SYCAMORE TWP. — When the seven mosaic panels are completed at Yavneh Day School, they will tell two tales.

        One is the story of creation as found in Genesis and depicted by Clifton artist Suzanne Fisher.

Artist-in-residence Suzanne Fisher (second from left) works on the mosaic wall with students (from left) Rachel Schneider, 11; Sara Weil, 11; Minadora Macheret, 12; and Miriam Street, 12. (Dick Swaim photo) | ZOOM |

        The other is a story of how all 410 students and their families came together as a community, commissioned the artwork and then donated old pottery, broken china, flat marbles and even shells to work into the mosaic.

        Besides bringing in materials, the students, working under the direction of Ms. Fisher and art teacher Diane Woloshin, have used white clay to make some of the tile being used.

        “They're making the tiles I'm going to smash up,” Ms. Fisher said, hammer and safety goggles nearby. “I tell them you have to destroy to create.”

        The students in grades kindergarten through eight work with Ms. Fisher on the creation piece during their lunch hour. She is also working with the school's sixth- through eighth-graders on another panel that will be placed in the middle school.

The mosaic at Yavneh Day School will be made of broken pottery and plates, and other materials. | ZOOM |

        Ms. Fisher's panels - each about 2 feet wide and 5 feet long - will be displayed on the school's “Dedication Wall” in the entrance lobby of the school's recent 50,000-square-foot addition.

        “This is part of our school,” said Rachel Schneider, a sixth-grader. “It shows everyone they can do art and be part of working together to create something.”

        Rachel and her family participated in an archaeological dig outside Jerusalem last summer. In anticipation of this year's project they brought back shards dating back 2,000 years that are being incorporated into Ms. Fisher's panels.

        The mosaic project allows participation by many, Ms. Fisher said, and when completed the mosaic can be touched without being damaged, important elements for a school setting.

PRESENTATION

Suzanne Fisher, Yavneh Day School's artist-in-residence, will present a slide-illustrated talk on the art of mosaics at 5 p.m. Sunday at the school, 8401 Montgomery Road.     The talk will be held in conjunction with a wine-and-cheese reception in Ms. Fisher's honor, 4-6 p.m. Sunday at the middle school's Meyers Atrium. She has been commissioned to create a seven-panel, 80-square-foot “dedication wall” in the middle school.     The mosaic depicts the seven days of creation as told in Genesis. Part of her talk will focus on the work in progress. It is expected to be completed in late May or early June.

        “They're durable. People can touch it. They can bring pieces in. It makes it a community project,” said Ms. Fisher, who is serving as the school's artist-in-residence while the panels are being finished.

        Ms. Fisher was formerly community education director at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Her first mosaic mural is up at the Plaza 600 restaurant, 600 Walnut St., downtown, and she just finished a mural at Southern State College in Wilmington.

        The school project began in mid-February and will continue until June. Each panel will be placed in a brushed aluminum frame.

        The best part, said Sara Weil, 11, was working with her friends on the middle school's “yad” - the Hebrew word for a good luck charm that wards away evil spirits.

Retirement community could rise at site of fire
Builder betting on old-time style as newest trend
Crimes troubling Miami U.
Levee unfolds; excitement grows
60 years later, they're still going off to war
Killer's transfer request denied
N. Ky. abstinence program not expected to affect many
As NKU budget hits record, Votruba urges fiscal restraint
Panels to tell pair of stories
Baby sitter admits to molestation
Bill would add Butler juvenile judge
Butler trims on hold
Charter schools get break from Senate
Computers in Florence police cars prove their potential in first hour
Condemned man's lawyer appeals to Taft
Ky. pulls ad after lawyers complain
Language barriers grow with minorities
Man surrenders to police for Price Hill store robbery
Morgan Elementary names new principal
Police dog was 'always something special'
Report: UK should do more for gender equity
Sabo possible skipper for Florence team
Kentucky News Briefs
Tristate A.M. Report