More than 120 Austin ISD students spent the school year turning individual ceramic pieces into a public sculpture now installed at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center.
McCallum Fine Arts Academy unveiled “Mosaic of Minds” on June 4 in partnership with AISD Student Support Services and the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, which funded the project through a grant.
Students said at the unveiling that they hope the sculpture, made up of 100 ceramic heads stacked on large forms covered in glass mosaic tiles, will spark conversations about mental health for generations.
McCallum Fine Arts Academy students unveiled “Mosaic of Minds” at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center on June 4. (Jessica McLaren/Community Impact)The details
Each face on the sculpture is different—some expressive, some abstract, some realistic—representing the range of experiences and emotions within the school community, student speakers Alina Curtin and Ellie McCracken said at the unveiling.
“Every individual matters, and together we create something larger than ourselves,” the students said at the unveiling.
Art teachers Carey West and Abby Burnham guided students through months of planning, sculpting, glazing and placing mosaic tiles.
“Mosaic of Minds” was unveiled at the AISD performing arts center June 4. The sculpture is made up of 100 ceramic heads stacked on large forms covered in glass mosaic tiles. More than 120 students contributed to the project. (Jessica McLaren/Community Impact)What they’re saying
“It is projects like this that are so important, because it is our youth showing all of our communities … how important mental health is to them, but also that it can be expressed, that it can be beautiful,” said Octavio Martinez Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. “Anyone and everyone can sit there and contemplate, and it will speak to them. It’ll be for generations to come.”
LaShonda Lewis, executive director of the AISD Student Support Services department, said at the unveiling that the project created space for students to feel seen and supported.
“Today is about more than unveiling a sculpture,” Lewis said. “It’s about honoring our students and recognizing the importance of mental health in our schools and in our communities.”
The sculpture is now permanently installed at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, located at 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd.
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