Finally! An updated website, blog included, so I can share newer work, and offer a more in depth look at some of my recent projects.
AUSTIN DISCOVERY SCHOOL MOSAICS
As chronicled in the "Community Building Through Art" section of this website, one of my recent projects has been creating mosaics with the entire student body and general community of Austin Discovery School to adorn the buildings on their new campus.
I thank the ADS art teachers Juliet and Hannah, for accommodating and spearheading the first component of this project: making ceramic tiles. Every ADS student made at least one tile, sometimes a leaf or bird or insect that would easily integrate into a tree mosaic, but often a random, whimsical expression of themselves.... I fired everything from slices of pizza to eyeballs to "Find me on Pinterest" tiles.
I thank fellow artists Aly Winningham and Courtney Arte for helping direct many many community volunteer sessions, where kids and adults alike came and assembled the plant mosaics, collage style, with this random assortment of tiles. Sometimes it seemed like an impossible organizational feat to make sense of the chaotic display of expressions, but in the end I think we created a riotous celebration of diversity and independence.
So far four of the eight mosaics have been installed. At the end of this month the art teachers at ADS are hosting a "mosaic blitz" during which the entire student body will work on and hopefully finish the remaining four mosaics over three days. Stay tuned for the video!
