Quick Center Project Making Waves

Copies of “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” a famous woodblock print by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, and the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University.

This summer, those renowned art centers share that distinction with public libraries and institutions in at least 16 communities in southwestern New York and northwestern Pennsylvania, where mosaic reproductions of the famous print are being created one small ceramic square at a time.

Each of these mosaics is the work of as many as 90 artists – from elementary school-age youngsters to teens and adults.

The project is part of the summer reading program hosted by public libraries nationwide.

“The theme for the summer reading program this year is ‘Make a Splash/Make Waves,’” said Evelyn Sabina, curator of education at the Quick Center. “It reminded me of ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa,’ a picture in our Asian collection, so I thought, all right, what can I do with that?”

Sabina was already working with schools on creating mosaics, an activity inspired by another Quick Center offering – the first major exhibition of 20th century art deco muralist and mosaicist Hildreth Meiére, which recently ended a 10-month run. So, she decided to help community libraries create their own mosaic reproductions of “The Great Wave” print.

Libraries have been given a copy of the print, on which is drawn a grid of 90 half-inch squares. Each participant is assigned a square from the drawing and asked to reproduce it onto a 2 inch by 2 inch ceramic tile using special paint markers.

When a tile is completed, the artist’s name goes on the back and it is taped in place on a corresponding grid laid out on a piece of Plexiglas. When all the tiles are in place, the library has a mosaic reproduction of a famous piece of art ready for framing. Turn it over, and through the clear back you can read the names of all the community artists.

“This offers something for everyone,” said Sabina. “There are squares of varying degrees of difficulty, so no matter what your age or artistic ability there’s a square that’s right for you. And every library is doing something different with the program. Salamanca is bringing in a retired art teacher once a week to work with people, others are having artists or teachers come in to help.”

Accompanying materials include a pamphlet with vocabulary terms, geography questions, and a short reading section on “The Great Wave” print. Even math skills come into play because the finished mosaic will be four times bigger than the drawing, requiring each artist to consider that 4:1 ratio when reproducing his or her square onto the piece of ceramic tile.

“It’s also a cooperative effort,” said Sabina. “You have to make sure your square matches up with those around it, so it requires working with others.”

The project is free to participating libraries and the Quick Center was able to keep its costs at a minimum thanks to the donation of all tile pieces by Dal-Tile Corp. of Olean, a donation from McDonald’s, and discounted art supplies from The Ink Well store in Olean.

Summer program participants include libraries in Olean, Allegany, Portville, Salamanca, Ellicottville, Franklinville, Cuba, Belfast, Fillmore, Bolivar, Scio, Friendship, Jamestown and Randolph in New York; and Coudersport and Oswayo Valley in Pennsylvania. Other participants include Foundations for Change in Olean, The Ink Well, and the Cattaraugus County Arts Council.

Anyone interesting in participating in the summer project should contact one of the host libraries, businesses or agencies.

The Quick Center’s Arts Education programs are designed to help schools and libraries integrate art into their curriculums, and to expose more people to the art center’s many and varied offerings.

Joseph LoSchiavo, the Quick Center’s executive director, said the Arts Education program touches thousands of students each year. “We’re very proud of the outreach program that we’re able to provide in the area,” said LoSchiavo. “I’m very gratified for the positive feedback that’s come from the schools and also grateful to the individuals and businesses that support the program.”

Pictured, Olean Public Library employee Kari Hall (left) of Allegany and Carrie DiRisio of Olean, a junior at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., work on the “Great Wave” mosaic at the library.
Photo courtesy of St. Bonaventure University