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..
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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.
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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
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!)
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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
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which will frame the top and the bottom of the basic Mandala Circle..
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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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