The following article from the Retrospect, March 6, 2026 by Liz Kilpatrick is being reprinted with permission of the author and the Retrospect newspaper.
MOSAIC PROJECT IN COLLINGSWOOD SEEKS STUDENT VOLUNTEERS
Middle and high school students from in and around Collingswood are being invited to help design a new public mosaic on the side of the Perkins Center for the Arts building, working alongside residents of Collingswood Manor in an intergenerational project that begins on Tuesday March 3.
Funded by a $10,000 grant to the Mosaic Society of Philadelphia (MSoP) from Power Home Remodeling, the collaboration will produce a permanent installation on the exterior wall of Perkins’ Collingswood site (30 Irvin Ave.) on the side of the building that faces the PATCO line. Perkins Center for the Arts Director of Education, Alison Hunt, says the work is envisioned as a legacy piece that reflects shared stories and the ways people experience the borough.
The theme guiding the design – described as memories and things that are loved about the Collingswood community – will shape hundreds of individual elements that students and seniors create together then assemble into a single mural.
Students and Seniors Share Stories in Clay and Glass
The project is structured as a series of collaborated workshops running through March, April and May. Sessions will meet every other Tuesday from 3:30 to 5 PM., beginning March 3, in a large multipurpose room at Collingswood Manor (460 Haddon Ave.).
Hunt anticipates upwards of 20 senior participants. Middle and high school students from the broader Collingswood area are invited to join them and do not need to be Collingswood residents as long as they feel a connection to the community.
No prior art or mosaic experience is required for either group. Students and seniors will brainstorm imagery, sketch concepts, and translate those ideas into clay tiles that will later be glazed, fired, and incorporated into the mural. Glass materials will also be used as part of the final design.
Participants will learn how to design and fabricate mosaic components while navigating the give and take of collaborative decision-making – from agreeing on imagery and color to deciding how individual tiles fit into the large composition.
Workshop will be facilitated by lead artist Laura Lyn who has extensive experience in guiding collaborative art projects, in partnership with MSoP members like President Veronica Kairos.
Grant-backed Public Art Project Focuses on Connection
The mosaic initiative is supported by Power Home Remodeling’s POWER for Good program, an employee-led philanthropic effort that backs community projects that backs community projects selected and championed by staff across the country. The $10,000 grant to MSoP underwrites materials, artist time and coordination among the three partner organizations: MSoP, Perkins Center for the Arts and Collingswood Manor.
In a recent press release announcing the funding, Kairos said the support from Power Home Remodeling makes it possible to bring people from different generations together through mosaic art, and that partnering with Perkins while engaging Collingswood students and seniors makes the effort especially meaningful. She said these shared creative moments can deepen connection and leave a lasting mark on the community.
Hunt described the Collingswood mosaic as a long-developing idea for the Perkins building - a permanent artwork intended to belong to everyone who lives in, works in, or passes through the borough. By orienting the mural toward the PATCO line, they intend for it to be visible to residents, students and commuters alike.
Perkins Evolving Role as Community Arts Hub
The mosaic project adds another layer to the expanding community focus at Perkins Center for the Art’s Collingswood location, which has steadily grown the slate of public programming.
In January, Perkins opened its winter gallery season with dual exhibitions in Collingswood, including a 20 year photography retrospective and a mixed-media show on view through February 27.
Last fall, the center invited children to shop for handmade pottery gifts created by youth artists in its studios, with proceeds from the Pottery Holiday Shoppe supporting arts scholarships.
This winter, Perkins has offered a range of hands-on opportunities for residents to reflect and create together from a New Year vision board workshop Create Your New Year Vision Board at Perkins Center for the Arts in Collingswood to a free Black History Month celebration featuring art, readings, live music, hands-on activities and local Black-owned vendors.
Borough leaders have also recently discussed reviving arts and public art committees as part of the broader planning conversations about Collingswood’s future.
Students interested in participating can register on the Perkins Center for the Arts website at canvas.perkinsarts.org/classes/4532
MASTER OF MOSAICS: Professional mosaic artist Laura Lyn Stern of Mosaic Society of Philadelphia will be leading the Collingswood community mosaic project this spring that will connect generations of neighbors and community members in creating a mural on the side of the Perkins Center for the Arts building.