8 april 2015 W henever Brooklyn-born artist Theresa Lillian started a new painting, she always finished it. But there was one painting she started more than 14 years ago that – for some reason – she couldn’t complete. “It was a drawing of all of these people intertwined,” Lillian said. “My sons would ask what it was, but I just left it there because I didn’t know.” Then 9/11 happened. Lillian’s mother and nephews worked in the twin towers, and although they survived, their family lost friends. During the difficult days that followed, the painting and its images of faceless people gathered together, suddenly revealed their meaning. Called the “Unity Painting,” the image traveled around the New York tri-state area providing a healing reminder of the positive impact the community can make when they come together in support of one another. The painting was ultimately sold to a private collector, but its meaning endures. Last year, the painting inspired a public mosaic art project in South Phoenix called the Unity Wall, which was completed in November. Lillian, who moved to Arizona four years ago and now lives near Thomas Road and 56th Street, volunteered her time and talent to lead the creation of mosaics covering eight block walls and featuring diverse children and families standing together holding hands. The mosaics surround a donated lot of land in South Phoenix, which was transformed into a green space and prayer garden for the local community. More than 200 people volunteered to break tile, prepare and glue the mosaics last fall. The project was completed through a partnership with Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, First Pentecostal Church in Phoenix and the Christian nonprofit ministry MentorKids USA, said Aaron Parrott, director of operations for MentorKids USA. The Unity Wall will be formally unveiled on April 11 and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is invited to attend. “The whole premise was to have people unite and come together to beautify the area,” Lillian said. “The children are learning the value of making something important in their neighborhood and it teaches kids the value of taking care of the community.” Parrott said MentorKids USA uses the outdoor space as the location for the organization’s youth leadership program. First Pentecostal Church still owns the space, but donated it to the local community to offer a safe and beautiful place for the neighborhood to play and spend time together. “Theresa wanted to mosaic the wall as a labor of love for the community,” Parrott said. “She is just a tremendous human being.” Today, with the Unity Wall project completed, Lillian continues to mosaic block walls and is working to complete her entire backyard. In her neighborhood, Lillian’s two-story yellow house stands out like a bright jewel on the street, but her backyard is a kaleidoscope with various colors and materials artfully arranged into designs such as cacti, sunflowers, butterflies and lilies. Her yard even hosts a mosaic memorial created by friends and loved ones. Many of the items incorporated are reclaimed or given to her from friends and colleagues. “The one thing about Arizona that’s inspiring is there are so many block walls and they are all ugly… It’s all gray and brown,” Lillian said. “My idea is to bring color to Arizona one block wall at a time.” Even though she works full time in marketing for a commercial real estate firm, Lillian finds the energy every week – if not every day – to paint in her studio, mosaic her walls and create other mosaic trinkets, such as “tree bling,” sparkly ornaments that hang in her front tree. “I use mirrors in all of my mosaics and it’s beautiful the way the sunlight hits all of the pieces of glass,” Lillian said. In and around her home, Lillian has even created mosaics on paver stones and furniture. She also has an airy and bright-colored art studio where she paints and holds classes. Perhaps the most interesting feature in Lillian’s home is what she calls her “illusion wall.” The design incorporates her neighbor’s plants on the other side of the shared block wall into art on her side of the wall. For example, the cactus that grows on her neighbor’s side and sticks up over the top of Lillian’s wall gives the illusion of connecting to a mosaic pot below. Lillian’s next-door neighbor Betty Helman, who is also an artist, often gives jewels and shiny objects to Lillian to incorporate into her mosaics. “I find Theresa’s energy inspirational,” Helman said. “She works all day and then she comes home and works on her wall.” She added, “I keep looking over there and thinking how much she’s getting accomplished and then I think, ‘I should get busy!’” Lillian said her passion for art developed as a child and she credits her teachers with encouraging her to pursue her craft. “Growing up in Brooklyn in the 60s was tough,” Lillian said. “I was faced with many challenges [and] through art, I was able to channel my feelings in a positive way.” She added, “I believe that God has blessed me with a gift and that creating art is my soul’s purpose.” Lillian also credits her two grown sons with inspiring her art and supporting her throughout her career. Lisa Weyer, an Arcadia area nonprofit consultant, who managed the logistics and fundraising process for the Unity Wall, calls Lillian “one of the most soulful Marvelous Mosaics LOCAL ARTIST CREATES MURALS IN HOME AND COMMUNITY By Katie Mayer A close-up of the memorial mosaic in the backyard of Theresa Lillian’s Arcadia area home. Arcadia’s Own PHOTO BY KATIE MAYER

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