Charles River Museum of Industry and The New England Mosaic Society Collaborative Project

One Hundred Sets of Hands

The New England Mosaic Society (NEMS) collaborated with the staff of the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation to design and create three large panels (42” x 68”) installed adjacent to the museum entrance on the Riverway. The designs explore the positive and negative impacts of industrialization on the Charles River and the surrounding landscape over the last four centuries. The final project was a gift from NEMS to the museum and includes the work of over 100 sets of volunteer hands: skilled mosaic artisans, craftspeople, and community members. 

   

What is the Backstory?  What am I seeing? 

Panel#1 represents the pre-industrial period of the 1600s. The animals and plants in and around the river are native to New England, and local Native American textile patterns are incorporated into the hills. The river is pristine.  

This panel represents the pre-industrial period of the 1600s. The animals and plants in and around the river are native to New England, and local Native American textile patterns are incorporated into the hills. The river is pristine.

The New England Mosaic Society created these designs in 2023 to explore the positive and negative impacts of industrialization on the Charles River and the surrounding landscape over the last four centuries. The intersection of art and technology helps to preserve history and provides an understanding of the societal and cultural trends that impact the community—people, land, the river.

Panel #2 portrays the height of the mill operation in the 1800’s when industrialization had altered the environment, the health of the river, and the experience of workers and residents. The patterns in the hills change, and fields are woven by a mechanized loom. On the left you can see a cut-away of a mill that used the river’s water to power its machinery. There are fewer plants and animals, and the river and sky are changed by industrial waste and pollution.

Panel #3 represents the current, post-industrial environment with both the detritus of former pollution and habitat destruction, and the authentic efforts of sanitation and environmental conservation. Ecologists lobby for environmental cleanup.  There is manufacturing debris in the hills (including parts from Waltham watches!), and invasive non-native species. You’ll notice that the soil beneath the cabin is filled with sewage and freshwater delivery systems, representing the built infrastructure that continues to serve us, with the canoe representing an upsurge in river recreation.  Two protest signs symbolize strong public interest and political will funneled toward environmental stewardship of the river. 

   

From Design to Execution

  • Conception, Funding, Design: The designs reflect historical research and conversations between NEMS and Charles River Museum from 2022-2023. Designs were completed in 2023, funding was secured from the Waltham Cultural Council to purchase substrates, hardware,  and other materials. 
  • Individual Mosaic Artists at work: Over 35 NEMS members volunteered; each individual animal, tree, rock, hill and building structure was created by a NEMS member in their own home or studio, using their own frost-proof glass, ceramic or stone materials, and delivered to the coordinator.
  • Community Engagement:   NEMS organized three community mosaic-making sessions during which members of the public – from small children to elders – – could help to mosaic the skies, the rivers and the fields.  Weather-hardy thinset mortar was used to adhere tiles to cementitious boards. In community centers, senior facilities, and the museum, more than 100 people participated in the project!
  • Weaving it all together: NEMS volunteers combined all of the individual components, facilitated the community workathons, grouted the sections, then cleaned the panels (for hours!) to make them shine. 
  • Finally…the Install!  Panels were installed on November 2, 2023, as a gift from the New England Mosaic Society to the Charles River Museum with the help from museum volunteers. We hope that they will be enjoyed and considered by the public for years to come.  

 

Community engagement is key. 

Art sometimes gets lost when there’s a strong societal emphasis on technology. Yet the intersection of art and technology helps to preserve history and provides an understanding of the societal and cultural trends that impact the community: people, land, river. We wanted this mosaic project to tell a story through art by involving the community as artists and makers. 
Through community outreach we were able to involve a diverse cross section of Waltham residents  – – people of all ages from toddlers to seniors, and immigrants from many continents. Mosaic artists from every New England state contributed. Altogether we created mosaics that describe the impact of technology on the river and its surrounds, from the 1600s to today. By being involved in this project, participants were part of something larger than themselves. They now have a sense of ownership in the mosaic murals, and the mosaic-making created a sense of community in a time when many people feel isolated from each other.

 

THANK YOUS

This project was supported in part by the  Waltham cultural council and  the Massachusetts Cultural Council.  

Thank you to: 

  • the museum staff and volunteers who helped to conceptualize the project and then  make it a reality.  
  • the thirty-Five NEMS members who served as grant writers, project coordinators, designers, and component creators: Ellen Aiken, Susan Altman, Su Bailey, Marybeth Barker, Lee Berman, Emily Bhargava, Erika Bourne, Angel Cacciola, Cheryl Cohen, Jean Cummisky, Jennifer Dowling, Cassie Doyon, Amanda Edwards, Laurie Frazer, Amy Gilman, Cheryl Klausner, Billie Klaegraef, Cecilia Kremer, Carol Krentzman, Joanna Liss, Nancy Maloney, Lori Manfra, Rebecca Manos, Amy Marks, Suska Matsik, Pat McCristian, Erika Robbins, Betsey Rodman, Kris Samuelson, Lora Spangler, Karen Stark, Kim Stewart, Jamie Tessler, Ann Thompson, and Roberta Tobey-Gertz
  • the Scandinavian center, the Waltham Community Center and the Charles River Museum for hosting community work sessions
  • Emily Bhargava, for serving as project coordinator, leading and managing each step of the process
  • Amy Marks, project organizer, for initiating the project, finding funding, and organizing all of the community tiling sessions

