Empowerment Through Community Mosaic Projects

JK Mosaic
Community Mosaic Projects

While I spend most of my time on commissioned mosaic for private, corporate and public spaces, I try to find time to engage communities in mosaic projects to help bring art and beauty to neighborhoods and public spaces. This is very challenging work, as there is very little funding available outside of King and Pierce counties (in my State: WA.) For areas like Shelton, WA, there is virtually no funding for public art, no PTA to raise money for art supplies in schools, and very few programs to engage underserved communities. And it can be hard to convince people that art is important when so many vital needs are not being met.

Above: Olympia, WA community making mosaic fish for a beloved downtown fountain. Over 200 people participated in this project over 6 weeks.

During my first community project, I was moved by the reactions of participants. They were overjoyed to have the opportunity to contribute to a permanent public project. Those who helped throughout the whole process were impacted by the experience in positive ways. It engaged those who felt otherwise ignored and disenfranchised, and it brought unlikely people together, working and chatting side by side.

Top pic: A volunteer helps participants in Les Gove Park, Auburn, add to a mosaic panel.
Bottom pic: The completed panel lives in Auburn's Parks & Rec Building.

Many children, especially in less affluent school districts, have little to no art in school. For them, being invited to help create art for their community is very empowering. They may stay for a few minutes or a few hours to work on a panel, and later, they can visit the artwork and know that they helped to make something beautiful that is enjoyed by others. When there is only a small budget for public art, this is a way to stretch that budget much farther, and the participants feel a sense of ownership. There is more respect and appreciation for the artwork going forward.

Young people at a public event in Shelton, WA helping to complete a small mural for Choice High School.

Usually, I am able to facilitate a community project because I was selected due to my ability to make the most of a limited budget, and my reward is far more personal than financial. Recently, I launched a project out of frustration with the divisiveness in our country, with no financial backing of any kind. I call it the Diversity Mural, and it will be a wall of hearts that form a huge rainbow. Teens that I work with in Shelton, WA have been making hearts for the mural every week on Fridays, and I've been receiving heart contributions from mosaic artists around the globe. Still, we have about 950 hearts to go, and I have zero budget to buy supplies and to hold heart-making events with other groups through summer. I hope to install in the fall. (You can follow the project on facebook:  

https://www.facebook.com/HeartMosaicMural)

I am determined to complete this mural, one way or another, and I'm exploring fundraising options. I'm not a non-profit, so many organizations and corporations won't donate to my cause. When other mosaic artists send hearts, it is a wonderful gift because it reduces the amount of supplies I need to generate. However, I still want to find ways to engage more people who also want to send the message of inclusiveness and solidarity, and I can't do it with good intentions alone. I welcome any ideas or assistance with this. 

These are children in Scotland making hearts for the Diversity Mural!

Please contact me if you want to contribute to this project in any way. Do you have a group or organization that would like to make some hearts? Do you have fundraising skills and spare time? Are you a socially responsible corporation that would like to work together to create a program to bring public art to underserved communities? Get in touch! (jennifer@jkmosaic.com)

*This summer, I'll also be working with a community in Bellingham to add some whimsical mosaic to their neighborhood.

Thanks!