Wender·Vista
New England Aquarium
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
on Central Wharf, on the Boston Harbor waterfront

New England Aquarium

— — a four-story spiral around a coral reef.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The aquarium on Central Wharf, between Long Wharf and the New England Holocaust Memorial. Inside, a spiral ramp climbs around the Giant Ocean Tank, two hundred thousand gallons of Caribbean reef where Myrtle the green sea turtle has lived since 1970. Out front, the harbor seals hold the courtyard. People stop on the walk between the wharves and stay longer than they meant to. from the studio

from the studio
New England Aquarium
— bring it home

New England Aquarium, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about New England Aquarium

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The New England Aquarium sits on Central Wharf in downtown Boston, on the edge of the harbor between Long Wharf and Rowes Wharf. It opened in 1969 as the centerpiece of the waterfront's mid-century rebuild, designed by Cambridge Seven Associates. The campus holds the main aquarium building, the Simons IMAX Theatre, and the harbor-seal exhibit that faces the public plaza. The MBTA Blue Line stops at Aquarium station a block inland. More than 1.3 million visitors come through in a typical year, walking the four-story ramp that wraps the central tank.

— the water

The Giant Ocean Tank holds about 200,000 gallons of saltwater and rises four stories through the center of the building. It is shaped as a Caribbean coral reef, with roughly a thousand animals — reef sharks, southern stingrays, moray eels, schools of permit and tarpon, and Myrtle, a green sea turtle who arrived in 1970 and is estimated to be over ninety years old. Divers feed the tank by hand several times a day. The acrylic windows on the spiral ramp let visitors meet the same fish at four different depths.

— informed by Giant Ocean Tank, NEAQ
— the visit

The aquarium opens daily, generally 9am to 5pm, with extended hours in summer. Adult admission runs around forty dollars; children's tickets less. Timed-entry tickets, bought online, move the line faster than the walk-up window. The harbor-seal plaza out front is free and open whenever the building is. Whale-watch boats run from the adjacent dock, April through October, in partnership with Boston Harbor City Cruises. Allow about two hours inside, longer if the IMAX or the penguin feeding lines up with your visit.

— informed by Plan Your Visit, NEAQ
— where
United States · Boston, Massachusetts
— position
42.3592° N · 71.0496° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km NW
Faneuil Hall
historic market
2 km W
Boston Common
urban park
8 km E
Boston Harbor Islands
national park
N
New England Aquarium
Faneuil Hall
Boston Common
Boston Harbor Islands
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about New England Aquarium — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The aquarium opened in 1969 on Central Wharf in downtown Boston. It was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates as part of the waterfront's mid-century redevelopment and has been expanded several times since.

The central cylindrical tank holds about 200,000 gallons of saltwater and rises four stories. A spiral ramp wraps it, letting visitors see the same Caribbean reef ecosystem at four different depths through acrylic windows.

Myrtle is a green sea turtle who has lived in the Giant Ocean Tank since 1970 and is estimated to be over ninety years old. She is the largest animal in the tank and the aquarium's longtime mascot.

Yes. The harbor-seal exhibit sits in the outdoor plaza in front of the building and is free to the public whenever the aquarium is open. The animals are visible from the waterfront walkway.

Yes, from April through October. Trips run from the adjacent Central Wharf dock in partnership with Boston Harbor City Cruises and typically last about three hours, heading to Stellwagen Bank.

The MBTA Blue Line stops at Aquarium station, about a block inland from Central Wharf. The Orange and Green lines connect at State, a short walk through the financial district.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The aquarium is a memory most people who grew up in or near Boston share — the harbor seals, the spiral around the reef, Myrtle. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The blues and corals of the reef artwork pair with Coastal-modern interiors, jewel-tone Maximalist rooms, and warm Mid-century palettes with teak and brass. It reads especially well against a deep navy or sand-colored wall.

Yes. Coastal-modern has moved toward saturated marine colors and away from washed-out pastels. This tile's stained-glass blues and reef greens land squarely in that current direction.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural reads at the right scale. Above a longer console or a king bed, a 9-tile Mural anchors the wall without crowding it.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash well. Use the Glossy finish for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. No abrasive pads, no ammonia-based sprays. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so daily care is straightforward.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house in our Knoxville studio and produced as a one-of-a-kind ceramic edition. We do not license the artwork to other manufacturers.

— if this one stayed with you

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