Art League meeting featured mosaic artist
The Feb. 10 meeting of the LW Art League featured mosaic artist Dawn Mendelson, who discovered mosaic almost by accident when she picked up an art store mosaic kit over 20 years ago.
Originally working as a graphic designer, Mendelson found a new passion in pique assiette, a form of mosaic using recycled materials. After years of creating commissioned art, she was invited to teach a nonprofit mosaic arts program and social enterprise, helping people on Skid Row and in South Los Angeles find their creative voice through hands-on workshops. This new mission of raising social awareness and building artistic expression led her to launch Piece by Piece and Art-WorksLBC, a Long Beach-based arts wellness program.
Now, as a certified community teaching artist, Mendelson is the president of Contemporary Mosaic Art 2, serves on several nonprofit boards and committees and educates on a national level.
On Feb. 10, she gave an inspiring presentation, demonstration, personal history and visual journey promoting mosaic as a therapeutic public service. The crowd of 50 league members and guests were spellbound by her amazing two-dimensional frame works, wall-hangings and reliefs, as well as her three-dimensional vessels, gords and spheres.
The evening concluded with the award for “most popular” art piece given to Terese Smith for her painting “Rosa Dorata.” Helen Elich won the raffle prize: a Dawn Mendelson mosaic potted succulent.
The Art League will meet Tuesday, March 10, in Clubhouse 4 for a hands-on workshop hosted by multi-media artist Katie Stubblefield. Supplies will be provided free of charge courtesy of a grant provided by the Golden Rain Foundation.
All Leisure World residents and guests are welcome to attend the meeting. Art League members can bring their own artwork to display. Those bringing artwork need to check in at 5:30. Two-dimensional artwork needs to be framed. Pedestals will be provided for threedimensional pieces.
—Jim Greer
Terese Smith won the "most popular" award with her paint -
ing titled "Rosa Dorata."
Helen Elich (l) holds her raffle prize: a succulent in a mosaic pot created by artist Dawn Mendelson (r).
