Community Projects
As a retired teacher, I have created countless mosaics and murals with hundreds of students and their families. I know these projects foster creative expression, teamwork, neighborhood beautification, community development through public, permanent, community-based art. More importantly, I have learned that art connects us to experiences beyond our own and is a powerful tool for change. I enjoy providing this collaborative experience with both small and large groups on a commission basis, but annually, I choose one of these projects that is for a non-profit group, and volunteer my services so that our community becomes a reflection of who we are, a changing and emerging collective. My experience has taught me that we are all interconnected in so many important ways.
"One bee does not make a hive."
Past Public Art Club Projects
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |
Starting in 2000, I undertook a series of public art projects at my school, Aptos Junior High. My students and I began the process with local artists guiding our work and teaching us the skills we needed to work independently. The first of our projects was a ceramic architectural mosaic built in 2006 under Susana Arias' direction. This wonderful piece, Sentinel, sits outside the entrance to our art room and is 8' x 5'. In 2008, we worked with local artist, Beth Purcell, and created a mosaic mural of Ziggy our SeaDragon mascot on another exterior wall that is 4' x 12'. My students created the design, helped make textured tiles and worked with Beth to place the tiles and grout the finished mosaic. During 2008-2017 my students and I worked independently, designing and building approximately 20 different mosaics at our school. The first and foremost goal was always building community at our school and by involving all the art classes, everyone in the school was a stakeholder or more importantly a tile maker with work incorporated into the various mosaic projects. The gallery of pictures are some examples of the work we accomplished in almost a decade. The students who installed the mosaics and grouted the pieces were a volunteer group who made up my Mosaic Club.
​