Art in Education

          Five years ago it was an elementary school art teacher whose influence turned my working days in a wonderfully new direction . My work with tile and mosaic was evolving through many years of work with clay as a functional potter. I had done a number of small tile and mosaic pieces, and several large tile installations when She saw a tile and mosaic wall I created at Eureka Crafts in Syracuse. My concept fit with a project idea she wanted to pursue with her 5th grade students. It was that project that , working with school students on sizable tile and mosaic installations.
          Since that time I have been working almost exclusively working with schools to plan, create and install ceramic tile and mosaic murals. The murals are based on themes of character building and curriculum areas chosen by the school. Together we choose the site for the mural which will be a permanent installation. The classroom teachers and the art teachers brainstorm the theme with the selected classes. The art teachers and I work as a team to design the concept and broad outlines based on the students ideas.
          The students sketch their individual and /or team ideas and then begin to translate their sketches into clay. the art teacher and I encourage the students to use many different techniques with the clay to convey their ideas so that they are clear to others. Once the pieces are glazed and fired, the installation process begins. The students are involved as much as possible in the installation, depending on class and activity schedules Since the installation of a mural generally takes about 6 weeks there is plenty of time for each interested student to have an opportunity to learn or at least observe the steps involved in putting up a large piece of art. Teachers and staff are invited to create an element in clay for the mural and along with parents are welcome to work on all the phases of the installation. It is an essential part of the projects I do that we involve as many members of the school community as practical and possible: the excitement created by working together on a meaningful and fun long term art project is truly wonderful to be a part of.