Cortada & Team Complete Transit Center Mosaic Installation

Mosaic Artist Xavier Cortada and Local Artists Complete Transit Center Mural Installation

Josephine Sculpture Park and the City of Frankfort have unveiled the latest public art installation at the newly constructed Transit Center in downtown Frankfort.

Floral River, created by artist Xavier Cortada is a 4 story mixed-media installation comprised of paint and hundreds of hand-glazed ceramic flowers. The art piece symbolizes the Kentucky River meandering through Frankfort under a moonlit night and encourages reflection on the human connection to Kentucky’s rivers and native flora.

Sculpted flowers are arranged to represent the moon (ceramic medallion in white), the riverbanks (ceramic flowers in blue hues), and the river (painted in blue with flowing and clustered white ceramic flowers). Each floor has a different gradient of hand-glazed jewelescent ceramic flowers. The colors were chosen to compliment the color of the river and give contrast to the deepening blue of the wall behind them.

A competitive two-stage process was used for the selection of the artist. Fifty artists submitted their qualifications for consideration which were reviewed by a team of 9 Frankfort residents, including 5 local artists. Selecting an artist to work on this project was challenging. It required someone who is an exceptional artist with extensive professional experience working on a project of this scale and complexity. Five qualified artists were contracted to submit designs for the stairwell which were reviewed by the same team and representatives from the City of Frankfort. In February, Cortada was officially selected and began working closely with City officials and building engineers as the stairwell was built.

Cortada is a Cuban-American artist who has created over 150 public art projects and installations around the world, including at the North and South Poles. Much of his work integrates themes of nature and environmental stewardship into community spaces. Two local artists, Lilianna Fischer and Matthew Trimble, worked with Cortada during the 10-day installation in September. Fischer is currently an Artist in Residence at Broadway Clay in Frankfort and has worked with ceramics, filmmaking, and composing. Fischer expressed that her experience working with Cortada was extremely rewarding and had the frequent opportunity to discuss what it takes to be an artist and how different disciplines build on and interweave with one another. 

Cortada held a public Lunch and Learn session at the Paul Sawyier Public Library on September 3 where he discussed the power of public art to inspire meaningful conversations about the environment, and propel stewardship and engage community participation.


This installation was commissioned by the City of Frankfort in partnership with the Josephine Sculpture Park and is part of a growing collection of public art in our community. To engage with the installation in person, visit 510 Clinton St in downtown Frankfort.

Published September 25, 2024

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