Artaic is extremely excited to have helped artist Johanna Poethig realize her recent work of art. It’s great to be able to work with artists from all over the globe to spread the beauty and timelessness of mosaic art. The following is a statement from Johanna Poethig about her recent project for Skyline College in San Bruno, CA.
Skyline College Pillars of Educational Values:
“VISION TAPESTRY” and “MISSION TAPESTRY”
The “Vision” and “Mission” pillars are located on the first and second floor of the Student and Community Center of Skyline College in the Bay Area. As a gathering place for the Skyline community this artwork is designed to transform the space with a colorful tapestry of text taken from the Vision and Mission Statements of Skyline College. The visual intention of this artwork is to enliven the institutionally neutral hallways with rich color, strong design, and thematic content conceptually linking the two floors.
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These words powerfully convey the commitment and goals of the college. What more appropriate site for this public art interpretation than this Center where they can serve as a daily reminder of the importance of life long education and learning. The text is woven into a tapestry of color, shapes and line. The words wrap as well as extend up the pillar playing with perception and unfolding its meaning. Fabricated out of glass mosaic through Artaic’s digital/robotic process it has a “woven” look. They look uniquely contemporary, cultural and traditional in their integration of text and textile/tapestry effect.
As a finalist for this project my first thought was to do hand built ceramic or broken tile mosaic and shape it to the pillar. This seemed very difficult, time consuming and not in keeping with the space. Having just finished a 1000 square foot hand cut and glazed exterior ceramic tile installation on an 8-story building I was ready for something less labor intensive. I had been researching different mosaic processes and came across Artaic.
I called and got more information on it from Paul Reiss who was extremely helpful throughout the project. He showed me how to use the software so I could see what it would look like while I designed the artwork. I decided to do the design for these pillars using this process. It seemed perfect for my text-textile-tapestry concept in terms of its composition, interwoven elements, its sleek look on the pillars, vibrancy of the colors and durability in a public site. Not to mention the robot putting it together for me. The Skyline panel selected my design for all those reasons and I was awarded the contract.
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I had the pillars prepared and plastered to receive the mosaic. I then sent off my files after checking the final dimensions and trying to estimate the circumference including the mortar. Positioning the text was interesting since the pillars are viewed from so many different directions. The design accommodated this but it was still important to consider the optimum placement in terms of entrance and flow through the halls.
The students, staff, faculty and administrators were all intrigued and delighted as the artwork unfolded. Skyline celebrated it 40th anniversary during the installation and the project was a feature throughout the day. There were many great comments including the way mosaic pillars transformed the two floors of the building in a way people never imagined.This is the power of art.
I am glad to have had the opportunity to add this technique to my repertoire and am excited about using it for future projects.
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your vision for the project as well as the process.