Title:  The Continents           


Site:  Louis Wirth Middle School
4959 S. Blackstone Avenue

Artist:  Mirtes Zwierzynski


Assistants: Turbado Marabou


Community Participants: Fifteen 7th and 8th grade Wirth school students


Sponsors:  Chicago Public Art Group


Year:  1995


Scale:  Three mosaics total 175 square feet


Materials:  Ceramic tile mosaic


Information:  The Continents are a set of three interior mosaic murals inset around water fountains on different floors of Wirth Middle School. Zwierzynski organized the mosaics according to cultural features of six continents. Separately, the three mosaics depict North/South America, Africa/Asia, and Europe/Australia. The project allowed for the integration of art activities with the development of general school curriculum. The exploration of the cultural differences of each place, their fauna and flora, and the various historical and geopolitical aspects, was a part of the curriculum.