Brown, RISD and MLK leaders to work together on mosaic project

On Friday, Jan. 23, at 2:30 p.m., Brown President E. Gordon Gee, RISD President Roger Mandle and Stephen Kane, principal of the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, will create two mosaic panels as part of a larger mosaic project that brought all three institutions together.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The presidents of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) will join the principal of the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School (MLK) and others to create two mosaic panels for a cooperative public art project.

The mosaic project has brought Brown students from a freshman visual arts class together with third-, fourth- and fifth-graders to produce 14 mosaics for the larger work. The completed project will be unveiled Saturday, Feb. 28, at the RISD Museum. The project is part of the RISD Museum's new initiative, "Free-For-All-Saturdays," which features collaborative art projects linking community partners. It is funded by a grant from the Rhode Island Foundation.

For more information on the Free-For-All-Saturday programs, contact Monica Smith at (401) 454-6348. For more information about the Brown-MLK-RISD mosaic, contact Linda Mahdesian at (401) 863-2476.

Who   Brown President E. Gordon Gee; RISD President Roger Mandle; Stephen Kane, principal of the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School; and MLK art teacher Robin Alcott. They will be assisted by Brown art professor Richard Fishman and several Brown students.

What   The team will begin work on two mosaic panels, each two feet square, with images representing all three institutions. They will break tiles donated by Rhode Island Tile Company into useful pieces and use special adhesive to glue the pieces to wood. Each person will be wearing an apron and goggles.

When   2:30 - 3:00 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, 1998.

Where   Room C-12, the sculpture work area in the basement of List Art Center, 64 College St. on the Brown campus.