To celebrate ArtYard’s 10th anniversary, artist Elsa Mora has transformed an everyday material into something extraordinary: two elaborate aluminum foil crowns that symbolize ArtYard’s creative beginnings and the endless possibilities ahead.
The crowns were commissioned for ArtYard’s Tin Anniversary Gala on November 7, part of a celebratory season of exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, workshops, and community gatherings honoring a decade of artistic experimentation and collaboration in Frenchtown. Named for the traditional symbol of a 10th anniversary, the evening will bring together artists, supporters, and friends for dinner, live performance, and special appearances by ArtYard’s 2026 Culture Bearers, Isabella Rossellini and Julio Torres, and other surprises.
Each crown took Mora several months to complete and approximately six rolls of aluminum foil, along with various types of glue. Among Elsa’s most important tools was a humble antique hammer from her collection of oddities. She used it to shape and compress the foil, transforming its delicate, crinkled surface into compact, sculptural forms. A pair of cut-resistant blue gloves protected her hands throughout the process.
“Creating these crowns was truly an exercise in patience and transformation — and I enjoyed every moment,” said Mora, who co-founded ArtYard a decade ago with Jill Kearney.
The results are worlds of their own. Hatch evokes the beginnings of ArtYard, a place conceived as an incubator for creative expression and a catalyst for unexpected collaborations on the site of a former egg hatchery. Voyage looks outward, symbolizing the endless, exciting journey into the unknown that continues to define ArtYard’s work.
As ArtYard celebrates 10 years of bringing artists, ideas, and communities together, Hatch and Voyage offer a fitting tribute: two imaginative creations that honor the past while looking ahead to what’s still to come.
