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Watauga Arts Council Brings Permanent Art to Watauga H.S. through Residency with Mosaic Artist, Pam Brewer

Shelton Wilder’s Senior visual art class work on preparing and finalizing the mosaic layout on Monday, by Friday the completed work will be displayed on the elevator shaft in the commons area at Watauga High School.

April 24, 2012. Visual art students at Watauga High School are experiencing mosaic art first hand in the second, and final, week of a residency with clay / mosaic artist, Pam Brewer. This week will culminate in the completion of a large clay mosaic in the main commons area of the new high school.

Pam Brewer, who is a Watauga High School alumnus, said, “the intention of the Mosaic is to create a timeless work of art honoring the educators and the students that have come before, and to pave the way for those that will follow. With this amazingly powerful new work we will be honoring the old school and the dream fulfilled with this new facility, recognizing that though the halls of learning may change, the process of learning is timeless.”

When completed, the finished mosaic will cover about 120 square feet covering the back side of the elevator shaft on the main floor of the school near the lobby. This week, students are learning about the installation of the project, planning the design elements and incorporating small clay pieces into the finished piece. If all goes according to plan this piece of permanent community art will be completed by Friday afternoon. 

This public art project came about as a collaboration of the Watauga Arts Council and the Watauga County Schools in an effort to celebrate and commemorate the recent move of Watauga High School to its new facility and to honor the community that shares and enjoys the new space.

The Watauga Arts Council is a non-profit local arts agency founded in 1981 whose continuing mission is “to sponsor and encourage the cultural arts in Watauga County with an emphasis on arts in education and the traditional arts.” There are a variety of ongoing programs, services, and collaborations in place to help achieve that goal. As a Designated County Partner of the North Carolina Arts Council, the Watauga Arts Council sub-grants state monies for local arts-related projects and organizations. 

For more information on this, or other Arts in Education programs of the Watauga Arts Council, contact Christy Blair Chenausky 828-264-1789 or christy@watauga-arts.org.