Location: Clemmons Elementary School, Clemmons, NC

Clemmons Elementary, designated as a school of global communication, started work on its Global Garden in 2008, spearheaded by art specialist Fran Paige and parent volunteer Rich Griner. The garden is divided into areas representing the continents, each with beds containing the plants of its region and highlighted with a sculpture or installation created by local artists. The Asian garden is in the shadow of a traditional Japanese gate and features an arched bridge. Africa includes a stylized sculpture of giraffes by Dempsy Calhoun and am African memory vase by Jan Deter. Charles Cummings created a miniature Eiffel Tower replica for Europe. In 2010, Ms. Paige commissioned me to create mosaic installations for the areas representing South America and Australia.

For South America, I created mosaic art on the roughly 300 square feet of surface of three large seating walls forming an amphitheater. In 2011 I created a coral reef mosaic mural on the 170 square feet surface of two large planters representing Australia.

For Australia I designed and created 170 square feet of mosaic depicting the coral reef. Once the cement structure was completed, I applied waterproofing membrane and created the mosaic with tile donated by parents, incorporating ceramic fish created by Frenn Paige's art students.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Parent volunteers donated materials, labor and time to build the planter structures. Throughout the year, parents also donated tile left-over from home and business renovations and students created ceramic marine-life pieces under the direction of art teacher Frenn Paige.