Projects – Cincinnati Park Board – Community Based – Clay, Color and Fire (2003)
at T. M. Berry International Friendship Park

Designing the Project

Clay, Color and Fire The 15,000+ tiles were created during a month-long ceramic mosaics workshop at UC DAAP in July 2003 by invitation of Jonathan Riess, Acting Chair of the Dept of Fine Arts DAAP. The diversity of the artists team grew out of the Cincinnati Sister City program, including one African, three Asian and three European ceramic masters. The project established the first artists network among the cities through a process of research, invitation, reivew and jurying of artist applications. Jan designed the project to allow individual expression from each participant, yet with a harmonized framework of color and texture from column to column. Conceptual design and design development were carried on via email prior to the artists arrivals in Cincinnati. Supported by over 150 volunteers during their visit, the artists relied on host families and local apprentices to fulfill their work. The wider community supported the project by sponsorships, grants, homestays and hospitality, translation services, cultural enrichment and publicity. The total value of the project was $200,000.

Award-winning project: Jan was awarded twice for excellence in this project. She was named “Individual in the Arts” in 2003 by the Post Corbett Awards, and also for an “Outstanding Cultural Art Program” in 2004 by the Regional Leadership Forum of Greater Cincinnati.

A website containing many of the project documents can be found at www.claycolorfire.org

  • This first information sheet about the project served many purposes, especially to introduce the concept to potential artists, sponsors and volunteers.

  • This sheet helped potential artists to understand the perameters of the design development process and materials they would be using for creation of tiles to cover a column.

  • This sheet helped the participating artist to create a design that would adapt to the cylinder of the column and the colors of commercial tiles to be applied at the base and capital.

  • This sheet communicated the other important features of the Friendship Pavilion to artist participants, helping to harmonize the 8 unique designs to the whole of the structure.

  • This sheet provided exact scale for the finished tiles, and was used as a worksheet by the participating artists. Color copies of their color sketches on this sheet were cut and rolled into cylinders, then organized to give the best positioning to each design around the façade of the pavilion.