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The potential for a small publication such as Mosaic Art NOW is enormous. Last year's edition was an improvement over the first edition, but this year's magazine is a quantum leap forward. What a difference a year can make. Our breakthrough happened on a weekend in late May when Michael and I journeyed to northern California to meet with Nancie, poolside, under the watchful eyes of her beloved dog, Pippin. Joining us was JoAnn Locktov, guru of everything fashionable and artistic, who kept us on task in spite of the empty bottles of wine that were accumulating on the table.
First up on the agenda was the crafting of a mission statement that would help keep us focused in a world of unlimited possibility. Here it is:
Mosaic Art Now promotes the international understanding and appreciation of contemporary mosaics through high-quality publications and a lively online presence. We deliver provocative and inspirational content for artists, curators, architects, designers, collectors and educators.   
Not bad. The scope is broad enough to give us a huge sandbox in which to play, but narrow enough to give us direction.
Our work over the rest of the year flowed from this mission. Nancie launched the Mosaic Art NOW blog (http://mosaicartnow.blogspot.com), which has kept us informed and entertained with current activities and developments in the world of mosaics. She also became a self-taught social networking whiz and linked the blog to a new Facebook page and Twitter account. Our fan-base has been increasing ever since.
We came up with the idea of an Exhibition in Print. It would be juried by a recognized arts authority and, we hoped, would help build a stronger bond between the mosaic community and the established arts community. The results are presented here starting on page 59.
And we sought ways to build on the success of this magazine with longer articles and, of course, more photos of incredible contemporary mosaics.
We may be bucking the trends in the publishing world. Old, established magazines are shadows of their former selves. But there is a place for small publications like this. I can't think of a better way to introduce others to contemporary mosaic art than to present them with great works of art by way of a printed magazine. But first, the magazine is in your hands. Take a few minutes to leaf through it and enjoy a world of tessellated imaginations.


Although we didn't start out with a theme for this edition of Mosaic Art NOW, once it was complete, I discovered that we had ended up with an obvious one - Challenges. This magazine is chock full of challenges.
In A Body of Work, celebrated sculptor/mosaicist Ann Gardner speaks to the challenges she presents herself in creating commissioned works that are timeless. Laurel True challenges our perceptions of what disadvantaged really means as she finds Creative Capital in Nairobi. Master mosaicist Lucio Orsoni challenges accomplished mosaicists To Begin Again - to never be satisfied with their work - even after having found artistic success.
Writer Paul Anater uncovers how two generations of Hanansens individually strive To Work Without Fear in creating mosaics that celebrate the richness of human achievement. In Five Sisters Jennifer BlakebroughRaeburn documents British mosaic artist and author Emma Biggs' design processes as she creates what should be an oxymoron - an ephemeral mosaic - whose "very brevity of existence asks the viewer to contemplate art and history, time and work, in a new way." And then there are the challenges that Sonia King makes of the mosaic community in her commentary, State of the Art, even while celebrating the current wave of appreciation the art form is experiencing. Finally, there were the challenges that 301 mosaic artists made of themselves in creating works for consideration for the Exhibition in Print.
Come to think of it, perhaps "Challenge" really was the intent for this edition of Mosaic Art NOW. In fact, it drives everything we do. There is that Mission Statement.
If you are an art educator, collector, or curator I hope you find something in this magazine that challenges your perception of what mosaics are and what they can be.
If you are an architect or designer, I hope you find something in this magazine that challenges you to explore mosaic possibilities in some wonderful new project.
If you are an artist, I hope you find something in this magazine that challenges you to get into the studio with fresh ideas and a happy heart.
If we do any of these things, we will have lived up to our mission. Cool.
Tell us how we did. You can contact me through any of the channels below, and I'd love to hear from you. Enjoy.