FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The 15th Annual Mosaic Arts International Exhibition (MAI), sponsored by the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA), invigorates a new perspective of mosaic art in numerous contexts and celebrates established as well as emerging artists working in the medium today. The selected works reflect the multiplicity of the mosaic medium and its unlimited applications. But, regardless of the style, colors, textures, materials, or vision, each of the works exhibited speaks an ancient language with a contemporary translation. The 2016 exhibition is comprised of three segments, presented online and in two highly-energized venues at the NTC Liberty Station in San Diego, California.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: Masters Invitational
Casa Valencia Galería, March 31–May 29, 2016.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: Masters Invitational will be presented at Casa Valencia Galería, March 31–May 29, 2016. SAMA will present the works of several, distinctly unique voices in contemporary mosaic art.
NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE , PIERRE MARIE LEJEUNE
Ω / OMEGA
– 2001
78.7 x 74.8 x 19.7 inches 200 x 190 x 50 cm
Mirror, Steel, Glass, Wood
(image by permission of the Niki de Saint Phalle Charitable Art Foundation)
In partnership with the Niki de Saint Phalle Charitable Art Foundation (NCAF), SAMA will celebrate French artist, Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002), with a spotlight on her work while living in La Jolla, CA near the end of her life. We are honored to present on loan from the NCAF archives, one of her many collaborations with Pierre Marie Lejeune, Ω / OMEGA.
The exhibition will also include works by Irina Charny (Irvine, CA), an award-winning artist with an extensive list of collectors, including the Crocker Museum in Sacramento, CA; and Lynne Chinn (Plano, TX), recognized with several international art prizes and publication features; her fine art mosaics are represented in private homes and in public places all over the United States and Canada. Lastly, there will be a special presentation honoring beloved SAMA member, art historian, and mosaic scholar, JeanAnn Dabb.
Irina Charny
Byzantine Trio
2014
H 16.00” W 35.00” D 1.00”
Glass, gold, porcelain, beads, millefiori on wood panel
Lynne Chinn
Effluence
2014
H 22.00” W 35.50” D 5.00”
Smalti, 24k gold smalti, marble, vitreous glass, stained glass, quartz crystals, selenite, tourmaline
SAMA President and Exhibitions Committee Chair, Jacki Gran commented, “This will be a powerfully inspirational exhibition. We are grateful to the Niki de Saint Phalle Charitable Art Foundation and the participating artists for this stunning collection of exceptional mosaic art.”
Mosaic Arts International 2016: Fine Art
Women’s Museum of California, March 31–May 29, 2016
Mosaic Arts International 2016: Fine Art, a juried exhibit featuring the best in contemporary fine art mosaics from SAMA’s diverse international membership, will be presented at the Women’s Museum of California, March 31–May 29, 2016. The Women’s Museum of California is a women’s history museum and community educational resource dedicated to women and their stories by preserving the past and inspiring the future for women worldwide. This exhibition was juried by Elaine M. Goodwin, internationally-celebrated mosaic artist; Sherri Warner Hunter, American mosaic artist, sculptor, and author; and New York and Miami gallerist, Bernice Steinbaum, whose lifelong drive to represent women and artists of color was honored with an award-winning documentary, which will be screened during the SAMA Conference.
Elaine M. Goodwin was delighted with the entries from SAMA members commenting, “The final entries for the exhibition, I feel, all point to SAMA in America as possessing a sound core of mosaic artists. Together, their mosaics will display a highly developing and developed group of work. This is exciting and invigorating for the mosaic world as a whole, as contemporary mosaic is still quite a new art form—but one that is becoming steadily established and recognized in Europe and now the USA.”
Sherri Warner Hunter found the jury process enlightening, “It was a privilege to have the opportunity to view a wide range of artwork and to work with two other distinguished professionals to select the pieces for this exhibition. I was impressed by the process itself. There were multiple opportunities to view the images and to communicate with the other jurors. Opinions were expressed, viewpoints considered, and the resulting selections—this exhibition—were made.”
It is important to SAMA to balance our jury with a point of view outside the closely-knit mosaic art community, to provide an objective voice and fresh eyes to the collaborative jury process. SAMA was honored to welcome Bernice Steinbaum as a juror this year and as expected, she brought her special flair to the process noting, “Any jurors’ judgments or selections are at best limited to their particular tastes, or if you will, peculiar tastes at a particular time in the jurors’ life and a particular time in the history of art. All artists make magic—for those of us that do not (like me), it is virtually impossible to know or agree what are all the ingredients used for the magic potions. This juror selected the magic that worked for her. The scope of the entrants was challenging. None of the jurors worried about percentages of entrants to selections. We instead chose that work that spoke to each of us. “
Mosaic Arts International: Mosaic In Situ
Mosaic Arts International: Mosaic In Situ is a juried exhibit of the best in contemporary architectural and in situ mosaics from SAMA’s diverse international membership. Juried by Sherri Warner Hunter, this exhibition will be presented through images featured in the 2016 Mosaic Arts International Catalog, and in a dedicated image gallery on the SAMA Website, americanmosaics.org (available March 30, 2016).
Hunter spoke of her appreciation for the entrants of this segment of the exhibition, “This category is near to my heart and I want to congratulate all who submitted images for this exhibition. The commitment to ‘go big’ should not be taken lightly. The investment of materials and time is multiplied from typical studio work and there is no hiding it! By making it you have put it ‘out there’ twice, once in its creation, and again, by submitting it to this exhibition.
