Dream Garden: The Haddon Township Mosaic Mural, 2004, Ceramic Tile, 15' x 42'. Stratford and Haddon Avenues, Westmont, NJ.
There is quite a story to go along with this project! The essence of the work is collaborative: it was a group endeavor from beginning to end. Denny DeRita, the owner of the former "Butcher Bloc", invited me to create something on his wall. He was inspired by the mosaic murals of Isaiah Zagar in South Philly while on a roller-blading adventure. I am very glad I said "yes" because what occurred was a true "happening", a once in a lifetime event.
Denny agreed to allow students to be a part of the process in designing and creating the work. A design contest was held, with all of the fifth grade students participating from all five elementary schools, helped along by myself, Stacey Douglas and Anne Kelly (the other elementary art teachers at the time.) Each design submitted by the student teams was so wonderful, it was decided to include parts of each submission into the whole composition.
Throughout the winter, students worked on enlarging and creating images indirectly, gluing pieces onto paper patterns. All of the materials and labor was donated: the wall prep, the scaffolding, hundreds of pounds of tile and glass, bags of adhesive and grout, and hours of manual labor. Once the weather became warmer, the wall was prepped and work began on the weekends and extended through the summer. People stopped by with old tiles and stained glass for the wall. Volunteers began to show up to help out with the work. Parents would drive by and roll the windows down to let their children see the art happening before their eyes.
As the mosiac grew up the wall, the excitement and energy was palpable. I met new folks each day, freely giving time, donations and encouragement to the effort. Students stopped by to help and check on the progress on the wall. There was a buzz in the local papers and it brought attention to the importance of art in public schools. There was a wonderful celebration once the mosaic was completed. At this point in time, the Dream Garden Mosaic has been featured in two Haddon Township Community Calendars, several advertisement backgrounds, and wedding and family photos.
There is quite a story to go along with this project! The essence of the work is collaborative: it was a group endeavor from beginning to end. Denny DeRita, the owner of the former "Butcher Bloc", invited me to create something on his wall. He was inspired by the mosaic murals of Isaiah Zagar in South Philly while on a roller-blading adventure. I am very glad I said "yes" because what occurred was a true "happening", a once in a lifetime event.
Denny agreed to allow students to be a part of the process in designing and creating the work. A design contest was held, with all of the fifth grade students participating from all five elementary schools, helped along by myself, Stacey Douglas and Anne Kelly (the other elementary art teachers at the time.) Each design submitted by the student teams was so wonderful, it was decided to include parts of each submission into the whole composition.
Throughout the winter, students worked on enlarging and creating images indirectly, gluing pieces onto paper patterns. All of the materials and labor was donated: the wall prep, the scaffolding, hundreds of pounds of tile and glass, bags of adhesive and grout, and hours of manual labor. Once the weather became warmer, the wall was prepped and work began on the weekends and extended through the summer. People stopped by with old tiles and stained glass for the wall. Volunteers began to show up to help out with the work. Parents would drive by and roll the windows down to let their children see the art happening before their eyes.
As the mosiac grew up the wall, the excitement and energy was palpable. I met new folks each day, freely giving time, donations and encouragement to the effort. Students stopped by to help and check on the progress on the wall. There was a buzz in the local papers and it brought attention to the importance of art in public schools. There was a wonderful celebration once the mosaic was completed. At this point in time, the Dream Garden Mosaic has been featured in two Haddon Township Community Calendars, several advertisement backgrounds, and wedding and family photos.