Oracle Online

“We wanted to make mosaics accessible,” Ricke said. “There is no comprehensive mosaic-supply store in the [Twin] Cities.”

But Mosaic On A Stick is not exactly an average art-supply store.

“We want you to walk in and say, ‘Now this is a fun place. Can I stay and hang out?’ We want people here all the time,” Greene said.

Both Greene and Ricke use Mosaic On A Stick as a studio space for the production of their own mosaic projects and are willing to work alongside anyone who wants to learn more about mosaics, even those who aren’t interested in taking classes.

Classes are offered in everything from making mosaic mirrors to a family mosaic course.

Greene and Ricke both hold the opinion that mosaics are a great medium for any person of any age to work with.

“Our youngest student is three, and our oldest is 93,” Greene said.

“It’s very beginner-friendly,” Ricke added.

Ricke first stumbled across the artform while living in Chicago.

“I was living in a house and found a closet full of mosaic supplies,” she said. “I have been doing it ever since.”

Mosaics are decorative pieces made by setting small, colored objects, such as glass or tile, into a surface.

Greene stressed that it is easy to fall into the mosaic art form because of easy access to materials.

“[Mosaics] are a good technique for people who are poor,” she said. “You can use anything [to make them], like broken glass, cups, bottle caps or found objects.”

Out of necessity, Greene began working with glass and grout while living out east.

“I started out in grad school working with beadwork, but there is a push on the East Coast away from small sculpture. So I started to break tile,” she said.

Out of every item sold, one percent of proceeds from the sale will be placed directly into the “Piece for Peace” fund, which Greene and Ricke developed.

“[The money] will go to groups that we feel are trying to make the world a better place,” Ricke said.
Ricke and Greene hope the catchy name of their art space will interest people enough to drop by. “[Our name] is silly,” said Greene. “You can’t forget it.”