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!

JK Mosaic: Looking back at 2015

2016 is well under way, but I'm finally getting around to a 2015 Year in Review.

Last year started with a major surgery, so I took January and February off, which gave me an opportunity to simply sketch and play with mosaic at my own pace and to my own delight.  I set myself up in the family room, propped up on pillows, surrounded by art supplies, the tv remote, and painkillers.  I've always been interested in my Polish heritage, as I was particularly close to my Polish grandpa.  But I've found a lot less information about the Lithuanian traditions from my grandma's homeland.  During my convalescence, I happened to watch a Booze Traveler episode about Lithuania, and I was completely enchanted!  As my narcotic intake lessened, I was able to take up some research from some keywords I learned in the episode, finally finding a little bit of information about the religion and mythology of the country, taking copious notes in my sketchbook.

An early sketch I had made the previous year was developed further, and when I was able, I began work on a mosaic.  First, I created a small piece playing with the design style, colors and materials I had in mind:

"Fine Feathered" sold at the MAI salon in Philadelphia.

Later, when I was able to be upright for longer periods, I spent 10 weeks completing a mosaic in a style that is rooted in folk art, yet very much my own.

32.5" x 23.5", Available for sale!

As soon as I was recovered, I was commissioned to fabricate a stone floormat for a L'Occitane in Banff, Alberta.

This is the floor, tile taped on mesh, ready to install.

In April, I attended the annual Society of American Mosaic Artists conference in Philadelphia.  It was a great trip, full of workshops and presentations that inspired me, and allowed me to immerse myself in total mosaic geekery with hundreds of others from the U.S. and beyond.  Unfortunately, I became very ill during the trip, but it didn't stop me from finally visiting the amazing Magic Gardens created by the legendary artist Isaiah Zagar.

This is just one little view of a complex of rooms and a huge courtyard, not to mention many of the areas buildings.

My next project was another lavender farm mural for a L'occitane shop in the international terminal of the Dallas Fort Worth airport.

I was not able to get a shot of the installed mural, but this is how it looked assembled on my floor.  It was about 15' x 4.5'.

In August, I completed a smaller project, embelleshing stair risers into and out of the courtyard of a private home.

The same home has a much larger set of stair risers down to their waterfront, completed in 2011.

Finally, I was commissioned to fabricate my largest mosaic to date for a shopping plaza in Walnut Creek, CA.  Michael Kruzich, an accomplished mosaic artist from San Francisco, graciously helped me with the challenging installation in November 2015.

That wraps up my 2015.  I am currently taking commissions for March 2016 and beyond.  Happy New Year to all of you!