The week of Thanksgiving Piece by Piece hosted our first ever holiday break youth workshop! With support from The Water Buffalo Club, Piece by Piece has launched a series of workshops for children ages 7-18. The free mosaic workshops will be held during breaks in the Los Angles Unified School District (LAUSD) schedule. We have created these classes for students in our South LA community and surrounding areas. We were inspired to do this after finding there were not many free arts enrichment opportunities for local youth during these breaks.
In our first cohort, we welcomed students ranging in age from 7-17 and they all enjoyed the chance to learn about mosaics and create mosaics of their own. Classes were led by mosaic artists Dawn Mendelson, Piece by Piece’s Artistic & Program Director, and Instructor Julie Williams.
The classes had an educational component where the students learned about the history of mosaics, but most of the time was spent creating mosaics, and having fun. One 5th grade student shared “ This is really relaxing and fun. It is helping me feel calm. It’s not like school.” Students were able to make their own ornaments and frames. They chose their materials, created their designs, and even grouted their pieces to create lasting keepsakes.
Piece by Piece will offer two more workshops this winter, one December 19-22, 2022 and one January 2-5, 2023. For more information please see our events page. If you know of any local students who would be interested in these free classes, please share the event details which you can find here and here.
