From Harford County Public Schools:
Advanced art students at Fallston High School are currently working under the tutelage of professional mosaic artists to create a ‘living legacy’ masterpiece that will span 300 square feet on display in the school’s cafeteria.
Mrs. Sauer, art educator at Fallston High School, was awarded a grant through the Maryland State Arts Council that provided the funding for Ms. Sue Stockman and Mr. Bobby Malzone, both professional mosaic artists, to work with the school’s Advanced Painting and 3-D Design students.
During this special project, students have discussed in depth with the resident artists the concept of what a “living legacy” entails. Students agreed that having a desire to create, live and leave a legacy of meaning and purpose is very important. Every choice we make matters. Through the art project, students have reflected on a variety of ways their decisions impact others on a daily basis, from how they treat their friends and family to even the foods they choose to eat, how they protect the environment, and even how they spend their money.
Students worked from this intellectual but very abstract concept to create sketches that reflect the theme of a “living legacy.” As ethereal a concept as it is, the sketches from many students contained similar design elements. Classes worked together to gather the commonalities and devise a final design. Once the final design was determined, students learned how to create a scale model of the drawing and grid it out. Using wedi board, students drew out the final design and learned how to use power tools to cut out the shapes of the mosaic. From there, Ms. Stockman and Mr. Malzone trained students how to cut stained glass pieces and “tesserae,” or tile.
The mosaic residency was three weeks long in total, every other day, and will culminate on December 11, 2014. It will be installed that day in the cafeteria at Fallston High and will span over 30 feet long and over 10 feet high. Mrs. Saur and her students will host an unveiling celebration with students and parents alike on December 11, from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Mrs. Sauer is an extraordinary artist in her own right. She has the ability to impart her skills and talent to her students. She’s an awesome teacher! The artwork that comes out of her classroom is timeless and would be at home in some of the finest galleries. Kudos to all involved in this major project!
I agree…she’s an amazing teacher and colleague and the kids adore her! FHS is a better (and prettier!) place with her on board. 🙂
The Living Legacy mosaic is even more beautiful than I had imagined. I unexpectedly had the opportunity and great pleasure to view the installation and unveiling at FHS. Outstanding work by amazing artists, students included. Watching the whole event unfold made me so proud to be a member of the Fallston community!