Modern Mosaic Arts, LLC team creates fantastical mosaic for distinctive community movie theater.
Before the doors had officially opened at their newest studio, Cathleen Newsham and Claudia Schattman, owners of Modern Mosaic Arts, LLC, were commissioned by Prospector Theater founder, Valerie Jensen, to create a mosaic for the theater's freestanding fireplace. The theater, which opened in Ridgefield in November 2014, promises a unique movie-going experience and honors its mission to provide vocational training and employment for adults with disabilities.
Jensen requested two things of Newsham and Schattman: that they create a mosaic around the theme of "infinite possibility" and that they incorporate in the work dozens of Special Olympic medals that had been donated by athletes.
The artists used the medals to represent stars - a literal nod to Hollywood, as well as a figurative reference to the theater's mission: to reach for the stars.
Color fields of blues and greens are made from hand cut glass, pottery, and ceramic tiles (made by the pair in their studio), while found objects and other treasures build the story. Scattered throughout the work are words and phrases that convey the theater's philosophy.
The result is a giant "I Spy" experience.
Cathleen Newsham (Danbury resident) and Claudia Schattman (Westport resident) are co-owners of Modern Mosaic Arts. They can be found by chance at their studio at 421 Main Street at odd hours of the day and night or by appointment.
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