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Lizzy Rockwell's artistic vision is present everywhere at the new Norwalk Community Health Center but nowhere more than in the pediatric waiting room. Toddlers feel compelled to touch the faces of the mural she reluctantly painted there, in the style familiar from her many children's books.
The mural is 28 feet long, and it's Rockwell's first one. If the toddlers are reacting to it, there's a reason. "I wanted it to be a believable, three-dimensional space that things were happening in," Rockwell said. Characters are playing soccer and strumming the guitar, and all are "doing things that are a great way to spend a Saturday." It also showcases the diversity of Norwalk.
"I asked her to represent our community in its diversity and a healthy lifestyle to the best of her abilities, and that's what she did," center Executive Director Larry Cross said. "We're completely thrilled with it. It's magnificent."
Rockwell got the job five years ago, long before the center was conceived, when Cross saw a book she did about asthma for the Maine Department of Health. "I was so taken with her color palette and the way that she represented diversity, I told her someday I'd have a project for her," he said. "I didn't know when or what, but I would have something."
That something was a hand in the interior design of the entire 24,500-square-foot building on Connecticut Avenue. Rockwell collaborated with architect David Coffin and designer Laura Dimeo to choose the colors of every surface, creating a welcoming environment that is anything but institutional.
Rockwell, a resident of Black Rock, said she was "terrified" by the challenge of making a mural, as she has worked only on paper and only in a small scale. But she saw it as an opportunity. "I wanted it also to convey themes of wellness for a child, partly because these are themes I've explored as an artist and illustrator," she said. "Obviously this is a perfect opportunity to model the ideal environment for a child to grow up healthy."
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