The Portage District General Hospital's the new home of a mosaic composed of 800 hand-painted tiles.

It's part of the Portage Public Art initiative, and was moved to the hospital after spending a number of years at the Glesby Centre. The work was done in 2006 through the ArtsSmarts program, and involved many schools across the region.

Public Art Chair Roberta Christianson thinks it'll mean something in its new location.

"I think art lifts all of us, and especially a piece like this, where you're seeing all these tiles where each person has indicated what their community means to them. So you can wander along here, and see the different images that are Portage la Prairie. And hopefully, that will lift your spirits for when you're out of the hospital."

Roberta Christianson, Carole Lupkowski, Noreen Shirtliff, PDAC Executive Director Paul Legris, PDAC Board Chair Doug Halmarson, and Delnora Rice beside the mosaic in its new home

Portage Arts Centre Board member Delnora Rice is also part of ArtsSmarts, and feels the hospital's an appropriate place for the work.

"It's important because it's very physical. It adds to the hospital and the community. Lots of people coming in and out from different walks of life. They're able to see what the kids in the community have done. And people are interested in highlighting art, and it's just a very public place."

The mosaic was at the Glesby Centre for several years, but when they needed extra space, the committee considered several possibilities, before settling on the hospital.

Here are  all the schools that participated in creating the work in 2006.

Yellowquill, Victoria, Prince Charles, Northern Breeze Colony, Ingleside Colony, North Memorial, Oakville, Sunnyside Colony, Brennan Colony, Fort La Reine, Grand Colony, and Good Hope Colony.