
Happy Lunar New Year! đ We're celebrating the Year of the Snake with this Roman mosaic from House of the Faun in Pompeii, Italy.
"Nile Scene from the "Casa del Fauno" House of the Faun Pompeii"
2nd BCE - 1st century CE.
The first professionally focused school for classical and contemporary Mosaic Arts in the USA
The Chicago Mosaic School is a community of professional artists and educators engaged in the formal practice of the World Master tradition of Mosaic Arts.
Operating as usual
Happy Lunar New Year! đ We're celebrating the Year of the Snake with this Roman mosaic from House of the Faun in Pompeii, Italy.
"Nile Scene from the "Casa del Fauno" House of the Faun Pompeii"
2nd BCE - 1st century CE.
Pet Portraiture (Glass-on-Glass) is available in both 6-week and weekend workshop format!
In this course, students will capture the personality and characteristics of their subjects as they learn how to translate a photo into a unique design for a Glass-on-Glass mosaic portrait. Students will need to supply a good photo (or several photos) of their pet subject for use in the class, and will need prior approval from the instructor.
All materials are included. No prerequisite.
Offered:
6-week Course:
Wed. 9/19-3/26, 6-9pm
Wed. 5/14-6/18, 6-9pm
Weekend Workshop:
Fri.-Sun. 2/28-3/2, 9am-5pm
Thur.-Sat. 6/5-6/7, 9am-5pm
Enroll here: https://chicagomosaicschool.org/classes-and-workshops
Tonight!
Tomorrow! Join us at the Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics for the Opening Reception of Class Act 2025!
This annual exhibition presents works of past and present students of The Chicago Mosaic School (2005-present). It showcases the diverse works being created by local, national and international artists who have studied at The Chicago Mosaic School during their careers. The exhibition will illustrate the diverse scope of contemporary mosaic art voices and showcase students that have grown as artists through their educational experience(s) at CMS.
The Chicago Mosaic School and its affiliate gallery, GoCM, are dedicated to promote awareness and appreciation for the ancient art form of mosaics and create an open community for learning, sharing expertise, and developing the medium within a contemporary context.
Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics
1127 W Granville Ave.
Chicago, IL
This March we are excited to welcome Gary Drostle back to CMS for this exclusive opportunity to learn about what goes into creating large-scale mosaic projects. In this six-day workshop, participants have the opportunity to learn the considerations, organizational needs and logistics that go into producing large scale and public works. Enroll today!
https://chicagomosaicschool.org/classes-and-workshops/p/architectural-mosaics-with-gary-drostle
Tomorrow! Join us at the Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics for the Opening Reception of Class Act 2025!
This annual exhibition presents works of past and present students of The Chicago Mosaic School (2005-present). It showcases the diverse works being created by local, national and international artists who have studied at The Chicago Mosaic School during their careers. The exhibition will illustrate the diverse scope of contemporary mosaic art voices and showcase students that have grown as artists through their educational experience(s) at CMS.
The Chicago Mosaic School and its affiliate gallery, GoCM, are dedicated to promote awareness and appreciation for the ancient art form of mosaics and create an open community for learning, sharing expertise, and developing the medium within a contemporary context.
Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics
1127 W Granville Ave.
Chicago, IL
Did you know that CMS also offers drawing classes? Our 6-week Drawing From Still Life class begins next month! All levels welcome!
Using drawing materials and working from a variety of subjects, students will progress from quick sketches to longer drawing sessions. In each week of this 6-week class, a different aspect of drawing will be introduced. The act of observing and drawing helps increase oneâs visual awareness and sensitivity. The skills gained in this class will give you confidence to create with your own voice.
Enroll here: https://chicagomosaicschool.org/classes-and-workshops/p/drawing-from-still-life
Upcoming Class! Embracing The Broken: Mosaic and Metaphor - with CMS Creative Director, Karen Ami! đ¤
Each one of us holds beautiful yet imperfect stories within us that, when expressed through art can be shared and bring connection and healing to the world. We can repair by telling our own, original stories. In this four-day workshop, led by CMS Founder and Creative Director, Karen Ami, students will compose and create works with personal and collected items as well as a selection of studio materials provided at the workshop.
Mosaics are a specific art form built upon a framework or narrative. While not collage or assemblage, this medium shares the action/process of gathering, collecting, and reinvention. Shards, nostalgic relics, fragmented and fractured materials are fixed and set into mortar -restoring and giving new life to what was broken, an action of redemption and repair. Through a series of exercises, students will write, draw, compose and play relating to an issue or story that will generate a work in mosaic.
Using the philosophy of Wabi Sabi as well as the practice of kintsugi, students will discuss essays on process and practice by various artists. Assignments will focus on a series of mosaic âsketchesâ, creating original tesserae, or elements out of clay, and drawing âcartoonsâ as a process for recording ideas and planning new works. Students will complete a final piece incorporating the concepts and possibilities offered in this workshop. Topics will include sourcing materials, the importance of appropriate substrates and adhesives and drawing for mosaic designs.
All materials are included. No prerequisite.
Offered:
Thursday-Sunday, 2/13 - 2/16, 9am-5pm
Thursday-Sunday, 8/7 - 8/10, 9am-5pm
1127 W. Granville
Chicago, IL
Join us on Friday, January 24th at the Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics for the Opening Reception of Class Act 2025 an annual juried exhibition by works of past and present students of The Chicago Mosaic School (2005-present).
The exhibition showcases the diverse works being created by local, national and international artists who have studied at The Chicago Mosaic School during their careers. The exhibition will illustrate the diverse scope of contemporary mosaic art voices and showcase students that have grown as artists through their educational experience(s) at CMS.
