The goal of the “Community Tile Project” was to provide student access to the Braddock Library Ceramics Studio for a workshop in clay. The project introduced students to the medium and techniques of clay, ceramics, and specifically tile making. The students’ completed tiles will be installed in the Braddock Carnegie Library or other local site as a tribute to the beginning of a ceramics studio in the community where artists of any age can meet to create artwork together.

In a community tile project each person has something unique to contribute. Our challenge is to place all the pieces together in a visually compelling presentation. Everyone involved gets to experience themselves as creative human beings. The lengthy process of fabricating, designing and installing handmade ceramic tiles enhances the beauty of architectural elements as well as a sense of ownership by the community.

The “Community Tile Project” is an effort to incorporate the Braddock Library Ceramics Studio into the curriculum at Rankin intermediate and Shaffer Primary Schools in the Woodland Hills School District. Students participating in the project have been given an opportunity to create clay artwork in the ceramics studio as enrichment to their school art programs. This project is a joint effort, combining the talents of Phyllis McLaughlin, Art teacher at Rankin and Shaffer and Jaison Pascuzzi, Americorps Member at the Braddock Carnegie Library.

The Community Tile Project is now permanently installed in the children's room at the Braddock Library.