When Van Nguyen’s brother died, he left behind droves of vases, ceramics, and other expansive collections.
Hauling it all to a dumpster just didn’t feel right.
Then, Nguyen got an idea. Rather than scrapping all those odds and ends, why not turn them into something new?
Luckily, she knew just the place. Her place, the one she and her two sisters, Lynn and Ahn, opened, was the perfect spot to transform this old material into something beautiful.
True to their mission to help their community connect with art, the sisters set these vases and ceramics out as a medium for their open studio workshop – one of the many creative opportunities available at mosaicARTs Gallery in Fairfax.
As time went on, Nguyen watched as pieces of her brother’s collections were incorporated into stepping stones and contemporary mosaic pieces. This creativity is what Nguyen says mosaicARTs is all about.
“I think I’ve created a space just for everybody, just for any type of art,” Nguyen says.
The sisters, known to customers as the Happy Creative Team, opened the gallery as a way to maintain their creative spirits while working their respective day jobs. Their mission is to provide a space where people can connect to art and use it to enhance their lives.
One way they do this is through open studio workshops.
“Oh my god, there’s so many benefits,” says Nguyen. “Older adults especially … it really helps their mind, you know, to stay focused.”
Nguyen also sees this creative time benefit people with disabilities, as art offers a safe space to focus on and physically connect with the materials in use.
“And for the kids,” she says, “the other day, the kids came in, and they just told me, ‘Art is amazing. It calms me down.’ It’s so funny that one little boy said that.”
The studio’s most popular workshops are, of course, mosaic-based. However, guests can also take on watercolor painting, mixed media, or what it calls “Happy Creative Hours,” where a wide variety of materials are used. Workshops range in price but start as low as $18.
It pairs these workshops with regular art gallery shows.
In person exhibitions typically feature collections by artists in the DMV. Arlington Art Alliance members have abstract paintings on display until May 10. A small sculptures exhibit by the Washington Sculptor Group starts May 13.
The online gallery for mosaicARTs features work by artists based in cities across the country and around the world.
Artwork in both galleries is also available for purchase.
“Local artists, national artists, well-known artists, starting out artists who never have a chance to get into the galleries, that’s what I’m looking for,” says Nguyen about curating what the works
Nguyen describes art as a “visual language” that can be utilized by workshop participants to express their thoughts and feelings or seen by the gallery’s guests.
She says it’s “something more than just a piece of art hanging on the wall. … it can have the whole story of somebody.”
Nguyen says the gallery gives the team an opportunity to share with the community the gifts art has given them. More than that, she truly believes art can change lives for the better.
“I feel art is a vehicle to help people and to age well,” she says. “I see the benefits helping me, and I want to share that for everybody else.”
mosaicARTs is located at 2931 Eskridge Rd., Ste. B, Fairfax.
Feature photo courtesy mosaicARTs
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