I chose this haiku as it invoked a sense of past-meets-present in a hopeful way. Our ancestors (or spirits) of Central New York helped build the rich historical tapestry that we know today. Those illustrated are the Haudenosaunee, Harriet Tubman, Father Simon Le Moyne, and more. They have descendants who live in our community and continue to weave new threads into our region's unique culture.

The piece contains a palette of peaceful blues and highlighting warm yellows to help describe the hopeful notion that a new day brings. The illustration was created by braiding together old and new artistic techniques: hand-drawn pen and ink and digital composition work via Adobe Photoshop.