One Square at a Time … A Community Mosaic Mural
By Kim Ward, Gertrud Mϋller & Ewelina Mstowska
Gertrud Mϋller, a longtime WBFN member and volunteer, had an exciting and creative idea for the Family Network – a community mosaic. According to Gertrud, “A community mosaic is a collaborative art project. Throughout the process, the community not only creates a beautiful piece of art but also experiences the invaluable benefits of unity and cross-cultural understanding. It provides a unique opportunity for participants to connect through actions rather than words, breaking down language barriers and revealing hidden talents within the community.”
A seasoned community artist, Gertrud has successfully led similar mosaic mural projects in various communities – refugee women in Ankara, friends of her studio in Brasilia, neighbors in a compound in Beijing as well as two commissions by the UN House in China and Brazil.
The idea was to create a unique piece of art representing the vibrant, diverse, and unique WBFN community. Twenty-three different small square mosaic designs would be based on traditional cross-stitch embroidery patterns (relatively easy to turn into a mosaic pattern) representing different countries or cultures shared by WBFN members from around the world. DC members were invited to workshops involving the design and crafting of the final artwork.
Bright colorful designs poured in, along with associated interesting anecdotes and family stories. Inspirations came from a carpet bought in a Moroccan souk market, an old Belarussian apron crafted by a member's grandmother, and ceiling motifs from the Mogao Caves located in Northwest China, to name a few.
Workshop participant Svetla Dancheva grew up in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where there are many ancient intriguing mosaic works which have fascinated her since she was a kid. Svetla enjoyed meeting and working with people from around the world: “This workshop was very exciting and inspirational for me.” All the participants were grateful for the opportunity to learn from each other and work together.
Did it turn out as Gertrud hoped? Absolutely! As the coordinator, Gertrud admitted to feeling daunted at the beginning when receiving all the diverse inputs. The mosaic artwork represents different cultures and how things change when they move through the hands and minds of many people, but it also shows how we can still find unity in creating one unified creative product together. “It turned out differently, I didn’t know how it would turn out, but it all worked in end – colorful, cheerful, extravagant in its simplicity’!”
It is impressive that so many people (around 30 people overall were involved in the end, none of whom had any experience with mosaic work) could create something like this a relatively short period of time together (a few days of working in different groups). "It was marvelous to see so many people working together on one piece of art,” said Gertrud.
The project was based on both surrender and collaboration. “People had ideas I would never have had on my own – that is community work for me!” said Gertrud. It wasn’t only the coordinator that had to let go of her own ideas, participant Kim Ward from South Africa commented on the experience of having to accept working on a pattern in colors she may not have chosen, and how the experience taught her to think of the whole and focus on the part she had been asked to play. People also needed to work together to make things work for some of the designs.
“How would we get to a unified product?” wondered Gertrud. Constraints like not being able to create curves with a pixel technique led to creativity in translating the patterns into straight lines and limiting the colors to ten also helped to contain the project. The most difficult part of the pattern for Gertrud was the WBFN logo as it has only lines! In the end, a computer was used to generate the mosaic design. Digital design was, however, only used for the logo – all the other patterns were done by hand. “It was important to use our hands as much as we can – we use the computer and screens so much the rest of the time.” Everyone commented on how soothing it was to work with their hands. A special kind of energy is evident when people sit quietly and work together.
A unique piece of art requires a special spot. On 12 September, the mosaic was inaugurated at the Family Network's Washington DC office in the presence of the WBFN's Leadership, the FY25 Executive Committee members, the Art Program, and WBFN volunteers. The mosaic, in the center of the WBFN office, will welcome hundreds of WBFN members each year coming back from country offices or before starting new relocation adventures. A beautiful project by the community for the community.
