The Chicago Mosaic School is the first and only premier, not-for-profit Mosaic Art School in North America. The school, founded in 2005, fills the void in education in classical and contemporary  mosaic arts. Our school serves professional artists, designers, architects as well as beginners and enthusiasts. We offer mosaic classes for people of all ages and students working at all levels of experience. CMS also can work with your organization, school or neighborhood to collaborate and create  beautiful and sustainable public mosaic art projects. We will work with teachers, students and members of your community to design, fabricate and install innovative and memorable public works.
We are in our 8th year as the leader in Mosaic Art education in the United States. Our spacious 7500 square foot facility houses our classrooms, offices, library, lecture space, artist studios, kiln room, kitchen, student lounge area, and The Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics (GoCM). We offer a variety of mosaic workshops in all areas of mosaic study. The Chicago Mosaic School hosts some of the most renowned mosaic artists in the world, coming to Chicago from as far away as Italy, Great Britain, Australia, and Israel.CMS visiting artists have included Verdiano Marzi who comes to to the school annually since 2010 and will return again in 2013. Maestro Marzi lives in Paris and teaches mosaics at the Louvre and his innovative work is exhibited worldwide.  Other artists have included Maggy Howarth, who came to CMS to teach her technique of pebble mosaics outside of her studio in England for the first time; Ilana Shafir, a well known Israeli artist who lead a week long course about her unique method of Spontaneous Mosaics; Carolina Zanelli, a former faculty member of the Spilimbergo School of Mosaics in Italy, instructed students on how to use Smalti in a classical and contemporary way. This year we welcome Japanese  maestro Toyoharu Kii, another internationally acclaimed mosaic master. And Matteo Randi,  originally from Ravenna, Italy, joined the faculty of CMS in 2011 as CMS Educational Director. Matteo brings a depth of knowledge and passion for ancient and contemporary techniques that is not found anywhere else in the United States. The Chicago Mosaic School offers a level of instruction and a course curriculum that is unsurpassed and has raised the bar for mosaic arts education everywhere. We appreciate your support as well as the support we have received from businesses, neighbors and friends, the City of Chicago CMS members, and our dedicated students and staff. We continue to grow and offer the public access to learning our unique and stimulating educational environment. We look forward to welcoming you to The Chicago Mosaic School and to The Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics!The Chicago Mosaic School is partially supported by a grant from The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency and by our members and private contributors who support excellence in Mosaic Art education.
