We know that collaborative art can bring a community together, and it’s so gratifying when we get to see the process in action. We’ve been hard at work for the last few months on a project with the Winter Hill Community Innovation School in Somerville, MA. Approximately 800 students worked together to create a set of mosaic panels that dedicate the school garden to a young member of the school community, Mae, who passed away when she was in Pre-K. Her sister, her parents and many of her teachers worked together to design the main panels with flowers, a rainbow and suns, using Mae’s and her sister’s favorite colors. Other students tiled the designs during art class and added to the beauty by creating side panels of real and imaginary flowers. The school’s amazing art teacher jumped right into the project, helping for a whole week with tiling, and also helping to cement and grout the panels to prepare them for installation. The school dedicated the garden with a ceremony on May 18th, bringing Mae’s family, friends and school community together to remember her.