View Mosaics from the Collaborative Project

Mosaic Collaborative Project: A Team Approach to Creating a Diptych

NEMS members teamed up with other mosaic artist to create two original mosaics. Each person started work on a piece and completed one half of the mosaic. Then they swapped mosaics with the other person on their team. Your teammate then finished the mosaic you started. The challenge for the second person is to decide whether to continue and compliment the style of the first mosaicist, or contrast. This is an interesting way to work as it disrupts your usual flow and you have to respond to what is there. You get to keep the mosaic you started.  Many thanks to BAMM (British Association for Modern Mosaic) and to Marian Shapiro for coming up with this idea!

Details:

Size of Substrate: We recommend smaller substrates i.e. 8×8 or 8×10 or 10X10. However, each person on the team can determine the substrate size he/she uses.

  • Creative Concept/Inspiration: Teammates may talk about the creative design, theme and style to determine if they should be similar or different.
  • Substrate & Materials: Artists can use whatever substrate and materials they wish. Substrate materials could include: Wedi, Hydroban, MDF and more.
  • Method – The Artist can choose which ever method he/she wants to use. For example, you can use the direct method with thinset, or an indirect method with Weldbond. You can use multiple methods in each mosaic.
  • Only 2D mosaics will be accepted.
  • Items can be for sale or NFS.

Below are the entries from the project and the names of the participants

Angel Cacciola & Jane Snedeker

   

Jane Snedeker & Angel Cacciola

       

Roberta Tobey Gertz & Linda Biggers

       

Linda Biggers & Roberta Tobey Gertz

       

Richard Youngstrom & Audrey Markoff

       

Audrey Markoff & Richard Youngstrom

     

Beth Klingher & Laurie Frazer

       

Beth Klingher & Jane Chaskey

       

Laurie Frazer, Beth Klingher & Jane Chaskey

       

Linda Cundiff & Betsy Rodman

       

Betsy Rodman & Linda Cundiff

       

Nikki Sullivan & Deb Aldo

  

Deb Aldo & Nikki Sullivan

     

Ann Collins & Susan Altman

       

Elizabeth Martinez & Cynthia Fisher

     

Cynthia Fisher & Elizabeth Martinez

       

Amy Lou Marks & Suzanne Owayda

       

Suzanne Owayda & Amy Lou Marks

       

Su Bailey & Lauren Mehrberg

       

Lauren Mehrberg & Su Bailey

       

Candace Jackman & Suska Matsik

       

 

Suska Matsik &  Candace Jackman

       

 

Crystal D’Abbraccio &  Cecilia Kremer

       

 

Cecilia Kremer & Crystal D’Abbraccio

         

 

Maggie Neilly, Jeanne Bragdon &  Carrie Fradkin

             

 

Jeanne Bragdon, Maggie Neilly &  Carrie Fradkin

       

 

Carrie Fradkin, Maggie Neilly & Jeanne Bragdon

               

 

Cathleen Newsham & Michael Ferreira

   

 


 

Heart Sculpture Workshop

By Cassie Doyon
On June 15, I taught an informal workshop on mosaic sculpture to NEMS members participating in the upcoming Field of Hearts-Art in the Orchard Exhibit, organized by Laurie Frazer and taking place in Northampton MA.  The workshop took place in a classroom space near my studio in Lawrence MA.  With my instruction, members worked on individual forms of heart shapes using a hot foam knife, foam adhesive and nails on styrofoam.
Each member created a hole in the bottom of their heart forms to insert and adhere a pvc pipe in order to properly mount their finished hearts to its metal base.  Members fine tuned their styrofoam substrates with rasps, then wrapped them in fiberglass mesh.  After the styrofoam was wrapped and secured, members applied a slurry of concrete to their forms, allowed the slurry to dry, then applied a thicker layer of concrete on top of the slurry.  Another layer of fiberglass mesh was placed over the concrete and the process was repeated with another layer of slurry and thicker concrete.  The workshop ran from 10 am till 5 pm.  Some members were able to experience a Peruvian/Japanese fusion restaurant for lunch nearby.  I shared my successful and not so successful experiences with mosaic sculpture and a fun time was had by all.

NEMS Online Webinar Series:  All About Substrates and Adhesive

This Webinar occurred on Tuesday, February 26.  If you missed it, click on the link below to view the webinar in it’s entirety:

To VIEW WEBINAR, Click Here and you will be brought to YOUTUBE to view the webinar

Featured Speaker: Lou Ann Weeks, mosaic artists and cofounder of Skeew.biz, a mosaic supply company that specializes in mosaic backers, co-producer of Mosaic Technique Videos, and editor of I-CMosaics.com.  How do you know which substrate (backer) is the right one for your project, and what is the right adhesive?  There are so many to choose from, and in this webinar, Lou Ann will help you make the right decisions. You’ll learn what criteria to consider before you start mosaicking. She’ll bring it all together and answer your questions during a Q & A period at the end of the webinar.