Women Veterans Get it Done with Jennifer McGuire

February 7, 2021, 2:00pm EST

In January 2019, Sacramento area women veterans created a large-scale mosaic mural for the Lohse Apartment Building in Roseville, California. Using scrap dishes and repurposed ceramics, the entire fifteen by nine-foot project was completed in four weekends by women of a wide variety of backgrounds, ages and military service. None had any previous mosaic training.  Collective mosaic-making provided a supportive context for conversations of shared military experiences unique to women veterans.

Coming together to complete a significant public art installation facilitated group discussions, sharing of resources, and engendered understanding, friendships, and future projects.  In this colorful presentation (video and PowerPoint), lead artist, Jenni McGuire and US Air Force veteran, Heather Schiodtz will report on the grand success of the Women Veterans Mural Project. They’ll share stories, challenges, and lessons learned, from barefoot designing to chats high on the scissor lift. They hope to motivate conference attendees to launch similar fun, healing, collective mosaic projects with marginalized populations. They will leave time for Q & A.

Jenni McGuire has been a mosaic artist for over 20 years, teaching and exhibiting nationally, especially around Northern California. She’s taught countless students basic and advanced mosaic techniques in 2D and 3D, sculptural form, and mosaic design. She originated the Watercolor Translation method, a process-oriented mosaic collage technique that synthesizes painting, mosaic, and music and is known for her work with specialty groups, facilitating people of varied backgrounds creating collective mosaic projects. She’s a founding member of the Seat of the Pants Women Artists Collective.  jennimcguiremosaics.com