This episode features an artist who is an intrepid explorer and passionate engineer of storytelling.  She is deeply intrigued by the dualities inherent in the human condition and her body of mixed media and mosaic work is the result of a committed studio practice that keeps her in a constant state of discovery, New York-based artist, Karen Kettering Dimit.   Karen is the Co-Founder of the LIC Arts Open, a Senior Arts member of the St. Botolph Club, and a member the Society of American Mosaic Artists, LIC Artists.  She was also the Chair of Sculpture at the Pen and Brush, NYC.  Ms. Dimit has shown widely throughout the U.S., both in solo and group exhibitions. Most recently, she was juried into the 2018 Mosaic Arts International, winning the Contemporary Innovation Award.  Other recent events: she was invited to show work in the 10th anniversary celebration of The Gallery at Penn College (where she showed a significant body of work in 2014), juried once again into the competitive exhibition of Mosaic Arts International 2016, held this year at the Women's History Museum in San Diego, and was invited to participate in a small group show featuring strong women at Gold Coast Art Center.  Her “Medusa” won the “Best in Show” award in SAMA's juried member exhibition in Chicago, 2006; and “Miss Willendorf 2008” won “First Place” in the Pen and Brush 62ndAnnual Sculpture Exhibition in NY.  Ms. Dimit lives in Manhattan and maintains a studio in Queens (LIC). She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Compleat Sculptor in New York, and Orsoni Mosaics in Venice, Italy. Ms. Dimit has also curated a number of well-received shows, most recently UPSTANDERS!!!, as show of 23 artists who channel their activism into their art practice.  Her ingenuity was just recognized by the Mosaic Arts International 2018 Fine Art segment Jurors with the 2018 Contemporary Innovation award.  https://kkdimit.com https://americanmosaics.org/behind-the-mosaic-podcast-episode-6-karen-kettering-dimit/

In this episode, Dawnmarie chats with Andryea Natkin about the long and winding road her life as a student and traveler and explorer has fed her thirst for making art.  Andryea earned her BFA in Painting from the School of the Art Institute Chicago before studying mosaics. Her work has been included in several prestigious exhibitions and art publications in the US and abroad.  We are thrilled that we were able to capture her reaction when Dawnmarie informed her that the piece that wouldn't leave her alone for years, was selected as 2018 Best in Show. https://www.tinypiecesmosaics.com For accompanying images and references, visit: https://americanmosaics.org/behind-the-mosaic-podcast-episode-5-andryea-natkin

Episode 4 continues our exploration of mosaic as a healing art, with an artist whose passions for color, pattern, and travel have fueled a prolific career of mosaic making, community engagement, and public art.  Today I chat with New Orlean’s based Artist, Laurel True.   Laurel True is an artist and educator specializing in creative placemaking. Over the past 25 years, she has designed, created and facilitated hundreds of projects for hospitals, parks, commercial, residential and public spaces in the US, Haiti, Africa, Europe, Turkey and Latin America.   In addition to running a professional production studio, True is the Founding Director of The Global Mosaic Project, which provides art education and entrepreneurial training to underserved communities in urban and developing areas.   True co-founded the Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland, California, a pioneering mosaic education, and resource center, and continues to foster education in the mosaic arts through teaching and lecturing around the world.  truemosaics.com For accompanying images and references, visit: https://americanmosaics.org/behind-the-mosaic-episode-4-laurel-true

Behind the Mosaic is a series of audio studio visits with some of the most inspirational people in the mosaic art community. It is designed to provide an additional mode of connection between artists, mosaicists, collectors, and enthusiasts of all levels of engagement with mosaic art. We hope to extend those connections by exploring the opportunities for mosaic makers to connect their work with communities, institutions and professional disciplines outside of our mosaic centric world. This weeks guest is beautifully rooted in two disciplines and has forged her own path of connection between her calling as an artist and devotion to social work. Episode 3 features, Dr. Meagan Corrado. Meagan Corrado is a Doctor of Social Work and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the greater Philadelphia area. She earned her Doctorate of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and her Masters of Social Services from Bryn Mawr College. She is a trauma therapist who integrates the arts into her practice with inner-city children and adolescents. She created the Storiez Trauma Narrative intervention, which supports trauma survivors in creating, voicing, and honoring their stories through a variety of creative mediums. Meagan also currently serves as the President of the Mosaic Society of Philadelphia. http://storiezguide.com For accompanying images and references, visit: https://americanmosaics.org/?p=12752

Behind the Mosaic is a series of audio studio visits with some of the most inspirational people in the mosaic art community. This episode features Sherri Warner Hunter, an artist whose large scale public & private installations have elevated the value of the mosaic medium beyond that of a surface treatment to method of achieving meaningful impact and engagement with the environment and community for which a work is created. Sherri is the creative force behind SWH Art Studio Inc. in Bell Buckle, TN. Since moving there in the mid-90’s, the Studio’s production has concentrated on large-scale public commissions and community-based artworks. Hunter’s work is included in many private collections and can be viewed publicly at the Executive Residence of Tennessee, Nashville; McLaren Health Care Village, Clarkston, MI; The Pediatric Network Therapy Center, Torrance, CA; and at Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto, CA. Hunter has written two books. The most recent “Creating Concrete Ornaments for the Garden” was published by Lark Books and developed from expertise honed through decades of teaching studio workshops. She continues to teach workshops at SWH Art Studio Inc., across the country, and internationally. Visit her website for additional information: https://swhartstudioinc.wordpress.com For accompanying images and references, visit: https://americanmosaics.org/?p=12389

Behind the Mosaic is a series of audio studio visits with some of the most inspirational people in the mosaic art community and we start off with a truly unique artistic voice, Canadian artist, Sophie Drouin. Sophie’s award-winning work has been featured in professional exhibits in Italy, France, and North America. In addition to her many commissioned works, she has performed as juror and exhibition curator, she has taught mosaic technique in several studios throughout the US and Canada and is the English editor of the French publication 'Mosaique Magazine’. Classically trained in Italy, France and the United States, she is lauded for her innovative work in combining natural stone and marble materials with mosaic glass, in both traditional and modern styles. Her works include wall hangings, sculptures, window hangings in Dalles de Verres, and incorporates uniquely textured and contoured motifs. She will be a Featured Presenter and Education Session Instructor at the 2018 American Mosaic Summit in Boston Massachusetts and is the 2018 Mosaic Arts International Invitational Artist. For accompanying images, references and glossary visit: https://americanmosaics.org/?p=12349