Margaret Quaceci
Current name: Margaret Quaceci La Vecchia
Age when this tile was made: 7
Where did you live when you made this tile?Newbury St., Somerville, MA
Where do you live now?Saugus, MA
Do you consider Somerville your hometown? Yes
What is your earliest Somerville memory?Walking to the Powderhouse School with my sisters and friends.
How would you describe Somerville in the 1980s?Wonderful growing up there, until I got older and found out that Somerville back them wasn't as affluent as it is today. Being first generation Italian, we were surrounded by other Italian families, and shared in the same traditions.
How would you describe Somerville today?Today Somerville is a trendy and beanik'ish place to live; with its many cafes, eataries and famous Mike's Pizza Somerville has developed its own identity and torn away from its old roots.
How has Somerville changed?Somerville has come a long way. Today Somerville, to me, has developed into a melting pot of many types of people ranging in ethnical and socio-economic backgrounds. The old neighborhood has changed from a close knit micro-community to a vast expansion of condo converted homes. What I recall as a child are houses which where homes which now have evolved into independant dwellings. I remember walking through Davis Square to get to my grandmother's gray house, and today I drive through and see that same house converted into condos. I can't help think about the insperation of the tile I created. It was that gray house which was a home to me and my sisters. I wonder today, if that same house has or will inspire another child to draw, created and foster old thoughts just as this project has done for me.
As a child I was happy to get my "art" displayed in such a public place, as an adult I am proud to have my name associated with my art not only for the recognition I still get from friends and clients, but I also look forward to the future when I can show my childern, nieces and nephews what I did so long ago when I was a little girl. We didn't have video cameras and access to the technology we have today for archiving, so I feel that these tiles are a little piece of us on a wall in a public place that might catch the eye of a stranger or friend and lead them think of where these childern are today.
I would also like to mention that while dating my now husband, I told him about the tile project and he is the one that found this website one evening. He never saw the tile until we both sat together at the computer after reading the article on the website. He, being an architect, questioned if I really did see the house in that manner and I replied with a smile, " I still see it that way."
