The mosaic faces an empty lot. I had to squeeze through a chain-link fence to enter the city-owned lot to get a good look at it. Its colors radiate from black and white in the center to blue along the perimeter. Get up close and you see the photos. There are the faces of the children of refugees, many of them in Muslim dress. You see photos of the public gardens, shops and street corners that animate the neighborhood. The photos were baked onto individual tiles before being mounted on the wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted it to look at little bit chaotic, since that\u2019s what City Heights is like,\u201d added Takeda.<\/p>\n

Price Charities donated $35,000 to build the mosaic. Now, the only thing missing from the tableau is the \u201cpocket\u201d park the art is supposed to be a part of.<\/p>\n

The AjA Project mosaic was meant to look down on a small park, serving the neighborhood. The park has been designed and approved, but shortage of money and the loss of redevelopment funds have prevented it from opening on schedule.<\/p>\n