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Eric Hopkins at CRMS
Prepare to be amazed….
The Camden-Rockport Middle School mosaic mural, in the cafeteria, Camden, Maine. In the style of (and with the permission of) Eric Hopkins.
This post is frightfully late…. I only took these photos in June 2011! Yes, more than a year ago at the unveiling! But the mosaic in the cafeteria at Camden-Rockport Middle School (Maine) is so stunningly beautiful and wonderful a public art project, that I decided I still needed to share it with you all. It all began with Kristen Andersen, the CRMS art teacher. Kristen is the kind of art teacher you dream of having–after having kids in CRMS for 8 years, I STILL want to go back to middle school and be in her class–alas, I’m a bit too old! As Kristen put it when she approached world-famous artist Eric Hopkins with the idea, it takes a great deal of faith on the part of the artist to grant permission to a group of children to make a work in his own style. I’d add that it takes a great bit of courage and creativity to come up with and execute the idea–Well Done, Kristen!
What you see in the photo above is eight 2 x 4 foot (24 by 48 inch) panels of glass mosaic, MADE BY the KIDS of the middle school!
The project began with a detailed proposal. On the storyboard, you can see some of the original sketches, inspiration art by Mr. Hopkins, some of the glass tiles and tile nippers used in the project. The photo (printed on 4 sheets) on the table is the view from Mt. Battie, which overlooks Camden Harbor. The mosaic is this view, with the top of the old stone tower on the left of the mosaic and the harbor and view beyond.
A closer view of the sketches
A closer view of the photo-montage and tools used in making the mosaic
The Youth Arts program helped fund this large undertaking…thank you Youth Arts! On the easel at right you can see a mock-up block for what Kristen envisioned. The pictures on the left are of Eric Hopkins’ art. He has his own gallery in Rockland, Maine; if you’re ever in the mid-coast, DO take a detour down winter street to go visit…it’s just a stone’s throw from Main Street.
The mosaics were made in eight sections that fit into the VERY sturdy frame. Should the piece ever have to be moved, that can happen because of how this was assembled! Way too wonderful and too much work not to plan for the inevitable changes down the line.
And here is the official unveiling! Gasps of delight all around!
CRMS Art teacher Kristen Andersen–the multi-tasking mom– tells the assembled students, staff, important folks, parents and onlookers how the project happened.
While Kristen explains the project, (from left to right) Principal Maria Libby, Asst. to the Principal Matt Smith, a Youth Arts representative, and Eric Hopkins listen.
Kristen and assorted students and volunteers (THANK YOU volunteers) met once a week after school to work on the project. Early on, Mr. Hopkins came to one session and helped fine-tune the drawing on the plywood panels to give it that Hopkins-sweeping-view.
After the unveiling, we all got to go up close. Here is my friend Kathy on the left, then Kristen and her son on her hip, and Mr. Hopkins. It was SO totally COOL…he kept going up to the mosaic touching it in wonder…the way you see folks walk up and want to touch a quilt. Neat!
Another shot of the mosaic, with a Youth Arts representative, Principal Maria Libby, and Eric Hopkins.
And back to where we began… on the tower at Mt. Battie, a close-up of the left end of the mosaic.
THANK YOU Mr. Hopkins for saying yes. Thank you Kristen for being such a wonderful teacher and inspiration. Thank you to Maria Libby and the school system for being a place that encourages such wonderfulness in the school. Thank you to the kids and the volunteers and Youth Arts for making this wonderful piece. Goosebumps, all over again. WONDERFUL!
September 27th, 2012 at 6:28 am
What a beautiful mural. Glad you decided to share it. After all, better late than never!
October 1st, 2012 at 7:06 am
Great mural and what a delightful story!
March 7th, 2013 at 11:07 am
I stumbled on this doing a google image search! WEIRD! Thank you Sarah for your kind words. This was an amazing project that took on a life of its own. About 250 students put in long hours cutting over 48,000 pieces. (The math dept. calculated that figure)
Reading your blog sent me right back to that euphoric feeling of pride and reminded me that anything can be done if you ask lots of questions and collaborate!
Hope you are well!
Kristen