October 22, 2025 

The new mural depicting maritime history in Lewes was officially dedicated Oct. 14.

The two-piece artwork hangs on the Lewes History Museum facing Kings Highway.

It is a timeline of life on the water in the First Town in the First State, starting with Indigenous people and continuing to the city’s shipbuilding industry.

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Artist Michael Rosato was on hand for the ribbon cutting. He said creating the mural was a fantastic journey.

“This is an incredibly rich story that I knew very little about,” Rosato said. “What a mural should do is engage the viewers who want to learn more about the story. That’s what this mural is.”

Rosato is best known for the “Take My Hand” mural on the Harriett Tubman Museum in Cambridge, Md.

Like that design, Rosato used a technique that creates a 3D effect called trompe l’oeil, which makes the timeline jump out at the viewer.“The wall itself is flat, but the minute you use trompe l’oeil, a French term that means tricking the eye, you penetrate that barrier and engage the viewer further into your story,” he said.

 

The Lewes Public Art Committee, Art in Bloom and Historic Lewes, formerly the Lewes Historical Society, each contributed $10,000 to the project.

They are planning to add lights and signage at a later date.

Bill Shull Cape Gazette 9.22.25