I’ve been teaching basic mosaic arts using a variety of media and methods to groups of kids, seniors, and other interested parties since 2010, and it’s a truly satisfying endeavor to introduce people who may have never done artwork of their own before to the democratizing, work-at-your-own-pace mode of double-indirect mosaic (mosaic worked dry, and transferred to the backing medium using contact paper and a prepared padded “flipper” board). Because working dry means one can set one’s own speed, and piece as quickly or as carefully as their skill allows, even beginners can produce wonderful work.
Below is a gallery of some of my students in the April-May 2017 session of my classes at the North Laurel Community Center under the auspices of the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence 50+ Centers. Some are returning students from last year, some are new to the art, but everyone went away with beautiful art that they conceived and crafted on their own, as well as contributing to a larger artwork for the Community Center we titled “Constellation” as a symbol of the coming together of a number of aesthetic viewpoints.
Suffice it to say that I was delighted to see the work come together on the wall, where every visitor to the Community Center is greeted with the work of the people who use the Center and benefit from the service that it provides. This is my second on-site project in conjunction with the Howard County OAI and the American Visionary Art Museum, and I’m looking forward to our next project. How can you go wrong with so many fantastic, engaged, and thoughtful community artists?