“There is a specific method that I developed to get all of the kids involved in the project,” said Dimitry.
All of the classes met with Dimitry to first sketch their ideas for symbols to include in the mosaic. After receiving hundreds of sketches, Dimitry returned to his studio to create one large sketch, combining the different elements shared by the students. The sketch provides the blueprint for the project.
“If everyone likes it then I cut it into sections and we begin section by section,” said Dimitry.
The students collaborate to follow the colour patterns and shapes as they fill the section with multi-coloured tiles. The tiles are ordered from Italy, Spain and Portugal and vary in thickness offering dimension to the final creation.
“The smile was hard to make because I had to find the right tiles to fit the ends,” said Grade 2 student Darius R.
“I did the recycling sign and had to find the exact pieces to do the points of the arrows,” explained Grade 3 student Camryn M.
The final design included seven people holding hands to reflect both the seven continents of the world and the seven teachings. The smiles on the people, the six people who were created using one colour of tile, symbolized the six C’s of 21st century learning. The students named the six C’s by heart: collaboration, citizenship, creativity, character, critical thinking and communication. Also depicted on the mosaic was a Medicine Wheel, a recycling symbol, math, a light bulb, a heart, a multi-coloured hand print and a plant. When asked what the mosaic makes him think about, Darius said, “Caring about other people, caring about nature and taking care of the community.”
The mosaic features red and white tiles on the outside, representative of the school colours, and was installed on April 9 at Crestview School.
Photo caption: On April 9, artist Dimitry Melman guided each class at Crestview School through the process of applying grout to a mosaic. He is pictured with Grade 4/5 students near the end of the grouting process. The students pointed out which parts of the mosaic they contributed to and asked questions about final steps of the project. All of the students worked together to create this new display within the school and watched intently as it came to fruition within the main stairwell.