The Art of Marsh House
In June of 2026, Downstreet opened Marsh House Apartments at 51 S Main Street in Waterbury, Vermont. Marsh House doesn’t just bring 26 new permanently affordable homes to Central Vermont; it brings thoughtfully designed apartments that take into consideration the needs of its residents, such as proximity to transportation and the ability to adapt the accessibility modifications of each apartment. It also brings beauty to its residents through art.
Marsh House features two murals from Vermont visual artists Terry Zigmund and Hannah Clark. Terry Zigmund and her assistant Anna Sanborn created a glass mosaic for the front entrance of Marsh House, while Hannah Clark painted the entirety of the Marsh House Community Room.
“I’m really honored to have my piece in Marsh House,” says Zigmund. “The Winooski River is the inspiration behind my mosaic and the significant effects it has on Waterbury in so many ways. Plus, so many things live in the area besides people. The circles represent the interdependence between all things that live in Waterbury.”
Zigmund lives along the Winooski River in Chittenden County. Having spent much of her time by the river, she’s cultivated a deep familiarity with its flora and fauna. When she visited Marsh House to work on her piece and walk along the Winooski, she felt that “if I closed my eyes, I wouldn’t have known I was in a different city. The piece is all about connection, and I hope people can feel that connection to place.”
Connection to place is also what rooted Clark in her work in the Marsh House Community Room. Having recently moved to Vermont from Chicago, Clark was immediately struck by the slower pace of Vermont life. To Clark, the people here intrinsically reflect the nature of the Green Mountain State.
“I have fallen in love with Vermont nature—it’s beautiful,” says Clark. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a place where I could watch spring bloom into summer. Vermonters are connected to the Earth.”
The similarities between the murals at Marsh House go beyond subject matter. To both Clark and Zigmund, the most significant part of their work is that it was happening at a place like Marsh House Apartments.
“The fact that Downstreet is able to put art into these buildings is absolutely amazing,” remarks Zigmund. “Not a lot of custom art is included in modern apartment buildings, and for people in Marsh House to have art to interact with is so ‘wow’ to me as an artist.”
“With everything that is going on in Vermont with the housing crisis, the work that Downstreet is doing is vital,” adds Clark. “Art is an essential part of life in our modern, digital age. Just having something tangible in a space—that was made by a person—is essential to human life. I think we should have more of it.”
“Color and art and beauty is an act of rebellion. We deserve beauty, not just mundaneness,” concludes Clark. “All of us should be living with this amount of beauty and dignity.”
Learn more about Marsh House by clicking here.
About the Artists
Terry Zigmund has been making art since she was a young child and has been working with glass since 1991 when she took her first stained glass class. Since 2004 she has been creating art as her full-time job. Terry creates a diverse body of custom work for customers throughout North America and sells her stained glass in galleries in the Northeast and beyond. Her public art can be found in the wild in and Burlington, Winooski, and now Waterbury. Terry’s studio is located in the vibrant South End Arts District of Burlington and is home to E-1 Studio Collective, a studio featuring gallery and workspace for 8 artists. To see more of Terry’s work visit her website: burlingtonglass.net
Hannah Clark is a multimedia artist and designer who recently moved to Montpelier from Chicago. Her work includes murals, scenic design for theatre productions, fiber art, bead work, painting, and printmaking. Beyond art, she enjoys spending time in nature with her partner Avi, gardening, reading a good book, and snuggling with her cat Hershel. Visit Hannah's website for more: hannahclarkdesigns.com/scenic-design
