Volunteers add mosaic art to neighborhood skate ramps

Maymont Community Garden hosted a volunteer-based Mosaic Day to help beautify the backsides of ramps at Texas Beach Skate Park.

A free-form mosaic design on the back of a skate ramp at Texas Beach Skate Park; a central mosaic says "Riverview Park"

Totally free-form, this mosaic project welcomes volunteers to bring their own ideas to the table.

Photo provided by Maymont Community Garden

Maymont Community Garden hosted its first Mosaic Day on Saturday, September 20. The volunteer-based initiative recruited a crew to add mosaic designs to the backsides of ramps at Texas Beach Skate Park.

The skate park and community garden share a communal space at Riverview Park in Maymont’s residential neighborhood, opening the door to partnerships that support one another.

“We get support from the city (Parks and Rec + Richmond Grows Gardens), but similar to Texas Beach Skate Park, a lot of our initiatives are community-led/funded and D.I.Y.,” said Emily Schreer, Garden Organizer + a Master of Urban Planning student at VCU.

Event organizers with Maymont Community Garden provided tiles and various ceramic dishes to break, as well as adhesive, grout, and essential tools. Volunteers were encouraged to bring their own breakable ceramics, enhancing the mosaic with a curated scattering of community contributions.

Four people work on designing the back of a skate park ramp, each kneeling on cardboard boxes on the ground in front of the ramp.

Maymont Community Garden leadership has not announced a date for the next volunteer event, but stated via Instagram, “there will definitely be more Mosaic Days in the future.”

Photo + quote provided by Maymont Community Garden

“This project was especially cool because it brings connection and attention to the space in between the skate park and the garden, which is used by all park-goers,” says Schreer.

According to the community garden’s most recent post, volunteers got a solid and colorful head start before a rainy day interrupted the work session. On the sunny side, there are more Mosaic Days ahead.

Want to join the next break-and-beautify event? Follow Maymont Community Garden on social media, and stay on the lookout for more updates in our morning newsletters.

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