100 years of our community’s history are vibrantly displayed in 100 different colors of Italian glass in the art wall in McCall’s Centennial Plaza.

Local artist Debra Facchin was commissioned to interpret and feature 32 key events. The result? A curving wall of artwork that flows like a river toward Payette Lake. After nearly 40 years in McCall, she remembers many of the events and called her work on the wall, “a labor of love.”

The events were selected by the McCall City Council with the assistance of the McCall Historical Preservation Commission, City of McCall staff and long-time residents.

Nearly every 1/2 inch mosaic tile on the 100 foot long wall was meticulously installed by hand. After transferring the design in chalk to the wall surface, Ms. Facchin found numerous community volunteers and visitors were eager to help with the mosaic installation over the course of three summer seasons.

McCall Mayor Jackie Aymon’s favorite art wall rendering is Ms. Facchin’s Y2K bug which celebrates the new millennium dawning in 2000. We also love the smokejumpers parachuting into the Frank Church Wilderness area and ‘found objects’ incorporated into the mosaic.  These found objects include marbles, a 1936 silver dollar and several horseshoes which came from the excavation of the Centennial Plaza site (which used to be a livery stable). Many objects, like a child’s metal charm, were donated and installed by people who wanted to be included in McCall’s history.

We invite you to spend time as a family in Centennial Plaza, taking a few moments to discuss the historical events on the wall as an engaging multi-generational experience. What will your favorite part of the art wall be?