A wolf mosaic made by Ashfield artist Robert Markey has found its pack at Gill Elementary School, paying homage to the school’s mascot that fosters a sense of pride among students, staff and families alike.
The wolf mosaic was installed in September, with classes of students coming out to observe Markey in his element. As children and teachers gathered, they watched Markey assemble their new packmate piece by piece next to the main door of the Boyle Road school.
“It’s nice when I do artwork and people love what I do,” Markey said, “and that was really kind of a nice one to be able to install that and have it really appreciated.”
Markey is a multidisciplinary artist whose work includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, murals, mosaics and more. Some of his work offers commentary on politics and social issues, and has gained national recognition, according to Markey’s website.
Markey has traveled internationally to bring his artwork to countries like Brazil, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. He teaches mosaic art to children in underprivileged communities.
“Whenever I can do a project that works with kids in difficult situations with mosaics, I will do that,” Markey said.
While Markey has made his mark nationally and internationally, his work is also recognized locally, including through mosaics in Springfield and Shelburne Falls. With this wolf mosaic, he’s had a chance to blend his passions in art and working with children while being spurred on by Lindsey Spencer, a teacher at Gill Elementary School who has known Markey since she was a child.
Markey had designed a wolf ice sculpture as part of his annual participation in Greenfield’s Winter Carnival. That was when Spencer reached out with an idea.
“I just piped in and said, ‘Hey, our Gill mascot is the gray wolf, this would be fantastic at our school,'” Spencer said, “and so he reached out and said, ‘Do you think we could make it happen?’ So it just went from there.”
And make it happen they did. Spencer explained that she broached the idea to Principal Justin Mickiewicz, as well as the Gill Selectboard, as the town owns the building. In September, the Selectboard voted unanimously to accept this donation to the school, and both Gill-Montague Regional School District interim Superintendent Tari Thomas and Director of Facilities Frederick Mogilka gave the idea the green light.
With all the approvals squared away, Markey got to work on Friday, Sept. 18. That afternoon, students had a chance to come watch the installation process.
“When the kids started reacting, you could sort of see the grin go up,” Mickiewicz said about Markey’s response to the children’s appreciation of the art.
Markey explained that creating the mosaic involves attaching pieces together on fiberglass mesh, with mortar placed on the pieces to help with bonding. In the case of the wolf mosaic, the bottom half of the wolf was installed first with the mortar and cement, with Markey making his way up the wolf from that base. Once the sections are in place, more material is used to fill in the cracks of the mosaic.
In carrying out this process, Markey said he told students about his work, with both Spencer and Mickiewicz recalling the pupils’ engagement and their amazement at the end of the day when the artwork was complete.
“That was the really neat part, so once we all came out for dismissal, they were all like, ‘Wow!'” Spencer said, recreating the children’s gasps of awe upon seeing the finished product.
Spencer and Mickiewicz noted that having this wolf mosaic, signifying the school’s mascot, gives the kids and greater school community a sense of pride.
“Our building was kind of boring — just a plain, brick building — but now it’s got something nice on it,” Spencer said. “It’s finally got something that is community-based and a nice piece of artwork.”
Spencer and Mickiewicz would like to find a way to install a plaque to credit Markey.
For Markey, he hopes the mosaic simply makes people feel good.
“If you see a beautiful piece of art, you’ll feel good, and so I just like that my art will hopefully make people feel better,” Markey said. “That was really what I liked about that one; these kids and the teachers really, really liked it, and so they had a good day to see it, and that felt good that I did something good.”
