This August, I led a community glass mosaic project for the 2026 International Festival of Glass (IFOG) in St Helens, UK — the first time the Festival has been run by the Glass Art Society in its 20-year history, and the first time it’s been hosted at The World of Glass. GAS interviewed me about the project ahead of the Festival. I’m still working on a full recap of the incredible experience, but want to share a little about the backstory and share an image of the installed mosaic along with a map that shows the contributions of glass artists around the world.

A Design Built With the Community, Before the Community Ever Touched It

A community mosaic doesn’t start with glass — it starts with outreach. Months before the Festival, the design for the St Helens mosaic was developed in collaboration with local schools and community organizations, so that by the time the public arrived over Festival weekend, the piece already reflected the place it was being made in.

Thousands of Hands, One Permanent Piece

Over the Festival weekend, visitors of every age had the chance to contribute directly — laying individual mosaic pieces into the design. Some pieces were even pre-made and mailed in by contributors who couldn’t attend in person, so people who never set foot in St Helens still have a piece of themselves in the final work.

The finished mosaic is now a permanent public art installation on the exterior of The World of Glass — a lasting, physical record of a community showing up for itself.

See the interactive map of the mosaic and find the artists that helped.

Explore the interactive IFOG community mosaic map.