College announces 2016 Mosaic Project artists

The 2016 Mosaic Project, a  multicultural exhibition and educational program for students and families in Lancaster County held annually by Pennsylvania College of Art & Design,  will feature Christian Robinson’s storytelling with illustration and animation and Jamea Richmond-Edwards’s repertoire of portraits of black women drawn using ink and graphite.

Three public events for the Mosaic Project are planned during October 2015 at the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, 204 N Prince Street, Lancaster:

• Artist Lecture by Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Friday, October 7, 10:00 a.m.
• Opening Reception with Mosaic Artist Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Friday, October 7, 5-9 p.m.
• Artist Lecture with Mosaic Artist Christian Robinson, Friday, October 28, 10 a.m.

In addition, the artwork will be on exhibit on First Friday, September 2, 5-9 p.m.

“Last Stop on Market Street,” Christian Robinson

Christian Robinson, of San Francisco, CA, makes a living as an illustrator and animator telling stories likes to tell stories with pictures. He has worked with Pixar Animation Studios, The Sesame Street Workshop and illustrated a number of award winning picture books including Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell which received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and  a Robert F. Sibert Honor; and Gaston by Kenny di Pucchio, which was named a Best Book of 2014 by Horn Book, Kirkus, and Amazon.  His recent book, Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, is a New York Times bestseller. Robinson’s work is online at www.theartoffun.com .

“If You Look Closely, You Will See God,” Jamea Richmond-Edwards

Jamea Richmond-Edwards, of Detroit, MI, offers a repertoire of portraits of black women in regal poses and gazing eyes drawn using ink and graphite, and dresses in rich tapestries of color and patterns made of sequins, rhinestones, paper and textiles. Richmond-Edward’s work has been praised by the art critics of the Washington Post and was names as one of the Huffington Post’s “Black Artists: 30 Contemporary Art Makers Under 40 You Should Know”. Richmond-Edwards has extensively exhibited her artwork, including at the Delaware Art Museum Centennial Exhibition, Wilmington, Delaware, Rush Arts Corridor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Parish Gallery, Washington, D.C., and Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, Maryland. Her works are in the permanent collection of private collectors across the country and at the Embassy of the United States in Dakar, Senegal. Richmond-Edwards’s work is online at http://www.jamearichmondedwards.com

The Mosaic Project, held annually at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design since 2009, is composed of two distinct, yet interconnected components: The Mosaic Project exhibition and educational programming for high school and junior high school students. Every year two nationally renowned artists are invited to participate in PCA&D’s Mosaic Project. These artists are selected for their commitment to creating high quality artwork, which explores themes of individual and cultural identity.  Mosaic artists from previous years are listed at http://pcad.edu/gallery/the-mosaic-project.

The educational component of The Mosaic Projectis specifically for high school and middle school students. High school students from the School District of Lancaster and the Pequea Valley School District will spend a full day at PCA&D with the Mosaic Project artists, as well as PCA&D faculty and students. In addition. full scholarships are awarded to middle school students to attend PCA&D’s Exploring the Mosaic Project Studio Art Class on Saturdays in October. These Middle School students will have the opportunity to meet the Mosaic Project artists and explore their own identities through art.