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JOHN PRATT MOSAIC PROJECT

“Use your creativity. Don’t stop. Don’t worry about what people say.” ~ John Pratt

From 1991-1997, a small, cinderblock home on M-20 was the site of one of the most interesting outsider art installations in the state.  During that time, Midland native, John Pratt, created mosaic murals on the outside of his family home using a variety of materials: broken pottery, bottle caps, bathroom tiles and clay pots. The house was willed to Community Mental Health when Pratt died in 1997 and was subsequently given to Creative 360, the non-profit arts and wellness center headquartered at 5501 Jefferson Avenue.

Since 1997, the house has stood as a fascinating example of both outsider and folk art as well as the power of the creative process to heal those who embrace it.

On Friday, October 13th, the John Pratt Mosaic House was demolished - the last action in a project spanning the summer that saw a group of artists working to save the work that meant so much to Pratt.

John Pratt was born and raised in Midland in the house his father built.  After graduating from high school, Pratt moved to New York City, working as a window dresser for Macy’s and ultimately opening an antique store specializing in Tiffany lamps.  Mental health concerns led to his family to bring Pratt back to Midland where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

After years of trouble with the Midland justice system, Pratt was connected to Community Mental Health and to the Gimme Shelter arts program, the precursor to Creative 360’s Express Yourself Artshop program.  There he was able to explore his love of both the performing and the visual arts.  Access to appropriate treatments along with the healing power of the arts put John on the road to a stable, supported life in his childhood home.

Pratt’s mosaics tell many interesting stories.  The wisteria on the soffits hearken to his love of Tiffany lamps.  Religious references to both Christianity and Judaism represent his hope that all people could co-exist.  Flowers, butterflies, and birds were favorites of his mother. Designing and creating each of these individual mosaics was key to managing his mental illness.  In a video interview, he discussed using the process of shattering pottery to repair the shattered pieces of his life.

In 2021, Creative 360 wrote a grant to the Michigan Arts and Culture Council to obtain the funds needed to restore the house to a safe structure and Creative 360 was awarded over thirty thousand dollars for the project.  Unfortunately, by the time the money was in hand, contractors shared that the structure was no longer salvageable.

In order to save the art, the grant was used funded five artists who spent the summer scraping individual mosaic pieces from the house, cleaning them, and re-creating Pratt’s work.  Saginaw artist Allise Noble was the project director, leading artists Clara Allington, Yazi Safadi, Kerry Meyer, and Victoria Parker.  The reconstructed murals are at Creative 360’s Jefferson location where they will be framed and displayed for the public.

“John Pratt’s story is one that gives us all hope,” said Executive Director Laura Vosejpka. “With the right interventions, the right support, and the right creative outlets, we all have the chance to heal ourselves and to experience a life of joy and purpose.  These murals tell a story of resilience, creativity, and support. We hope that the display that we create and the story that we share will help many more people recognize and embrace the power of creativity to change our lives for the better.”

For more information about John Pratt and the artwork, you can contact the arts center at 989-837-1885.

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