Downtown Mosaic Art Project spawns school of funky fish

MONTICELLO — Some vibrant, funky fish are adding river-based personality to the downtown in the form of mosaic artwork.

Earlier this month, MontiArts held the first workshop of the year in its Downtown Mosaic Art Project, and the results are now on display for all to see, with the colorful sea creatures swimming in the center median on West Broadway Street, near MontiArts’ headquarters.

“We had a total of 11 artists helping create all these beauties,” MontiArts Director Sue Seeger said. “They all volunteered their time and talents to make more public art for Monticello, and each one came out awesome and unique.”

The Mosaic Fish Project added 10 new stained glass fish to the community, with the help of nearly a dozen local artists who took an intensive intermediate-level class over the weekend of June 1-2 at MontiArts’ Garage.

“I love how all the fish are so different and everything was so unique and fun,” said Laura Bishop of Monticello, one of the artists who took part.

In addition to the school of fish on West Broadway, the project also includes a large fish-mosaic garden planter filled with greenery and flowers in front of the Monticello Community Center on Walnut Street.

It’s all part of the Downtown Mosaic Art Project being led by Laura Ruprecht, a skilled St. Cloud-based stained glass mosaic artist, who is working with MontiArts’ staff and area residents to create community-built public art pieces.

Ruprecht taught a beginner mosaic class in town back in December that proved popular, filling up quickly, according to Seeger.

With the help of an $8,000 grant from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, the teacher and artist returned at the beginning of June to lead the first of several workshops that will run throughout the summer and into the fall.

It was a labor-intensive, high-effort endeavor for the 11 who took part.

“It was two solid days of intense work; it was exhausting,” said participant Spencer Madsen of Clear Lake. “The first day, I went in and just sort of improvised something based on ‘Hey, look at all the pretty colors we can find.’ And then the second day I came in with a definite idea of what I wanted to do, a little something different than what everyone else was doing.”

With the aim of bettering the community, it was a labor of love for the group.

“I really wanted to do this because I wanted to help contribute to the beautification of Monticello and the arts scene here,” said Rolfe McAfee of Monticello, another of the artists who took part.

This is just the beginning of the city’s mosaic movement, which Seeger said MontiArts plans to continue for years to come.

“It’s a chance for us to build a coalition of highly skilled mosaic artists right in our own midst,” she said. “This will be an opportunity for us to absorb and pass these skills along to others in subsequent years. Let’s create a legacy of community-built public art in Monticello together.”

As of now, three more advanced workshops are planned, for adults only, with the next one starting on Saturday, June 29. The remaining workshops are slated to begin Aug. 3 and Sept. 7, with each one running for about a month.

Participants will learn advanced glass cutting and shaping skills, and how to create an intricate mosaic on top of a printed design overlayed with backing mesh.

“At each of these Saturday workshops, we will receive two new designs from Laura (Ruprecht) and will have roughly a month to complete our work,” Seeger explained. “Laura will get us started, and check on our progress throughout the project. We will get to see our work installed onto the round benches and grouted as the project unfolds. At the end we’ll host a public unveiling and have a party.”

The mosaic project is part of the City of Monticello’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which includes a chapter committed to community character, design and the arts.

The goals specifically call for using artistic streetscape elements to encourage economic development and vitality as well as a commitment to public art programming that includes opportunities for participation and expression.

For more information on MontiArts, visit www.montiarts.com. For more information on Ruprecht, visit her website at www.lauralizmosaicbiz.com.