How do I participate!?
Participation in the Mosaic Marathon project is free for all registered conference attendees and guests and we encourage all First-Time conference attendees to stop in! Sitting around a mosaic worktable is the BEST WAY to meet new people!
At this time, we believe the room will be large enough for everyone to move around so we will not be scheduling worktimes, just STOP ON BY!
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, Belmont Room
Monday, April 4, 2016, 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 8:00am – 10:00pm
Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 8:00am – 6:00pm (or till it’s FINISHED!)
The Mosaic Marathon is an integral part of SAMA’s annual conference. In addition to workshops, presentations, and distinguished key note speakers, the Mosaic Marathon brings together our members for an opportunity to create a large-scale mosaic. This artwork is a lasting piece of art that is donated to a local charity or needy establishment in our host conference city. As a non-for-profit organization, this is an opportunity for SAMA to give back to the art community and create a lasting reminder of the legacy of SAMA and its mission.
The 2016 recipient of the Mosaic Marathon project is the St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center in El Cajon, California. St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center serves individuals with developmental disabilities through nationally-recognized innovative programs. They combine a culture of care and creativity within quality programs to provide liberal arts education, practical skills development, employment, and dignity. Their mission is to educate and empower people with development disabilities.
Lead Artists Jolino Beserra and Dawn Mendelson with representatives of 2016 Mosaic Marathon Recipient, St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center and the preliminary design plan!
Three panels will be created to surround the main entryway to St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (SMSC). The top panel contains the name of the center. The two side panels are rendered in a tapestry motif—reminiscent of the panels proudly hanging in the greenhouse, showcasing SMSC artists’ work. SAMA’s mosaic panels depict the energy and activities of the participants of SMSC. This organization provides a vast selection of engaging activities to support and encourage empowerment, and instill self-confidence in their participants. The panels include references to their aquatics program, extensive arts programming, and popular garden activities, as well as nods to the culinary arts, the new vineyard, and the drama and music programs. The overall comprehensive design reflects the playful and creative expressions found in SMSC artists’ work.
In addition to the participation of SAMA members, we want to collaborate with the SMSC artists by inviting them to create elements to be included in the mosaic. To honor and acknowledge the center’s 50th year of service, their artists will create fifty fused-glass elements to be included in the mural. Because their arts program has a mosaic component, we also would like to invite those participating artists to create some of the mosaic flowers.
The entrance to this building serves as the entry to many of these participants’ days and lives. We hope to give them a joyful vision and reflect the very nature of their creative and generous selves.
About the Lead Artists who are collaborating for the first time on this amazing project!
Jolino Beserra
California native, Jolino Beserra was born in East Los Angeles and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. After graduating from Arroyo High School in 1975, he attended Pasadena City College for two years before being accepted to The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He graduated with a B.A. in illustration in 1982 and entered the advertising world focusing on the entertainment industry. Byrd/Beserra Studios was created in 1985 with his partner, the celebrated poster designer and illustrator, David Edward Byrd (david-edward-byrd.com). Jolino completed his masters degree in 1989.
I transitioned from advertising to mosaic artist with my mosaic poster art for Taylor Hackford’s film Blood In, Blood Out. I was creating small gallery pieces and residential installations when I was approached to design and create my first large-scale mosaic consisting of a 30-foot curved bench flanked by a pair of 25-foot fluted columns for Camarillo’s new public library. My mosaic installations and sculptures can now be seen in Southern California libraries as well as public parks created for The Trust For Public Land. My home mosaics were featured in the Los Angeles Times home section in 2011 and in the book Creating Curb Appeal in 2010.
My goal and desire as an artist has always been to create visual stories. When people view my pique-assiette mosaics, they find a personal, but shared, experience in the many stories found among the wildly varying objects, textures, and colors. My mosaics are designed with a distinctively graphic point of view to achieve an architectural statement with humor, lasting beauty, and permanence. ~jolinoarchitecturalmosaics.com
Dawn Mendelson
Southern California artist Dawn Mendelson specializes in mixed-media, color-themed organic abstractions. After receiving her masters degree in 1998, she began her journey into mosaic. She works on both big and small projects, from fine art to large-scale murals. Dawn has led many community projects and teaches in a variety of schools and settings throughout Southern California. She is the Program Director of Piece by Piece, a nonprofit organization that brings mosaic art to under-served neighborhoods in Skid Row and South Central Los Angeles. She has been featured on HGTV and PBS, and her work is exhibited in institutions and private collections throughout the western region. Her passion is working with people, especially those who are new to art, and enjoying their moments of self-discovery. ~dawnmendelson.com
How do I participate!?
Participation in the Mosaic Marathon project is free for all registered conference attendees and guests and we encourage all First-Time conference attendees to stop in! Sitting around a mosaic worktable is the BEST WAY to meet new people!
At this time, we believe the room will be large enough for everyone to move around so we will not be scheduling worktimes, just STOP ON BY!
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, Belmont Room
Monday, April 4, 2016, 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 8:00am – 10:00pm
Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 8:00am – 6:00pm (or till it’s FINISHED!)