Tile Artist Beryl Solla Brings Talents to Piedmont Arts' Spring Fling Family Day, In-School Workshop

This Saturday, May 17, tile mural artist Beryl Solla will lend her considerable art-making talents to Piedmont Arts' Spring Fling Family Day from 2 to 4 pm at the museum.

Beryl Solla

Using a hands-on approach, Solla will teach kids how to create a small tile mural using broken tiles and plates. At the end of the day, each child will have a tile mural to take home.

During Spring Fling Family Day, kids can also participate in fun crafts, like paper flower making and cupcake decorating. 

In addition, Piedmont Arts' Teen Arts Council will have handmade baked goods for sale. Proceeds from the sale of these tasty treats will support future Teen Arts Council events.

Spring Fling Family Day is generously sponsored by River Community Bank, N.A. Support from sponsors like River Community Bank allows Piedmont Arts Family Days to remain admission free.

Looking at Our Lives: A Tile Mural Workshop

Prior to her participation in Spring Fling Family Day, Solla will conduct a Piedmont Arts in-school workshop at Martinsville High School on Friday, May 16. 

Looking at Our Lives: A Tile Mural Workshop, which is part of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' (VMFA) statewide programs, will focus on encouraging students to develop a theme that represents the people and things that give their lives meaning and value. 

Once students identify their individual themes, Solla will guide them through designing and creating their own small (approx. 12" x 12") broken tile mural. Solla will teach techniques for sketching the mural, breaking and applying tile, and grouting and cleaning a finished mural. The extensive creation process of each mural will involve students throughout.

Piedmont Arts' educational outreach program brings artists, musicians and actors to local schools in an effort to inspire a love of the arts in the future generations on Martinsville–Henry County residents. Learn more about this program here.

About Beryl Solla

Beryl Solla is the chairman of the Art Department at the Piedmont Virginia Community College. She holds a BA from Florida International University and an MFA from the University of Miami – Florida. In 2000, the Public Art Commission of Richmond, VA commissioned her to create an extensive tile mural, which now welcomes guests at the city's Blackwell Community Center.