most extensive project she’s ever done, and with a tight turnaround time, Young turned to Artaic to transform her hand-crafted design into a large-scale mural that will maintain its vibrance permanently.
“A main concern for public art is vandalizing,” said Young. “If it’s a painted mural that gets vandalized, you have to paint over it or start over, but with mosaic, you just wipe it with some paint thinner, and you’re done. If a client has a vision for [an art piece] that will stand the test of time, mosaic is the way to go.”
COLLABORATIVE DESIGN & FABRICATION
The mural presents a young female driving a 1950s Chrysler, motoring beside a parade of eight vintage Chrysler vehicles from between the 1920s and 1970s, demonstrating the brand’s almost 100-year history. The design’s direction of movement starts with the ’56 Firedome, signaling that it is headed ‘into the
future” while the older models are driving into the left bottom side and into the past. Young cleverly added several locally-inspired details to the piece, including in the background, which features several Belted Holstein cows in front of blue mountain peaks resembling the Mayacamas. Another focal point in the mosaic is the musical notes dancing around the car’s stereo. This addition is a nod to Chrysler’s 1955 edition, which introduced the world’s first transistor car audio.
“The majority of the installation work was done by Gerry Iuliano of Iuliano Construction with support from Israel Valencia,” noted Kristina. “I did help with the installation process, though not very much as I was busy with other projects. This was one of the amazing things about working with Artaic — I was able to
focus on design and project management and subcontract a lot of the labor. It also freed me up to pursue other projects, which is key to my business.”
DESIGNING WITH A PURPOSE
With Artaic’s design team, Kristina’s vision and artistry was translated into the ancient medium of mosaic, finalized to bring the brand’s history to life through carefully selected tile material and color. The palette for the mosaic intends to bring in joyful pops of color through the car’s vintage paint selections while
complimenting the building exterior. White gold tiles were added as a design detail to reflect the chrome elements of the vehicles. 603,750 ½” Vitreous Glass tiles, Artaic’s most versatile tile type which offers an extensive color range and produces vibrant results, make up the mural, telling a piece of the iconic American brand’s history.
