Creating Public Art in Smithville, Texas

 

The Lost Pines Artisans Alliance

has been awarded a grant by the Texas Commission on the Arts

for

a giant Mosaic Installation

called:

The Theme:

"Natural Resources and Agriculture"

Wow! What?

      

 

Local Artists to Mosaic the outside of THIS Building!

 

Right Ho!  A two-story Mosaic Creation

to be Installed atop the extant shiplap siding, intending to beautify

 the Mary Nichols Art Center

and galvanize the Smithville Community into Artsy Action!

Open Invitation! Come one! Come All!

Anyone can join in a public "Mosaic Maker's Workshop"

and take pride in helping to create what is sure to become

a historical local Icon!

 

 

A team of Artists

was selected to visualize and promote this project

linking Art to Agriculture

through the medium of Mosaics

The Goal of the Project (as defined by the Grant)

is to instill an appreciation for local

"Natural Resources and Agriculture"

 

Kandra was assigned a sheltered spot under the porch roof...

to the left of the Front Door..

 

 

 

So, Kandra's Mandala Design

started with the Idea of Concentric Circles

radiating out from a central "sun"

in the manner of Van Gogh...

 

 

 

 

Concentric Circles. Laid out on Hardie Board.

Representing the Cycles of Life. The Cyclical Seasons... The Expanding Universe!

...the pastoral charm of Hay Bales drying in the sun...

 

          

 

So... Nine Hardie Board squares form the Circle.

The Whole Design can be broken down into

nine easily moveable pieces

making it efficient for Community Members to work on the project.

 

 

Kandra will be asking her Participants

 to think of relevant objects which could be added to each section of

the Circle of Life

Since many of her Participants will be children

this is going to get interesting...

 

Workshops, in fact, will take place at the cool Community Gardens Building

featuring a Ray-Bradbury-style-Imaginarium of tantalizing jars full of curious Mosaic Possibilities

for artistically inclined Minds!

 

She finds laying the project out on the floor is helpful.

starting with the central Nine Hardie Board Squares..

 

 

 

Experimenting with Floral Designs, Thin Set, Adhesives and some colors.

 

Mosaic Design Materials may include


"River Rocks" from the Colorado River,

Natural articles such as local Snail Shells,

"Burned Tools", glass beads, and marbles all salvaged

from the ashes of the historic Bastrop Fire,

along with other fragments of weather-resistant metals, ceramics, and stone

which could represent Seeds and other Organic Life Forms...

The committee discussed plastering actual Seeds to the walls

but decided that real seeds would deteriorate in time.

(or -worst case- sprout!)

 

 

 

  

 

so, New Beginnings, as predicted..

Installation using bucket trucks etc is targeted for mid-July

with a grand End-of-Project Celebration no later than August 15th.

Right now the participating Artists are working on their designs,

ordering and gathering supplies.

We shall see how all this turns out... stay tuned.

 

                   

 

 

 

 

How's that Art Installation going?

 

    

 

 

The Idea for a Mandala which represented the Cyclical Seasons..

So far, so good!

 

 

 

The 4'x4' Mandala will be installed

to the left of the front door at the

Mary Nichols Art Center on Loop 230 and Burleson Street

in Smithville, Texas, in July or August of 2024

as part of a larger Mosaic project covering most of the building.

 

 

Kandra shares that she is having

gangs of fun with the community members joining in!

Adults, Children, Moms,

and random individuals interested in

a Maker Space in Smithville-

-all these people just show up to work on Art Projects.

The Smithville Community Gardens Building on 2nd Street and Lee.

Thursday and Friday afternoons.

The Circle of Life Mandala

 is set up in it's own work space now!

Come on over and add something to it!

 

 

 

So how's that Art Installation going?

 

 

has been coming together most splendidly..

 

 

 

The Grant writers (Texas Commission on the Arts) specified that

Community Members must be invited to contribute to this Mosaic Creation!

No problem there!

At this writing, 37 people have worked on the Mandala.

 

 

This month Community Members completed

the 16 small squares

which will frame the top and the bottom

of the basic Mandala Circle..

      

 

and this week the individual panels were glued down

to the plywood backing.

 

 

 

Crushed Bottle Caps look like seedpods...

They were added, along with stars and leaves made of clay,

colorful glass beads, watches, burned tools,

magnets, mirrors, stones, local snail shells,

as well as an assortment of odd objects symbolizing Seasonal Changes

(yellow grasshoppers, purple dragonflies, white snowflakes, copper leaves)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Guys from the City (Public Works Dept)

built a frame on the wall and came to get the Mandala...

 

           

 

 

 

Installed on July 11th...

A very exciting event!

 

 

And in the end 45 people worked on this project!

 

 

...definitely a Community Project!

 

 

Community Members Rock!! 

 

 

 

The "Mandala" concept

basic to Art and Infinity and means "Sacred Circle"

 

Big Thanks to All the folks who built the Mandala

 and another big Thanks to those who helped behind the scenes...

 

 

 

Mary Nichols Art Center on Loop 230 and Burleson Street

in Smithville, Texas, in July 2024

 

 

 

Creating Public Art in Smithville, Texas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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512-332-6680

Smithville, TX  78957

 bigKandra@aol.com

 

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