Creative Collaboration - Society of American Mosaic Artists

Lin Schorr’s Collaborative
Mosaic Murals Leveraging the talent of a worldwide mosaic community
Photo: David Schorr
What started as a simple entry into a mosaic art contest on the
Flickr photo-sharing site has turned into a potentially careerchanging
endeavor for one Michigan artist. As the winner of
the Mosaic Box challenge in September 2008, Lin Schorr had the honor of
choosing the subject of the next challenge. She chose a simple 6-by-6-inch
swirl, to make the contest accessible to as many artists as possible.
When a few Flickr members discussed “how interesting it would be to put
them all together when they’re finished,” said Lin, “it took me about one
minute to want to take it on.” After gauging interest and getting approval
from the group moderator, Lin made the announcement to the group.
“There was no mulling it over, just an excited me informing my husband,
the frame builder, ‘Guess what we're doing?’”
Author and coordinator Lin Schorr with Amuzapalooza! Installed 2009. Stained glass,
vitreous tile, tempered glass, dichroic glass, mirror, smalti, plate glass, glass rods,
photos, millefiori; 3’ x 5’ mosaic, 4’ x 6’ framed.
10 Society of American Mosaic Artists
by Crystal Thomas
Lin sent instructions for working on mesh to
the participating artists and began looking for a
local venue for the community project. On the
suggestion of a friend, Lin contacted a manager
at Providence Park Hospital in Novi, Michigan,
who was taken by the project. “By the time the
final meeting rolled around, the swirl numbers
had swelled to 56 pieces, so a mockup was
made of two 3-by-5-foot panels, splitting the
swirls into warm and cool hues,” explained
Lin. Swirlendipity I and II were born.
The hospital was so pleased with the first
two murals that they requested two more.
Before Swirlendipity II was even delivered, Lin
was hard at work organizing Amuzapalooza!,
a mural consisting of interlocking puzzle
pieces, and planning Heartistry, a heartthemed
mural. So many artists from all over
the world had heard about the first murals and
wanted to participate that Lin had no shortage
of contributors for the third and fourth murals.
Overall, 86 artists and eight countries are
represented in the four public murals on
display at Providence Park Hospital.
According to Lin, the community art theme
and “the multiple levels of artists, from the
casual weekend mosaic artist to the professional,
is what made the magic happen.”
But it took more than that. Lin painstakingly
assembled and mounted all the contributions
according to design and color, added her
own stunning mosaic art for the borders,
and designed and built 4-by-6-foot custom
frames for each mural. For the second two
murals, she developed individual templates,
which she mailed to each participant along
with design and color criteria: contrast/
colorful/abstract for Amuzapalooza!, and
white/red/silver for Heartistry. Her vision,
organizational skills, and artistic talents are
what truly pulled this worldwide community
of artists together.
The last mural was installed on February
5, 2010, about 18 months after the idea
was born, and each mural has been well
received. “At one point, two of the murals
Photo: Crystal Thomas
From left to right, top row: Linda Vaden-Martin, Agnes Spitzer-Greig, Susan Crocenzi , Donna
Post, and Susan Walden. Bottom row: Crystal Thomas and Lin Schorr. Background: Heartistry was
installed in February in the Cardiology/ICU/Surgical Level 2 at Providence Park Hospital in Novi,
Michigan. Stained glass, vitreous tile, tempered glass, mirror, dichroic glass, fused glass, plate glass,
ceramic shapes, paper, flatware, metal key, jewelry (earrings, bracelet, pendants and charms, glass
marbles, millefiori, polymer clay, metal ball chain, BB pellets, clockwork gears, and beads of coral,
metal, glass, and onyx; 3 by 5 ft. mosaic, 4 by 6 ft. framed.
had to switch floors,” said Lin. “But the staff had already become attached to ‘their’
mosaic and didn’t hold back any opinions!” Reactions observed by Lin have generally
ranged from “they’re so beautiful” to “isn’t it amazing!” And when Lin goes to visit
them, “inevitably someone comes by to tell me all about them. I don’t let on that I’m
aware—I just smile and listen; it’s kind of fun.”
As for the contributing artists, they love being a part of something so beautiful, diverse,
and expertly crafted, and are without question delighted to have their work displayed in a
healing environment. In fact, one group of SAMA members extended its 2010 conference
experience by renting a van and driving from Chicago to Novi, Michigan, just to visit Lin
and her murals in person.
Lin’s experience with the mural project has been overwhelmingly positive. “I’ve been
project managing for years, and only working in mosaic for about three of those. I still
plan to plug away learning, designing, and creating. I find the generosity and excitement
of people heartwarming and energizing, but not surprising at all.”
Mosaic artists continue to ask Lin when they can participate again. “I would love to
do more hands-on mosaic collaborations!” said Lin. “However, this last project has kept
me busy for over a year, and I need to take some time to work on a few of my own ideas.
So instead of murals, I’m working on a charity event that is currently scheduled for April
2011, which coincides with Glass Month in Michigan and will benefit an international
charity.” For this project, Lin has collected the largest list of mosaic participants yet.
All of the murals are located at Providence Park Hospital in Novi, Michigan, on your
immediate right upon exiting the public elevators on floors 2 through 5.
Lin’s website is http://linschorr.com.
Crystal Thomas is a writer, editor, mom, wife, and last but not least, mosaic artist. CrystalThomasMosaics.com
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