Susan Day and Beth Turnbull Morrish supported by Clayworx, Celebrate 150 Mosaic, 2017
Mosaics in OEV
If you look closely, some of Old East Village’s most iconic artworks are actually mosaics made up of thousands of brightly coloured ceramic pieces. The following ceramic mosaics organized and facilitated by Clayworx: Ceramic Arts Learning Centre (formerly known as London Clay Art Centre) can be seen in OEV: The Canada 150 Mosaic on the side of Clayworx, Wayfinding Mosaics at Marshall Street and Elizabeth Street and Gateway Mosaics on several concrete barriers around the neighbourhood. Known as legacy pieces, these large-scale, longstanding works of art will represent Old East Village for years to come. There are more mosaics planned for the neighbourhood in 2023, so keep an eye out for more stunning pieces throughout Old East Village!
The Canada 150 Mosaic was developed in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday. Local artists and London Potters Guild (LPG) members Susan Day and Beth Turnbull Morrish were hired by Clayworx in early 2017 to hone the design, coordinate and run tile-making workshops with community organizations, and install the mosaic on Clayworx’s cinder block wall before winter came.
In an eight-month period, Day and Turnbull Morrish finalized the design, made, glazed and fired thousands of clay tiles. They benefited from the help of over 80 LPG members and hundreds and volunteers at community events. The artist coordinators and many volunteers finally installed an estimated 18,000 pieces of tile on the east exterior wall of Clayworx at 664 Dundas Street. After the Canada 150 mosaic, the Gateway Project developed simultaneously with the Wayfinding Project in 2017-2018 when the City of London was planning to renovate the large parking lot behind Clayworx and the Palace Theatre.
(Project write-ups from the Clayworx website)
You can find out more about the Canada 150 Mosaic, the Wayfinding Mosaics and the Gateway Mosaics in the following Tourism London links:
Image 1 - Susan Day supported by Clayworx, 2019
Image 2 - Susan Day, Beth Turnbull Morrish supported by Clayworx, 2017
Image 3 - Susan Day, Beth Turnbull Morrish supported by Clayworx, 2018