The Chicago Mosaic School and its affiliate gallery, GoCM, are dedicated to promote awareness and appreciation for the ancient art form of mosaics and create an open community for learning, sharing expertise, and developing the medium within a contemporary context.
Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics
1127 W Granville Ave.
Chicago, IL
Upcoming! One-Day Smalti Workshop! đ
This workshop explores the rich, colorful, traditional material called smalti, a Byzantine glass that has been made in Europe for centuries. Our vast smalti inventory gives students the opportunity to work with this unique material and learn about its applications and cutting. Students are introduced to tools like the hammer & hardie, as well as thinset, color, and the use of light and texture in mosaics.
Students will complete a 5â x 5â piece.
All materials are included. No Prerequisite.
Offered:
Mon. 1/27, 9am-4pm
Thur. 3/13, 9am-4pm
Sun. 5/4, 9am-4pm
Sun. 7/27, 9am-4pm
Enroll at https://chicagomosaicschool.org/classes-and-workshops/p/one-day-smalti-workshop
Reminiscing about warm days like Mosaic Fest 2024 âď¸ CMS is looking forward to Mosaic Fest 2025! Save the date: Sunday June, 1st.
Last summer our CMS team completed a mural with Gateway to Learning! âď¸
The Chicago Mosaic School began working with Gateway to Learning in 2019 to create a memorial mural for Cheriâs Gateway Garden. Gateway to Learning is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide lifelong learning for adults with intellectual challenges and developmental disabilities that promotes active inclusion at home, at work, and in the community. Working with this wonderful community, CMS created a sustainable, inclusive public artwork that can be enjoyed and shared with the neighborhood as well as the families staff at Gateway to Learning.
Location: Gateway to Learning at 4925 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60625, while you are there stop in to Dorothyâs Sweet Shoppe.
Ready to take your mosaics to the next level? Sign up for CMS Mosaic II: Studio Foundations! ⨠ChicagoMosaicSchool.org
Thank you, Verdiano Marzi, for teaching at The Chicago Mosaic School again in 2024.
Maestro Marzi's 2025 workshops are now open for enrollment on CMS chicagomosaicschool.org.
Student works and workshop materials full of texture and color from, Pamela Irving's two new courses she taught in 2024! Want to try your hand at collage and mosaics? Enroll in one of Pamela's 2025 workshops this November 2025! chicagomosaicschool.org
EXCITING NEWS from The Chicago Mosaic School!
This holiday season, we want to extend a warm thank you for being part of The Chicago Mosaic School!
Each and every one of you is part of our growing community, whether youâre a longtime student, an occasional gallery visitor, or you just stumbled across us on Instagramâhey, every family has its distant cousins! Weâre feeling extra sentimental this holiday season, because weâre rounding the corner on our 20th year!! Weâre also sentimental because, with support from friends like you, we raised $22,216.33 this holiday season!
And we know - we promised you newsâŚ
Over the last twenty years, The Chicago Mosaic School has emerged as a true leader in the field of mosaic arts education and experiential learning. We have made a difference in the lives of thousands of students, professional artists, and enthusiasts who come to us from around the world. CMS has an incredible team of teachers and staff that has helped develop a robust, hands-on approach to art technique and expression. CMS has built community partnerships and highly regarded classes and workshops that lead to new approaches in sustainability and artistic creativity in mosaics.
I am most proud of the amazing CMS community, as we have helped foster art practices and meaningful friendships in a supportive, caring, and inspirational environment. One of the strengths of our CMS team is Lucy Senner, with whom I have worked closely for the last seven years. She began her journey with our organization as the CMS Administrative Assistant, quickly moving into the more prominent role of Administrative Director. She has taken on her position with passion, competency, and an amazing skill set to work with others, share our mission, and grow with CMS. Working collaboratively with Lucy has given me renewed joy and excitement for the schoolâs future. She has been quietly instrumental in the strategy and implementation of our program, confidently committed to taking on new challenges and doing the essential work that lies ahead as we continue to grow as an influential arts community.
I am so proud and excited to announce that Lucy will be transitioning into the role of Executive Director as I move into the position of Creative Director at CMS beginning January 1, 2025. I could not be more confident in our collective leadership team as visionaries who will continue to move The Chicago Mosaic School forward in the next decade. I am excited to step into the new position of Creative Director, a continuation of a role deeply rooted in the mosaic art practice that inspired me to open our doors in 2005. In addition to my role at CMS and working alongside Lucy in the new year, I intend to complete my PhD in Mosaics and teach specialized mosaic workshops that explore the art form through creative expression and experiential learning. I am deeply grateful to Lucy, whose insights, inspiration, and collaborative spirit are values on which The Chicago Mosaic School community is built.
I look forward to the future with our incredibly talented team and the beautiful people who make up our unique, caring, creative community.
Karen Ami
Founder & Creative Director
The Chicago Mosaic School
The Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics
Thank you, Pamela Irving, for teaching at The Chicago Mosaic School again in 2024!
ENROLL NOW in Pamela Irving's 2025 CMS Workshops at chicagomosaicschool.org
In 2024, CMS was commissioned to create a large-scale tree mosaic for Culver Schoolâs expansion project. The tree was dedicated to the memory of a beloved faculty member. đ
Lydia Shepard served as the lead mosaic artist.
The Chicago Mosaic School is a community of professional artists and educators engaged in the formal practice of the World Master tradition of Mosaic Arts.
Tuesday | 10am - 4pm |
Wednesday | 10am - 4pm |
Thursday | 10am - 6pm |
Friday | 10am - 6pm |
Saturday | 11am - 5pm |
Sunday | 11am - 5pm |