SCHOOL MOSAICS
EXTERIOR PROJECTS

School entryways provide ideal locations for mosaic murals. Architectural elements, such as columns, signage bands, door and window surrounds, benches and garden areas all offer interesting opportunities for art work.

Created from glass, stone, and frost-proof tile, mosaics harmonize naturally with the architecture and provide a permanent, maintenance free addition to the environment. They are ideally suited to fabrication by a group process, where many hands make light work.

Students can create mosaics directly on exterior masonry by attaching the tile with thin-set mortar and grouting the finished piece with sanded grout. Grout colors are tinted with acrylic paint, with hundreds of different colors used to clarify and brighten the mosaic designs.

School mosaics can also be created on panels in the art room on a range of substrates, including MDO panels and Hardieboard. These are mounted onto exterior walls with a back-mounted cleat system, then grouted in place.

The mosaics shown here were all created by me working with students, their parents and teachers through Artist-in-Residence Programs.

For commissions, competitions, and teaching information, please address inquiries to:

Joshua Winer/Mural Arts
Boston, Massachusetts
Telephone: 617.930.6010
Email: jw@joshuawiner.com
 


 

 

 

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Outside mosaics are made from many beautiful weather-proof materials. The peoples' clothing is Venetian glass, a ¾" square cast glass tile available in 100's of colors, cut easily by students into intricate patterns. The faces, hands and hair are made from mirror, reflecting viewer's faces. Backgrounds are made of cracked ceramic tile with colored grout. The border is vitrified clay tile, handmade by the students and fired in the school kiln.

Teacher and Students: detail of right panel
The Happy Hollow School Mosaic. Wayland, MA.


 

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The arched mosaic design makes a welcoming entryway to this primary school. The faces, hair and skin of the figures are made of mirror mosaic, to reflect the skin color of the viewers and catch ambient light. The border is a rainbow of handmade ceramic raised letter tiles, with words that spell out the school’s name at the top and school values on the sides.

The Happy Hollow School Mosaic
Entry mosaic on brick facade, 12' high x 24' wide.


 

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The theme of The Four Seasons combines with a Tree of Life in this twelve foot diameter school mosaic, installed on the playground wall of an elementary school. This mosaic was designed and made by students using Mexican smalti. This beautifully colored, easily cut glass mosaic is an ideal material for young artists, who work collaboratively to create the image in a jigsaw-like process that creates a Pointillist mural.

The Four Seasons at Meadowbrook
Meadowbrook School. Weston, MA. 12' diameter circle.


 

 

 

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The Claypit Hill School features a covered entry that’s supported by three brick columns, providing a sheltered gathering place with benches and an ideal place for an exterior mosaic. The brick columns, front and center on the traffic and pedestrian route, became the site for our three year mosaic Residency project.

The composition uses the colors of red, yellow and blue to create a color scheme for this primary school entrance.

The Claypit Hill School Mosaic. Wayland, MA.
Mosaics on three columns. 12' high x 3' wide.


 

 

 

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This detail shows an interesting palette of mosaic materials. Handmade clay tiles spell out ‘Welcome’; many kinds of glass mosaic form the rainbow and the clothing; cut mirror creates the faces, and colored grout knits everything together. 500 students worked with me on this project over the course of three semesters.

Welcome to Claypit Hill: detail of first column.
Claypit Hill School. Wayland, MA.
 
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