con·flu·ence : a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point
Most learning in life seems to come from difficult times. And if there's one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic showed us, it's how much we need each other. A year of living in isolation had left us yearning to reconnect with friends, neighbors, and even casual relationships we have with our baristas, classmates, other community members. We needed to rebuild and repair these relationships in order to heal our own lives and that of our city.
Thank you to all of our generous sponsors and donors who made the 2021 Mosaic for Community project possible and your investment in relationships and the health of our city!
The 20' x 25' mosaic mural titled "Confluence" will be an enduring symbol of the importance of relationships and celebrate 30 years of disrupting social isolation with Maybelle Center.
Each kit will had different pieces of glass found in the recycle bin at Bullseye Glass and they were assembled without direct collaboration with the other 499 artists. Yet, the shapes and colors of the tesserae form a common language.
THE STORY BEHIND
The project theme was inspired by Di, a Maybelle member, and resident at Macdonald West apartments, who reminds us that none of us are too broken, and nothing is thrown away. The beauty of each person is as varied as Oregon's landscape, and we're all integral to the vibrancy of Portland's unfolding story.
By supporting this project, you will bring Maybelle members and Macdonald Residents together with the Portland community through art.
Each of the 500 tiles will be individually designed by members and donors like you with colored glass gleaned from the recycling container at Bullseye Glass. Each found piece comes together to create beauty within each tile and is connected through the overarching design.
Like each of us, every one of the 1' tiles is integral.
Each of the 500 mosaic panels will come together to form a 20' x 25' mural on the courtyard wall between Macdonald Residence Assisted Living and Maybelle Center. The courtyard is a safe outdoor space for our assisted living residents and a welcome respite for connection and relaxation in the center of Old Town. Artists and project backers will be invited to the unveiling of the mosaic in early Fall.
The finished mural brings color and joy to everyone at Macdonald Residence Assisted Living and Maybelle Center.
FROM THE ARTISTS
"The mural is an abstract representation of a birds-eye-view of the Willamette and Columbia rivers as they meander through Portland. The two rivers converging into one body represent communities bound in effort and action, supporting one another to thrive. Like droplets of water flowing together, we connect with each other to offer the essence of life, renewal, and survival.
"The 'strokes' of the pastels are notably impressionistic and utilize a vibrant palette between cool and warm, wet and dry, to contrast elemental forces. The project is a Surrealist exercise as each of the 500 tile kits are assembled by individual artists. The intentional shapes and colors of the tesserae in each kit will form a common language. Our duty as visionaries is to trust that the final product will contain the beauty of the hands that created it."
Glass artist, Todd Beaty, explains how the mosaic starts with small pieces of luminous glass and becomes a large-scale mural in Maybelle Center's Courtyard.
Mural Artist, Crystal Meneses, explains how the inspiration for the project came from a member at Maybelle Center.
Artists Todd and Crystal explain how the design of the mosaic project allows them to move forward and disrupt social isolation - no matter what the pandemic brings.