ABOUT:  Vintage Mosaic has a long story, one that spans many decades, two continents and thousands of miles.  This smalti was originally destined for a 1500 sf exterior mural by painter Roberto Berdecio, in La Paz Bolivia in the 1970’s. Due to military instability and  devaluations of the Bolivian peso, the mural could not be fully realized. The almost 12,000 pounds of smalti remained in wooden crates in Tepoztlan, Mexico for decades. It became a veritable scrambling  of dusty, dirty glass in sadly broken tortilla sacs. Many willing hands bagged, tagged, weighed and scrubbed the smalti to render it worthy of export. In 1990, the inventoried 11,785 pounds of material that was once destined for South America, was shipped north to Austin, Texas. A detailed documentation of this material has been archived as it relates to 20th century art and politics in Latin America. In particular, it illustrates the extensive use of smalti on a grand scale by painters in Mexico. 

Since then, this beautiful material has been used in community projects, workshops and by hundreds of  mosaic artists around the country. 

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BIO: Susan Ribnick is a native of Minneapolis, MN and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a background in Architecture. In 1981, as an undergrad, she traveled to Mexico City and met South American  painter and muralist, Roberto Berdecio. They instantly became artistic partners in crime. It was his friendship with Jorge Rodriguez, the director of the largest mosaic fabrication workshop on the continent that she became involved with smalti. She had pursued painting from an early age and was always fascinated by the properties of glass. Susan worked with the veteran mosaic artists of Mosaicos Venecianos in Cuernavaca and learned the art of mosaic by working next to master mosaicists every day at the studio. She describes her obsession with smalti as part love story and part life sentence. Susan is a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists and will be acting co-president of the Austin Mosaic Guild in Austin, TX where she has her home, mosaic studio and two Goldens, Bijou and Luzinho.