The Chicago Mosaic School

British artist Gary Drostle was in Chicago to teach a mural workshop for a week in October 2007. The students created a mural that will be installed at a Chicago Public Elementary school in a few weeks.

The design, created by Mr. Drostle, was feathers, a theme requested by Drummond Elementary . "Feathers represent the growth of the vital source of flight and independence, "said Mark Neidlinger, the principal at Drummond. He was thrilled at the prospect of having Gary Drostle's work installed at the school.

The students in the workshop learned how to fabricate two, long ceramic tile panels using the indirect technique ,using paper and paste. The panels will be installed over two entryways at Drummond Elementary.

The students left the workshop inspired and excited to create mosaics using this method. CMS made sure that "Mr. Fishpond" was able to take in an appropriate mixture of Chicago art, food, culture and fun during his stay here. We will be posting photos of the workshop soon on our website.

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This year at CMS we are proud to host some of the most interesting contemporary mosaic artists around. In April, Israeli artist Ilana Shafir will be teaching a 4 day workshop in her process of "Spontaneous Mosaic". Ms. Shafir is a world renowned painter and mosaic artist . Her work has been featured in many books and publications and has been included in several important international contemporary art exhibitions. At 83, she continues to be one of the most innovative and prolific mosaic artists of our time.

Shug Jones is part of Tesserae Studio, In Plano Texas. The studio is responsible for creating several incredible large scale pieces for public parks and residences around the United States. She brings her expertise in mosaic portraiture to CMS for a 4 day workshop in July.

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This year, The Chicago Mosaic School is working with COVERINGS, the largest and most important international trade show and conference showcasing ceramic tile and natural stone . The school is collaborating with 19 tile and stone manufacturers, using their donated material to create 3 unique and innovative mosaic columns. Each column will be designed and fabricated by CMS staff and students, all using different techniques and themes to illustrate
traditional, contemporary, and sculptural ideas. All CMS students are invited to participate in this exciting and challenging project which is due for completion at the end of March. The columns will then be exhibited at McCormick Place during Coverings, April 17-20, 2007. The pieces may be donated to the City of Chicago or Habitat for Humanity, or auctioned off to raise money for a yet to be determined charity. We will be posting photos on our website in the coming weeks.

CMS has also been awarded a globe for the COOL CLOBES:Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet, a public art project much like the Chicago Cows were years ago. 80 artists were chosen to create designs on a large ( 5ft diameter) fiberglass globe that addresses issues of global warming and green energy resources. This project will be on display along Chicago's lakefront this summer. The CMS globe will illustrate turbine wind power and will use andamento to show wind global wind patterns and movement. The globe will be covered entirely in ceramic and vitreous glass tile. Students are invited to participate in the fabrication during Sunday studio hours.