MOSAIC brings creativity, art to public spaces

On the concrete walkway next to the River Walk, just below Main Plaza and San Fernando Cathedral, sits a vibrant yellow compass rose that marks the centermost point of the city.

The mosaic tile is, quite literally, at the heart of San Antonio. Commissioned by the San Antonio River Foundation, the $50,000 art installation is one of several public works done by talented teenagers with a knack for the arts.

The amateur artists are part of Blue Star Contemporary Art Museums MOSAIC program, a free and selective after-school program for high school students with an artistic gift. The program blends mentorship with real-world application and allows students to design public art projects, coordinate exhibitions of their work, prepare portfolios for gallery proposals, and gain teaching experience by leading community workshops and hands-on activities.

Our mission is to inspire creative genius, and (with MOSAIC) theres so many avenues where you can do that and pursue that, said Elizabeth Lyons, public affairs and engagement manager at Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum.

MOSAIC, an acronym for Mosaic of Student Artists in Community, is led by artist-in-residence Alex Rubio, a renowned muralist who mentors students after school five days a week from a cozy studio in the Blue Star Arts Complex. Rubio taps into lower-income school districts with below-average graduation rates to recruit talented artists who have few opportunities to build their portfolios without the support of a nonprofit organization.

To me, there are creative communities everywhere. My mission is to identify the emerging, undiscovered talent in these communities, Rubio said. This program offers students inspiration and discipline to where they can graduate with an impressive portfolio and have an opportunity to apply for scholarships.

Despite the odds, all of the programs alumni have gone on to graduate from high school, and several are pursuing art degrees at prestigious schools such as Connecticut College and the Art Institute of Chicago.

This years class of 15 students is building their portfolios through an intensive study of new media, including printmaking, ceramics, drawing and painting. The artists also sell some of their work through exhibitions and learn how to build both frames and canvases to ensure their work is properly installed.

Their current project is a large-scale public art piece commissioned for HemisFair Park as part of the citys downtown redevelopment efforts. Rubio said the mural an abstract painting of curvy and linear designs in blue and green hues thats 40 feet wide and 9 feet high will be unveiled this spring.

The student-artists are responsible for the full life cycle of the mosaic project, from the initial concept and research to design and implementation.

Originally posted here:
MOSAIC brings creativity, art to public spaces