With 19 museums, galleries, and research facilities attracting 22 million people a year, the Smithsonian Institution is among the most-visited attractions in the United States. Travelers from around the world particularly head to Washington D.C.’s National Mall to see the famed Smithsonian castle and neighboring museums. While the air and space museum and the natural history museum draw the biggest crowds, the Smithsonian’s art museums are noteworthy no less.

As we celebrate the beauty of diversity and inclusivity this Black History Month, we examine the Smithsonian collections for artworks painted by pioneering African American artists.

Kiss from a rose

It’s been 44 years since February was officially declared as Black History Month in the United States. Black people from all walks of life have helped shape communities across the country for more than four centuries. Black History Month is very much about honoring the valuable contributions Black people have made and continue to make-in societies across the world. It’s about celebrating the determination to work towards a more inclusive society, where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.

American artist Jeff Koons once said, “Art has this ability to allow you to connect back through history in the same way that biology does. I’m always looking for source material.” This is especially true for mosaics, a creative tradition that dates back millennia.

For us to better appreciate mosaics, we must look back on its storied past. From its long history and master creators to world capitals and notable works, revisiting the colorful and multifaceted history of decorative mosaic art allows us to treasure the ingenuity and hard work that goes into the most contemporary of designs.

In the beginning

You guys, our very own miraculous Mosaics Lab has won the renowned “Best of Houzz” award for the splendid Customer Service. Considering the fact that Houzz is the leading platform for home and renovation design in general, we are so freaking proud that we can brag about this in our own blog as well. As you are well aware, we offer and create the highest quality handcrafted tiles and an infinite array of designs through our customization system and original approach. Needless to say, you are probably not surprised that WE were chosen as the world’s best mosaic art studio…

Ahhhh, 2020 has been so tough, just thinking about it makes you wanna hit the road and take a day-long treatment at the nearest spa center, right? I mean, we could all use a bit of rewinding and rebooting at this point. But, alas, the pandemic is still rocking the planet and we are still stuck in our homes. Sooo, where does this leave us? Well, still at home.

So we’ve officially made a considerable step into a new decade, and what a first step it was… I suppose we were too quick to think that we will leave all of the difficult things behind, so some other things had to happen to remind us how fragile and in need of love all of us really are. one of the things that remain and that will stand as the beacon of light and reason through the most difficult of times in human history is art and the most durable of all — mosaic art. Wars will burn it, floods…

Artists from all spheres were always inspired by a variety of different things, beings, and aspects of life. Since the early age of humanity, aside from war and their deities, the ancient creatives most often depicted animals on their cave walls. Animals were prey, food source, playmates, companions, and even gods. Colorful fauna with all of its domesticated and wild members was always an endless spring of inspiration for people and that hasn’t changed to this day.

2020 is about to hit the road and the world couldn’t be happier about it. It was one tumultuous rollercoaster ride of a year, to put it mildly. And when I say tumultuous ride, I mean we were freaking out, kicking and screaming for dear life, and now that we are getting off, we are about to throw up. You know, just a casual rollercoaster entertainment… However, there was one thing that was literally thriving this year and that is …*cue the drumroll*…Ta-daaa! Stunning mosaic designs! Yup, our amazing mosaic artists never stopped creating gorgeous mosaic artworks.