Atlantis the Tide Keeper

How the Vision Took Shape

From a dream to reality. A journey of art, ocean, and remembrance.

Elisa Vanelli:

“On the morning of April 8th, I had a dream.
A mermaid, resting in stillness — covered by the high tide, revealed by the low.
When I woke up, my heart was racing. I knew this was a revelation.
I asked myself, ‘Where does she want to be?’
The answer came like a whisper: Manchester Harbor.
A sacred, quiet place.

I walked to Singing Beach, shared the dream with a friend, and then went to Masconomo Park.
The tide was low. And there, at Days Creek, I saw it — a stone wall built long ago, its remains rising from the sea.

That was the moment I knew: this is where she belongs.
And so the dream began to take form.”

From Clay to Bronze

What began as a vision slowly became a reality.

Atlantis was sculpted by hand in clay, carrying within her the intention of reconnecting humanity with the natural world and the ancient rhythms of the ocean.

After months of dedication, challenges, and extraordinary collaboration, Atlantis was cast in bronze in the summer of 2026.

On August 1st, 2026, she was unveiled at Reed Park in Manchester-by-the-Sea, marking a significant milestone in her journey.

Since her arrival, Atlantis has been warmly embraced by the community. Visitors have gathered around her, and small offerings and gifts have appeared in her basket — beautiful gestures of connection that reflect the spirit in which she was created.

But her journey is not yet complete.

Her permanent home awaits in the tidal waters of Days Creek, where the rising and falling sea will become part of the artwork itself.

The Tidekeepers Foundation is continuing the engineering and permitting process necessary to bring her into the water.

There, Atlantis will interact with the tides, revealing and concealing different parts of herself as the ocean moves around her.

Forged in bronze. Breathing with the tide.

She is more than a sculpture. She is a presence, a portal, a reminder.

A landmark for Manchester. A destination of wonder.

A living symbol of our connection to the sea, the moon, and the rhythms we have forgotten.

A Vision Beyond Atlantis

As Atlantis began to take shape, so did a much larger vision.

I started thinking about Cape Ann — the magic, the beauty of this land surrounded by ocean, and the possibility of creating something that would connect our coastal communities through art.

From this vision, The Tidekeepers Foundation was born.

Now a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Tidekeepers Foundation is dedicated to reconnecting people with the rhythms of nature through tide-responsive public art.

Atlantis is only the beginning.

The vision is to bring a tide-responsive sculpture to each Cape Ann town, creating a series of public artworks that interact with the ocean and invite reflection on our relationship with nature, water, and memory.

Together, these works will form a constellation of beauty, reverence, and reconnection along the shoreline.

The Artist Behind the Vision

Elisa Vanelli is a visionary sculptor whose work bridges the human, animal, and divine worlds.

Her forms often merge human and animal characteristics, evoking an ancient time when all living beings were deeply intertwined.

Influenced by sacred geometry, energetic systems, and the memory held in water, her sculptures invite us to remember our original bond with the Earth and its creatures.

Named one of Art New England’s 2024 Emerging Artists, Elisa also served as Exhibition Chair of the New England Sculptors Association for two years. Her sculptures awaken a sense of sacred presence and belonging within the natural world.

Atlantis: The Tide Keeper is her most expansive public work to date — a culmination of years of listening, sculpting, and attuning to the rhythms of water and land.

A Dream Carried by a Community

Atlantis has always been more than an individual artistic endeavor.

It is a community effort, made possible through the generosity of supporters, donors, local businesses, volunteers, and individuals who believe in the power of art to reconnect us with nature.

Elisa has donated her artistic time and skills to the creation of Atlantis, while The Tidekeepers Foundation continues to raise the funds necessary for the engineering, permitting, and permanent installation.

A documentary is also in progress, following Atlantis’s extraordinary journey from dream to reality — capturing not only the making of a sculpture, but the spirit of what it means to remember our connection to nature, to water, and to one another.

Atlantis is rising.

And she carries with her the knowing that when we come together, when we listen to the whispers of nature, and when we follow the rhythm of our hearts —

Dreams do come true.