We asked Sonia King, the first American artist to be acquired by the Museo d’Arte della Citta di Ravenna (MAR), to look back on her progression as a mosaicist and select works that she thinks of as personal milestones – works that were key turning points or launch pads for what came next in her artistic progression. She obliged us with the six works and personal thoughts below that cover a period of time from 1999 to 2011. One could think of it as a “master class” in the exploration of the core components of mosaic.

At any gathering of contemporary mosaic artists, the question of “What’s it going to take to advance the art form/genre/medium?” is likely to arise. One of two positions is usually taken: Change the Status Quo or Work Within the Status Quo – the Status Quo being the current hierarchy of the Greater Art World. Last October, during the British Association of Modern Mosaic’s annual Forum at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the question arose briefly during the organization’s General Meeting. The conversation, which focused on the Tate Modern’s continued refusal to show mosaic, was continued in the organization’s newsletter “Grout.” Read these thoughtful “head-to-head” arguments from Paul Bentley, BAMM’s Chairman 1999-2005 and the current Chairman, Gary Drostle.

How wonderful. A venue for the Society of American Mosaic Artist’s (SAMA) annual member show, Mosaic Arts International, that is a perfect fit. Tacoma’s Museum of Glass (MOG) has all the right stuff to showcase contemporary mosaic splendidly. The internationally-known museum has the architecture and lighting to make mosaic literally and figuratively shine. More important, MOG has a natural kinship with mosaic through the medium of glass.

In a series of installations and exhibitions that began in 2008 UK artist Cleo Mussi has created works that delight and provoke us – beguile and expose us in all our sometimes dangerously unthinking humanity. That she does so with humor, grace and a defining sense of whimsy is evidence of the loving heart that guides her intellect.

When the contemporary mosaic collection of the Art Museum of the City of Ravenna (MAR) …

The largest mosaic installation in South American continues to grow under leadership of Isidora Paz López.

Dolce & Gabbana’s Winter 2014 collection is inspired by the mosaics of Monreale.