12/21/23
Artists in Schools
Mosaic Mania
Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Maria D. Rapicavoli's after school class at Hudson Guild.
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Mosaics were the name of the game in CMA Resident Maria D. Rapicavoli’s after school art class at Hudson Guild.
The multi-step project kicked off with an introduction to historical significance of mosaics in art, from ancient Roman mosaics at Monreale Cathedral in Sicily (Maria’s hometown!) to Sam Gilliam’s From a Model to a Rainbow installation in Washington, D.C.Â
Roman mosaics at Monreale Cathedral in Sicily, Italy. Photo courtesy of Per-Erik Skramstad © Wondersofsicily.com
From a Model to a Rainbow (2011) ceramic and glass tile mosaic by Sam Gilliam at the Takoma Metro Station in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the transit authority’s Metro Art in Transit Program. Photo courtesy of Art Around.
Students began by drawing geometric shapes or figures on white paper, then filled in their shapes with colored tiles and glue.
Second and third graders were especially transfixed by the small bits of colored glass. For them, it was a precious material to be treated with great care!
The final step in the project will take place in the new year, when students will affix their work to cardboard and experiment with the process of grouting tiles.