4TH MONTH OLD BABY

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Mia Tavonatti
Artist bio
Mia has been known to paint with glass…Her intricate stained glass mosaics weave her experience as a painter with her love of Renaissance mosaics. Mia's work has earned much recognition including winning 2nd at Artprize 2010. Mia has studied, lived and exhibited extensively in the US, Italy, France and Greece, and her numerous art instructional books have been published in over 20 countries. Recently, Mia unveiled her monumental series of oil paintings on canvas at the ancient Museo Arsenale in Italy. Mia has since returned to California and has formed the Svelata Foundation for the Arts and is currently producing the first Svelata World Tour. As a civilian Air Force Artist, Mia has enjoyed numerous adventures riding shotgun and documenting AF training missions including the 550th Search and Rescue teams at Kirtland AFB. and five days at Randolph AFB training for her first ride in a T38 supersonic jet trainer. Mia currently resides in California but is a native of Iron Mountain, MI.
About the work
Title: Crucifixion

Art form: 2-D

Medium: Stained glass mosaic

Year created: 2011

Description of work: Having done works for four churches in the last two years, it was an honor to be asked to create the altarpiece for the new Saint Kilian's Catholic church in Orange County, California. After experiencing construction delays, I decided to commence the work and enter the 9' x 13' stained glass mosaic into Artprize. I am very excited to share my first altarpiece with Grand Rapids.

I created this design by photographing my model in the woods of Santa Cruz, California, tied to a huge cross made of Home Depot beams, and wearing a crown of thorns crafted from a Michael's wreath. By layering this imagery with two sunsets I photographed in Italy and Hawaii, I was able to compose the powerful light sources so relevant to this and all of my work. This "Crucifixion" took 2500 hours, is made of hand-cut stained glass, is attached to a custom wood structure and weighs 425 lbs. I drove Him across country by myself in two sections in a Penske truck.

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The Metaphorest project
Artist bio
Tracy Van Duinen was co-lead for the 2nd place 2009 Artprize entry Imagine That. He has recently completed Happiness Is for the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Lobby. Van Duinen, a Kendall College of Art & Design graduate, works in the Chicago Public Schools using public art to help urban teenagers connect with their community.
Todd Osborne is co-lead for Imagine That and Happiness is at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. He has been teaching art on the South side of Chicago for the past six years. Osborne and Van Duinen have been working with inner-city youth to create large-scale multimedia murals on blighted underpasses and playgrounds all over Chicago.
Phil Schuster is a sculptor with over 25 years experience in creating bas-relief sculptures and public art environments. Schuster has made innovative works involving communities of large scale, site-specific artworks. Schuster has made dozens of unique art installations, creating whimsical concrete gardens in urban spaces.
About the work
Title: Metaphorest

Art form: 2-D, 3-D

Medium: Multi media mosaic mural

Year created: Work not created yet

Description of work: Is a metaphorical tribute to the potential building power of the arts and Grand Rapid’s youth. Meta-Phorest is a large-scale public artwork that will be produced in conjunction with the West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology’s faculty, staff, students, and the greater Grand Rapids community. We will be hosting several workshops for communities around the city for people, young and old, to create a unique element for the inclusion in the mural.
Height: 40 feet
Width: 88 feet
Depth: 1 feet