An artist-owned mosaic supply shop, community classroom & artist studio

Mosaics with Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

The Ordway's Flint Hills International Children's Festival
For the past two years, we've had the privilege of having fun with lots of great kids and adults at the Ordway's Flint Hills International Children's Festival in downtown St. Paul. From making mosaic bikes and wagons for the Art Moves Parade to creating three community mosaics during the Festivals, we've gone through oodles of glue and changed how people look at broken stuff and found objects. (At least that's what they've told us. And we believe them, because, well, why not?) There's something powerful about starting with a simple drawing - a musician, a group of acrobats and dancers, a butterfly - and laying out piles of tiles, gems, and mirror, and seeing where everyone takes it. Over the course of several days, hundreds of people contributed to the community mosaics at the Festival. We think it's important to give kids (and adults too, now that we think about it) the opportunity to contribute a small piece to something bigger than any one person. And, knowing that it's enough to simply take home an experience - an intangible gift - in a place and time where we're bombarded with meaningless stuff and junk around every corner.