On the northeast corner of Betsy Paterson Square stands a sculpture entitled Weaving Shuttle by Connecticut artist David Boyajian. Funding for this sculpture was made possible by private donors led by Nancy and Janina Swiacki.

The Mansfield Downtown Partnership conducted a competitive search for public art that would enhance Betsy Paterson Square and reflect the Mansfield community. The Partnership selected David Boyajian’s proposal out of thirty received and reviewed by Partnership staff and committee members as well as by members of the Town of Mansfield’s Arts Advisory Committee.

David’s creation, which features a larger than life weaving shuttle and thread, serves as a visual and poetic narrative of Mansfield’s prominent role in the 19th century American textile industry. The sculpture creates a playful and thoughtful environment and is meant to invite touch, exploration, and contemplation from every vantage point, whether it be from a bench across the square or looking up from inside the circles of thread.

Mansfield was home to the first silk mill in North America. The Hanks Silk Mill was located not far from Betsy Paterson Square on what is now Hanks Hill Road.* The silk industry became a major economic factor in town, and Mansfield was home to several silk mills.

The sculpture elegantly ties Mansfield’s past with its latest chapter while adding an important artistic element to Betsy Paterson Square.

*Henry Ford purchased the building in 1930 and reconstructed it in his Greenfield Village Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it can be seen today in the Liberty Craftworks section.