Black Business Spotlight: Mosaic on a Stick

Mosaic on a Stick offers community, healing and artistry

Lori Greene, a mosaic and textile artist born in Minneapolis, has created a remarkable space infused with innovative craftsmanship along with her African and Native American (Mississippi Band of Choctaw) heritage. Her work, deeply rooted in community, tells stories of resilience and memory. It offers an aesthetic experience but also a spiritual one, where the medium itself—tile and glass—becomes a conduit for personal and collective healing. 

Through her studio, Mosaic on a Stick, she has cultivated a studio wherein art and community come together in beautiful, transformative ways.

Greene founded Mosaic on a Stick in 2004 as a place for both seasoned artists and novices to express themselves freely. At the time, mosaic materials were hard to come by, and she saw an opportunity to offer something different: a space where anyone could come and create without the pressures of needing to be a professional.

“I wanted to create a safe space for people to make art,” Greene says, “whether they consider themselves artists or not.”

Her studio invites everyone to visit, whether they walk in seeking art materials or just stumble upon the space. Mosaic on a Stick is about more than just creating—it’s about offering a space where the community can come together to create something meaningful.

Though she had initially planned to become a doctor, life took Greene on a different path. While studying pre-med at the University of Minnesota, she experienced a series of traumatic events, including being kidnapped and sexually assaulted, and her father suffering a brain aneurysm. Art became her way of coping with this trauma.

“Therapy wasn’t as helpful as art was,” Greene reflects. “I’m not a big talker, more of a processor. Art saved me.”

For Greene, the connection between art and healing is personal. Her early work was dark and shaped by her hardships. Initially, she aimed to make political art in honor of her father, Dewey Rosevelt Rain, a civil rights activist. But over time, she discovered that personal experience is political. Creating from her own pain, rather than attempting to make grand political statements, became her way of finding healing.

Her public works, like the Memorial to Survivors of Sexual Violence at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis, are a testament to this journey. The memorial, the first of its kind in the country, is composed of five mosaic panels that explore themes of pain, healing and hope. Greene spent five years preparing to build the memorial, hosting truth-telling events to give survivors a space to share their stories.

“I wanted to provide a healing space,” she explains. “Mosaics offer many metaphors. Broken pieces are put together to create a whole. Diversity is a mosaic. Healing is a mosaic.”

The memorial’s benches, adorned with concentric circles representing the ripple effect of shared stories, offer a place for community healing. The panels themselves, imbued with prayers for survivors, reflect Greene’s belief that art can be a powerful tool for recovery.

Community is central to Greene’s practice. Mosaic on a Stick is not just a studio—it’s a gathering place for people from all walks of life. Regulars and newcomers alike are welcomed into a vibrant space where art is both a personal and collective endeavor.

“The people in this neighborhood feel a sense of ownership of this space, and I honor that,” Greene says. “I’ve made kinship with children who’ve grown up with this place as their safe haven.”

Even unhoused community members have found solace in Greene’s studio. One man, Benny, regularly contributed found materials to Greene’s collection. He would often come in just for a sandwich and a chat. His presence was both a challenge and a gift, a reflection of the complex relationships Greene fosters within her community.

Despite the heavy themes her work sometimes explores, Greene advocates for joy in the creative process. Though still under wraps, her latest project focuses on joy, movement and play. She hopes a large public pendulating sculpture will invite people to engage with art in a whimsical and uplifting way.

For Greene, creating art is about finding peace and happiness in the freedom to play. She encourages others to approach art the same way—without expectations or fear of failure. Beginners who come to her studio often are surprised by how therapeutic the process can be. “I remind them we’re just playing,” she says. “There’s no expected end product. It doesn’t have to be ‘something.’”

Her cultural heritage deeply informs Greene’s work. Her connection to the Yoruba Pantheon and Obatalá, the kindly father of all orishas in Yoruba religion, guides her practice. Much of her public art reflects this connection, weaving the historical and the personal to create works that honor ancestors and culture.

Greene collaborated with the Minnesota Vikings on a community mosaic in one of her most meaningful projects. Though she admits she isn’t a sports person, she was struck by the sense of community fostered among the team’s staff, from top executives to sanitation workers. 

“It was a good lesson for me,” she says. “Community can be fostered in all sorts of environments, whether I understand them or not.”

As a Black and Indigenous woman, Greene faces challenges in the public art world, from microaggressions to constant pressure to prove her knowledge. Despite this, she remains steadfast in bringing justice through art. Her work, she says, is about giving people a voice, particularly those who have been silenced.

“I’m always working toward justice,” she explains. “The memorial to survivors encapsulated a certain justice, giving space for people’s voices to be heard.”

As for her legacy, Greene hopes to be remembered for “big love.” It’s a simple but powerful statement that encapsulates her philosophy—of art, of community and of life.

“I’m constantly learning the importance of letting go,” she reflects. “There’s so much we can’t control. But through art, we can find a little bit of freedom and a lot of love.”

Mosaic on a Stick continues to serve as a place where art, community and healing intersect, thanks to Greene’s dedication. In her hands, mosaics become more than just pieces of art—they become mirrors of the human experience, capable of reflecting the depth of our pain, the strength of our resilience, and the beauty of our collective healing.

Alexzia Shobe welcomes reader responses at ashobe@spokesman-recorder.com.