Anticipation has been growing with the 100th Birthday of West Riverside approaching where Kate Garcia Rouh has been teaching Art since the early 1990’s. A significant artwork that the entire student body could participate in creating was what Kate had in mind when she applied for a grant through the Greater Jacksonville Cultural Council. That the artwork would become something the whole neighborhood could enjoy also became a goal for the project.
Mary Doppel, a local artist experienced in making mosaics, gladly agreed to assist Garcia Rouh with the planning and creation of the mosaic. The location on the Park Street side of the school was chosen as the installation site for its high visibility from that busy street. Materials for the construction were purchased. Exterior grade panels were prepared to withstand the weather. Robert Allen, one of our very handy custodians, helped us with cutting the backer board and plywood and screwing in a lot of screws (Eighteen panels of various sizes and shapes wrap around the corner of the building creating a mural that is 43 feet long with varying heights from 1 to 5 feet.). Approval from the Historic Planning Commission and Riverside Avondale Preservation was needed because W.R.E.S. is an historic building in an historic neighborhood.
Meanwhile, students were given instruction in the history of mosaics and viewed photographic reproductions of examples from ancient Rome and Byzantium. They made paper mosaics which were displayed in the school. Students brainstormed about the design of their collaborative mosaic mural. It was agreed that different aspects of the neighborhood would be represented. There would be the land, the sky and the St. Johns River.
The children created slab-rolled tiles of objects and creatures that would inhabit the neighborhood: houses, trees, flowers, birds, butterflies, rabbits, ducks, cats, dogs, fire hydrants and street signs. Teachers and parents donated marbles, ceramics and tile discards to use for background areas. Mirror pieces (donated by Lee & Cates Glass) added sparkle to the sky and water. Mrs. Rouh fired the tiles in the school’s kiln and then the students glazed them. (Unfired glaze looks very different after it is fired. For example, the color labeled “Foliage Green” is the color of rusty brown in the jar. Therefore you will find at least one green dog in the mural! Look for lots of other whimsical touches, too.)
Once all the tiles were glazed and fired the assembly really began. The panels were laid out on tables wrapping around the school’s foyer. As a guide, chalk lines made boundaries for river, land and sky. Students and adults alike got to place the tiles on the panels. Students re-glazed recycled tiles when it became apparent that more sky and more grass were needed. Every day the students, staff and visitors could see and participate in the mural’s progress. The deadline for mortaring all the tiles was the last day of school. When everything was mortared in place the panels were installed on the exterior wall at the back of the school. One day mid-summer an expert team of men got that job done in 90 minutes!
The finish work was begun on Labor Day when Mr. and Mrs. Rouh trimmed the mural in wood (which has subsequently been tiled as well) and all the grouting is complete and sealed. Hopefully, exterior lighting will be installed so that the community can enjoy the mural even at night!
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