The annual conference of the Society of American Mosaic Artists came to an end a week ago in Tacoma, WA. It was an amazing week, and the culmination of more than a year's worth of work for many people, namely our fearless local co-chairs, Richard Davis and Kelley Knickerbocker. They, along with SAMA staff Dawnmarie Zimmerman and Chris Forillo, pulled off the largest conference in the organization's history. About 500 mosaic artists and enthusiasts descended on the glass-topia of the Northwest. The exhibition was held in the Museum of Glass, Chihuly glass art is everywhere in this town, and the conference hotel, Hotel Murano, is decorated with glass art, top to bottom. One aspect of our conference for the past seven years has been the Mosaic Marathon. It's a group project where a lead artist (or artists, in our case) are chosen to work with a non-profit in the conference city and design a project that is fabricated during the conference and then donated to the organization. More than a year ago, my colleague Mark Brody and I were chosen to lead this project. The host committee selected the Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound as the recipients.
Suffice it to say that this is a gigantic undertaking. We learned from the outset that having a team of two leads is the way to go with this. We worked on the project together on and off for over a year, and by the time the conference rolled around, we were ready! Still, it was four solid days of very long hours, with bits of the conference squeezed in. A little finish grouting and cleaning on Saturday, and installation on Sunday, and SUCCESS!
Thanks to ALL the volunteers who participated in the project, especially for our leads Ella Rhodes and Kate Jessup. And the other member of our "A" team, Karen Rycheck. Plus a big thanks to my husband Bob Faber, who helped Mark and me, along with B&G Club Director Gary Klein do the installation.
Through these photos you can enjoy the journey!