Luisa

Mosaics have been made since the first testimonies of human life in the world.  Since those times, mosaic have been used as artistic expression of what is relevant for people and their communities.  Empty walls can become voices for everyone in our communities.   In my experience, to make mosaics can be the most collective and participative form of art. These are some of the virtues of this art form that I have discovered:

• From elders to young children, all can be part of making mosaics, with beautiful results.
• The work is normally around a table where participants come to know each other.
• The materials used can be very diverse, from old broken plates, bottles of glass, metals, etc. to professional glass and tiles of many colors and textures. 
• Mosaics can remain for many years, even decades. While serving at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, we created mosaics on walls covered with graffiti, and they have not been tagged.
• Mosaics can be environmentally friendly. Many used products can be use or re-used. 
• Mosaic has become my eloquent metaphor to represent the concepts of “community” and “the Kingdom of God”. The diversity of participants and materials all contribute to the whole. Broken, useless and even dangerous pieces of material are welcomed and have a unique place in the big new picture being created.
• This metaphor also represents the idea of belonging-ness. Once a piece is in a mural it becomes an important connection to all the other  pieces as well as an important, unique part of the whole.   

I have led mosaic projects with elementary and high schools, universities, senior centers, youth programs, churches and neighborhood groups.  Projects I have led include:

Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis, MN:

With administration, neighborhood and faculty from three departments (Spanish, ESL and Health Careers), we created a 53’ mosaic mural on the handicapped ramp and several mosaic mini-murals for concrete garbage and recycling containers on the campus.  The mural depicts a river of immigration of families to Minneapolis and the high school. In the river are individual seeds designed by students, telling their family story, connected with water images created as a group. 

Minneapolis Area Synod:

I worked to create a mosaic triptych that connected to the themes of the assembly: Loving the Earth, Ending Hunger, Building Community.  I completed two of the 5’ x 3’ panels in my studio, and then guided people at the assembly to create the third one.  Close to 100 people participated in the fabrication, which has since travelled to various churches.

Austin, MN Arts Festival:

For six years, I was a teaching artist at the Festival, creating mosaics with hundreds of residents. These installations grace flower pots on Main Street and panels in schools and the city center/.

Multiple Sclerosis Achievement Center:

For five years, I have worked with participants who have MS and other debilitating diseases create mosaics for their gathering and activity spaces.  I have trained youth artists to partner with center participants, who may not be able to physically manipulate tools, but whose artistic vision can flourish in a cooperative setting.

Other commissions and residencies include:

• St. Olaf College
• World Hunger Program, ELCA
• St. Paul’s Home (low-income housing for senior citizens)
• Semana Culture Camp
• Peaceful Patch Community Garden
• Open Streets, Lake Street
• The Welcome Center, Austin, MN
• Augsburg College Nursing Program

I trained and mentored mosaic groups at Edina Community, Holy Trinity, Gethsemane, and Redeemer Lutheran Churches, and guided them in creating public art on their campuses.

I was the principal designer of St. Paul’s Lutheran’s (Minneapolis) Peace Garden, which integrated art, fruit trees, pollinator gardens and gathering space in a green space next to the sanctuary.