I’m encouraged by the new format of this category. A commissioned mosaic is very different from a community-based mosaic and they should be recognized separately however, both still need to be held at high standards. Both categories need to effectively serve the function they were deigned to accomplish.”
SAMA announces 2016 Mosaic Arts International Awards
FINE ART
2016 Best in Show: Millennium by Atsuko Laskaris
Best in Show is awarded to the work receiving highest collective marks from Jury through all rounds of review and confirmed through joint discussion. This is the second work, and second jury that has awarded Atsuko Laskaris, Mosaic Arts International Best in Show.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: BEST IN SHOW
Atsuko Laskaris
Millennium
2015
H 22.50” W 27.50” D 2.50”
Stained glass
2016 Technical Achievement Award, Roiling by Angela Sanders
Awarded to the work that exemplifies excellence in the methods, materials, and execution of traditional mosaic-making. Selected by the jury consensus.
Mosaic Arts International 2016:
Technical Achievement Award
Angela Sanders
Roiling
2015
H 19.50” W 30.00” D 2.00”
Smalti, antique gold, shells, onyx, marble, benitoite
2016 Contemporary Innovation Award, Defrag (Undone) by Erin Pankratz
Awarded to the work that best encourages experimentation and challenges the definition of mosaic art. Selected by the jury consensus. This is the second work, and second jury to award Erin Pankratz, the Contemporary Innovation Award.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: Contemporary Innovation Award
Erin Pankratz
Defrag (Undone)
2015
H 59.00” W 36.00” D 1.00”
Tinted mortar substrate, smalti, gold smalti, marble, mortar tesserae
Juror’s Choice: Elaine Goodwin, Tectonic Shift, New World Order by Cynthia Fisher
Juror’s Choice are individually selected and awarded to works of significant achievement from the viewpoint of each juror.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: Juror’s Choice; Elaine M. Goodwin
Cynthia Fisher
Tectonic Shift; New World Order
2014
H 27.00” W 27.00” D .50”
Stained glass, vitreous glass, contorno, unglazed porcelain, ceramic shards, handmade pottery shards, grout as an element
Juror’s Choice: Bernice Steinbaum, Judith’s Revenge by Lilian Broca
Juror’s Choice are individually selected and awarded to works of significant achievement from the viewpoint of each juror.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: Juror’s Choice; Bernice Steinbaum
Lilian Broca
Judith’s Revenge
2015
H 70.5” W 8.00” D 1.50”
Smalti, gold smalti, ceramic tile borders
Juror’s Choice: Sherri Warner Hunter, Dialogue (The burden of the message) by Julie Sperling
Juror’s Choice are individually selected and awarded to works of significant achievement from the viewpoint of each juror.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: Juror’s Choice; Sherri Warner Hunter
Julie Sperling
Dialogue (The burden of the message)
2015
H 17.25” W 24.50” D 1.00”
Spray paint layers, shale
MOSAIC IN SITU
Best In Situ Project, Benito Juarez Park by Jolino Bessera
Awarded to work that exemplifies excellence in design and installation methods. Sustaining harmony and timelessness with the surrounding architecture & environment.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: BEST MOSAIC IN SITU PROJECT
Benito Juarez Park
2014
Jolino Beserra
Los Angeles, CA
H 5.00’ W 4.00’ D 5.00’
Location: Maywood, CA USA
Best Community Project, Broadway’s Blooming by Dawn Mendelson
Awarded to work that exemplifies excellence in design and installation methods. Representative of the community and organization for whom and where it is installed.
Mosaic Arts International 2016: BEST COMMUNITY PROJECT
Broadway’s Blooming
2015
Dawn Mendelson
Long Beach, CA
H 4.00’ W 32.00’ D 0.05’
Location: Los Angeles, CA USA
Jacki Gran, SAMA President and Exhibitions Committee Chair, discussed her excitement for bringing this exhibition series to the NTC Arts & Culture District, Liberty Station. “We are thrilled to partner with the Women’s Museum of California and Casa Valencia Galería in presenting the work of our members to visitors of this fast-growing, cultural gathering place in San Diego.”
About SAMA
The Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, inspiring, and promoting excellence in the mosaic arts.
SAMA was founded in 1999 by a small group of mosaic artists who wanted a venue through which they could share their knowledge, expertise, and interest in mosaic art—this most ancient of art forms that was experiencing a significant contemporary revival.
Today, fifteen years later, we remain a vibrant and ever-expanding group of more than 900 members, including mosaic artists at all levels, mosaic aficionados, collectors, materials suppliers, and art educators. We have put renewed emphasis on strengthening ties with other mosaic organizations around the globe to pursue common goals and develop new programs relevant to our diverse membership.
Society of American Mosaic Artists
PO Box 624
Ligonier, PA 15658
AmericanMosaics.org
About Casa Valencia Galería
Casa Valencia Galería, born on August 3, 2012 and with it, the project “Un paso al norte” (A step to the north), with the main objective of promoting the artists of Baja California, Mexico, in the United States. “Un paso al norte” means to strengthen our artistic presence on both sides of the border, resulting in a better projection of our culture. Casa Valencia Galería is committed to form an audience that spreads the force of artistic creation through the dissemination and promotion of artistic work.
Casa Valencia Galería
2730 Historic Decatur Road
Barracks 16, Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92106
619-752-6118
valenciagallery.com
About Women’s Museum of California
The Women’s Museum of California is a women’s history museum and community educational resource dedicated to women and their stories by preserving the past and inspiring the future for women worldwide.
Women’s Museum of California
2730 Historic Decatur Road
Barracks 16, Suite 103,
San Diego, CA 92106
619-233-7963
womensbuseumca.org