Stacia's "Green Spirals" is installed!

Congratulations to Stacia Goodman for her piece, "Green Spirals", which is now up at the St. Louis Park Rec Center. Here's what happened yesterday:

"Mosaic Mural Unveiling, Discussion and Demonstration

Come and meet the mosaic! Community members are invited to attend the grand unveiling of “Found Spirals,” a large, new colorful mosaic mural designed for The St. Louis Park Rec Center’s entrance atrium. Stacia Goodman, a local mosaic artist and recipient of a St. Louis Park 2010 Arts & Culture Grant, created the piece, which is nearly 9 feet by 5 feet in size. Unique to the mural is its “green” nature. The artist combined reclaimed trash items found or contributed by St. Louis Park residents and businesses with traditional mosaic materials such as tile, glass and grout. Stacia will discuss the mural’s meaning and its creation, answer questions, and give a mosaic demonstration after the unveiling.

Time: 2 - p.m., Saturday, September 25

Location: St. Louis Park Rec Center, Main Entrance

3700 Monterey Drive, St. Louis Park (just a block or so from Target and Byerly's)"

"Taste of Tile"

Sheryl Tuorila is hosting a "Taste of Tile" mini-workshop for the next MMG meeting. MMG members who have signed up for the workshop are:
Cheryl Anderson
Susan Mathis
Trudy Vrchota
Danette Polglase
Julie Reeve
Rachel Arntson
Liz Taras
Patty Wiltgen
Margie Rotondo
Gil Gragert
Janine Irisari
Barbara Steen
Stacia Goodman
Anyone unable to attend should contact me at 651-439-0566.

Sheryl's class is now full!

The class the Sheryl Tuorila is offering to MMG members for Nov. 10 is now full! Thanks for all of your interest!

Laurel Skye

Nice video about Laurel Skye and her studio and classes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2IqoXrYMQ

MMG Meeting Minutes - September 8, 2010

Thanks to Lori Greene for hosting us at her store.

We welcomed six potential new members (WOW!) - Liz, Rachel, Deb, Trudy, Katie, and Patty.  (My feeble mind doesn't remember their last names.)  We hope they join The Guild.

November MMG Meeting
Cheryl Tuorila will be hosting the November 10 meeting in her studio in the Northrup King Building.  Her studio number is 403.  At the meeting, Cheryl will be offering her "Taste of Tile" class at no charge, except for a small charge for firing the tiles.  Several people have signed up for the class. We are encouraged to bring cookie cutters, etc to make tiles.  However, Cheryl will have lots of cookie cutters and other tools on hand at the studio.

MMG Annual Fall Members Show at Mosaic-On-A-Stick
The show will take place September 18-October 9, 2010.  The closing reception will be October 2, 6-8 PM.  Please drop off your pieces for the show by Tuesday, September 14 latest.

Minnesota Tile Festival
The Tile Festival will be held Saturday, September 18, at the Swedish Insitute in Minneapolis.  Danette Poglase is coordinating volunteers for the Festival.

Art-A-Whirl
Margie Rotendo offered her garage near the Northup King building as a site for us to use at Art-A-Whirl if we are interested.  Thanks, Margie.

Haiti Project
As a follow-up to the April meeting, we discussed the proposed Haiti Project in more detail.  The proposal is to design, create, and install a "Mosaic Quilt" in Haiti.  The design will be made by Lori Greene and Susan Mathis and will follow the theme of Haitian VooDoo Flags.  Elements in VooDoo Flags typically include serpents, hearts, twins, frogs, mermaids, fish and whales.  The concept is that participating members will pick up at least one design and mesh at Mosaic-on-a-Stick.  Participants can use their own materials.  A unifying border will be designed by Lori and Susan.  MMG has committed $600 to cover the following costs: Thinset, grout, mesh, and shipping.  We've identified the place of installation - the new Children's Hospital in Haiti.  Lori, Susan, and Connie Cohen will travel to Haiti at their own expense to install the quilt.  MMG members agreed to proceed with the Haiti Project.  The timeline is as follows:

• Lori Greene and Susan Mathis to develop design - Fall 2010
• Lori and Susan submit design to our Haitian contact for approval - Fall 2010
• Design submitted to MMG at Holiday Party in December.
• Design and mesh picked up at The Stick  by participating members - Februray 2011
• Quilting Bee at The Stick - February or March 2011
• Participating members submit completed pieces to Mosaic-on-a-Stick by April 30, 2011 latest.
• Date of installation in Haiti will be dependent the schedule of the Children's Hospital.

Holiday Party
Our annual Holiday Party will be held in December at the home of Susan Mathis in Woodbury.  We will have a tesserae exchange. Beth Karjala will give us a profile of her work. Susan will provide a casserole and beverages.  Members are encouraged to bring potluck (unless you want to have casserole only).  Details will be published at a later time.

Artist Profile
Susan Mathis gave an overview of her work and brought several pieces to show.

New Website
Barb Keith showed us the new MMG website.  This is a new format which includes a blog format and a rotating photo gallery.  Barb helped us understand how to add blogs and photos to the gallery.  Thanks, Barb.

Still Three Spots left for Sheryl's Taste of Tile!

At the meeting tonight Sheryl Tuorila told us about her class on November 10. It's free to MMG members and sounds like fun! That is our next meeting date. Sheryl is going to teach about how to make clay tiles and you will get to do some of your own. It will be in her studio in the Northrup King building in NE MPLS. If you want to sign up, comment below.

Featured Artist of the Month: Barbara Benson Keith

Name: Barbara Benson Keith

Website: www.barbarakeithdesigns.com

Blog: barbarakeithdesigns.blogspot.com

Email: bkeithdesigns@yahoo.com

What kind of mosaics do you make? Stained glass mosaics

When did you start making mosaics? 2004

How did you get into mosaics? I took a community education class about stained glass windows. I had a pile of scrap glass, so a few years later, I decided one day to make a mosaic. I didn’t know how, and didn’t even consult a book, I just did what felt right.

What inspires you? Nature, people, animals, the work of other artists

How did you develop your style? I’m self taught, and I resist taking classes so what I do is really mine.

How did you learn to make mosaics? Guessed.

How do you work best? During the day, listening to an audio book.

How do you approach a mosaic? For me the hardest part is deciding what to do. Once I have that figured out, I get to it. I am very focused while I work and I don’t really take breaks or get distracted unless it’s lunch time!

What do you do with your mosaics once you finish? Sell them, hopefully!

What have you learned? I’ve learned things about myself, like I’m a jumper. Even if I don’t know how to do something, I’ll say yes and jump in and figure out how to do it after that.

How do you fit mosaics into your personal/family life? I’ve got a wonderfully supportive hubby! This is my job and I feel very lucky.

Where do you work? I have a studio in the basement with a nice big southern exposure window. In the summer it’s cool down there and in the winter it’s warm.

What is your favorite thing about working as an artist? The freedom! I used to teach elementary school, which was very rewarding but demanding and stressful. I was always sick with colds and strep and had to drive to work in the cold and dark and snow… You know how it is! Now I can sleep in or take a day off. I set my schedule and get the work done when I want to do it. My commute is about 10 seconds. I love that!

Have you ever done public art, community art, worked with children, etc…? Doing public art is my passion! Over the years, I’ve been doing more and more public art and I love it! I love the challenges, and I love knowing that lots of people will see my work. This year I’ve done a lot of work for clinics and hospitals. Right now I’m also working on a big project up in Bemidji. I’ve designed the 15,000 sf terrazzo floor for a new convention center/hockey arena. It’s almost finished and looking amazing!