Each piece of tile, glass and metal being applied to flower pots in Union Park represent the first steps in a larger journey to create neighborhood connections and a park dedicated to art.

Artists from Lemon Street Gallery, 4601 Sheridan Road, and children living near Union Park, off of Seventh Avenue and 46th Street, have spent the last few weeks crafting mosaic designs for six flower pots at Union Park as part of the Kenosha Union Park Project (KUPP).

Melanie Hovey, executive director of Lemon Street Gallery, said the art gallery was identified by a Milwaukee-based foundation last year for a small grant to expand the gallery’s ceramic studio. At the end of that project, Hovey said the gallery was approached about tackling a larger project, which Hovey was quick to identify.

“We said we would love to do art district development,” Hovey said. “This neighborhood has phenomenal assets and we really imagined this cool, dynamic neighborhood.”

Lemon Street became the Adopt-a-Spot garden volunteers for Union Park and their first artistic effort was painting the shiny, brightly-colored flower pots. The pots feature a variety of materials, everything from broken china to forks and discarded items found at the park, used to create mosaics with nature and nautical themes.

Local artists, such as Tom Clark and Monne Haug, undertook the initial mosaic work, but they soon found help from Union Park-area youth.

“The neighborhood kids really took ownership of the mosaics, and some did their own designs,” Clark said. “It’s a fun project and a neat connection to the community.”

Michael Towle, a 13-year-old who lives in the area, said he was drawn in by the work being done and wanted to help out.

“I thought it would be interesting,” Towle said. “It’s all about how you put it together and it’s not exactly in order. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle.”

Hovey said she was excited about the neighborhood involvement.

“To see those children and parents working out there is so gratifying,” Hovey said. “It’s really cool seeing these kids in the park, talking to each other and being involved in each other’s lives.”

The pots also play off the program’s initials by having pieces of metal that resemble large handles attached to their sides, creating a coffee cup large enough to give Paul Bunyan a wake up call.

Clark said passersby have been surprised to see the art popping up in the park.

“People would just walk or drive by and stop. It’s been really wonderful,” Clark said. “We’ve had a lot of good response.”

The assistance and interest from the neighborhood is vital to the park project, Clark said.

“The whole intent is to grow an arts community and this is a wonderful way to do it,” Clark said. “This is a hotbed of artistic talent.”

The project also has included cleanups of the park and monthly “KUPP and Kringle” events on the second Saturday of every month, which feature free kringle and coffee. And the potential next steps are more ambitious.

Hovey presented a plan at Monday’s Board of Park Commissioners meeting to create a walking path in the park and a concrete pad to host sculptures and pieces of art at Union Park.

The gallery would look to borrow, not buy, works of art and display them in the park. These pieces would likely be in place for two or three years before new pieces of art are brought in. Hovey said Bruce Niemi, a nationally-recognized sculptor who lives in the area, was willing to make one of his works available for this effort.

“That would be really, really awesome,” Hovey said. “All the people in the neighborhood would take such pride and it’s something the community of Kenosha at large would take notice of. Having artwork of this caliber is something that I think will really catapult things into the fast lane.”

Alderman Michael Orth, chairman of the Board of Park Commissioners, said he was excited to see where the concept could go.

“Art communities benefit a city and I think this is a good idea to revitalize this neighborhood,” Orth said at Monday’s meeting. “

Hovey said she also wants to try to bring a Wi-Fi Internet connection to the neighborhood.

Hovey said everyone has been helpful in the initial stages of the park project and she hoped to bring the next steps to reality soon.

“As soon as the city can move forward, I am ready,” Hovey said.