Minnesota Mosaic Guild Showcased at Edina Art Center

For the first time in at least 14 years—as long as the program and gallery coordinator Anne Spooner has been there—and maybe ever, an all-mosaic show is on display at the .  

Mosaic is an art form that traditionally uses small pieces of colored glass or stone placed together to create an image. An ancient art still popular today, there are virtually limitless options in mosaic expression. 

The Minnesota Mosaic Guild show at the Edina Art Center opened June 30 and runs through Aug. 3. Showcasing the work of 22 artists, some with multiple pieces in the show, the bright and colorful display demonstrates the many possibilities of mosaic art. Many are two-dimensional pieces hung like paintings; others are three-dimensional with a sculptural quality. 

“It just gives you an idea of the possibilities,” Spooner said. “You can mosaic anything.” 

One thing all the pieces have in common is a luminescent, shining quality. Spooner calls the show “uplifting.”

“I’ve just enjoyed every day,” Spooner said. 

Spooner said the Edina Art Center is connected to a few of the participating mosaic artists through classes held at the Center. Barbara Steen rents studio space from the Edina Art Center to work on her mosaics. A member of the Minnesota Mosaic Guild for the past five years, Steen has eight pieces in the show, including an Andy Warhol-inspired mosaic of Marilyn Monroe and a classic image of a rooster. 

Steen also contributed to the Haitian Vodou Quilt on display at the show. After the devastating earthquake of January 2010, Minnesota Mosaic Guild members felt compelled to do something. 

“The earthquake inspired us to do that because art is very important in Haiti and a great deal of their art was destroyed,” Minnesota Mosaic Guild’s Susan Mathis said. 

Mathis designed the quilt and presented the idea to the Guild, whose members were excited to participate. Completed, the mosaic is a 24-square-foot symbol of support and solidarity through art. A collection of 24 twelve-inch by twelve-inch mosaic squares created as a tribute to the Haitian culture, the quilt is made up of two dozen images inspired by Haitian Vodou and primitive art. 

The Haitian Vodou Quilt is being donated to St. Paul-based nonprofit No Time for Poverty, which works to improve healthcare in Haiti. Three artists from the Minnesota Mosaic Guild will travel to Haiti to install the quilt in the new Klinik Timoun Nou Yo, an 8,370 square foot children’s clinic which will serve the Port Salut region of Haiti.  

You can view the Haitian Vodou Quilt and the rest of the mosaic pieces on display at the Edina Art Center through Aug. 3.