Our beginnings..
We founded April 6th of 2015, and opened our first location Sept 12th in Miamisburg, Ohio. We were very fortunate to cross paths with Joe Harrison, who told us we could make a difference in his city. With his support, we rented the old JCPenney building on Main Street, sternly constructed in the 1920's, giving us over 17,000 square feet to build a business. And the rest is, well…. an arts renaissance of sorts sparked for Miamisburg.
We had 10 amazing events in that beautiful space! A few of my favorites were 'The Shape of You' showing over 80 works of body photographer Gary Mitchel, poetry by Jeanette Winterson and performance by Hexa Burlesque, Orka Love and OldNews. 'Life’ showing over 120 works by micro botanical photographer Jim Shirey and ‘Americana’ featuring American landscape juxtaposed by American ethnicity, live painting and performance by Cincinnati’s ‘Honey & Houston’. Much gratitude for memorable music, performance, and visual arts experiences!
In Miamisburg, we led 6 collaborative murals, mosaic and paintings, created a mosaic with every public school, and led projects that won Miamisburg City First and Second place OPRA awards. With our whole hearts, we made an impact in the Burg community and started an arts legacy through giving and service.
When we moved to Dayton in 2018, we kicked the door down by painting our HUGE ‘Artist Bird Mural’ on the train overpass bridge at Keowee and First Street. It’s one of the largest and highest murals in Dayton. After independently raising funds, getting the green lights from City Manager Shelley Dickstein & co, and suffering 2 weeks of ‘lift legs’, we were well into our journey of making an even greater impact on the community.
Since then, we have shifted our focus towards the collaborative creation of large-scale interactive porcelain mosaics throughout Montgomery County and beyond. We have completed over 30 public art installs and have led thousands of hands to work together.
Our highest honor has been to lead the effort of bringing together an entire community for healing from a mass shooting and create a 500 sq. ft. ground mosaic. Over 5000 Daytonians met us at the table to process and release grief into a mosaic piece by peace, to remember our 9 lost on August 4th, 2019.
In April of 2025, our organization turned 10 years old! In a miracle of celebration, we were able to purchase our forever home at 1353 Woodman Drive in Riverside. We were able to open our doors to the public one year later in May of 2026. We are currently renting out studio spaces in our new building and have regular public hours in our walk-in mosaic studio on Saturdays. We look forward into the next decade of service and our impact in Riverside and beyond.
What began as a mission to spread joy through collaborative creativity has become a passion for cultivating a connection capable of accomplishing amazing things in the hearts of people. Proximity promotes empathy and understanding. We are in our highest power when we are unified.
OUR Future
We created a tile that soaks in UV during the day and glows at night in the dark. We have just started selling mosaics that include this amazing new tile.
We would love to expand our unity mosaic process and public art nationwide.
We would love to create an Opioid Memorial. A 3D sculpture covered in tiles, collected throughout the state of Ohio. We will travel the state to provide and collect tiles containing the names of loved ones lost in the epidemic.
We would love to develop an APP that will show the info and locations of our mosaics.
This is our Legacy. Be a part of it!
~Jes McMillan
The best way to find yourself
is to lose yourself in the service of others.
-Mahatma Gandhi
MEDIA
Below are some videos, articles and pics. Enjoy.
The ART SHOW
‘Together We Rise’
ARTICLES
Mosaic of Hope
Jes McMillan Wants to Bring The Community Together With Art
Oregon District Shooting Memorial
Opioid Memorial
Opioid Memorial - Interview sound clip
https://www.wyso.org/tags/jes-mcmillan
Mosaic Institute Moves to Dayton
Community Gems
Crafting A Career
Play Kettering Bee Games
Mosaic of Hope
https://www.preschoolpromise.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=5G0PIY&dasi=3YGY
Studio View
https://billfranz17.com/2016/04/05/jes-mcmillan-mosaic-artist/
Artfest Featured Artist
https://www.daytonlocal.com/blog/community/meet-2018-artfest-featured-artist-jes-mcmillan.asp
Connecting Communities
Piecing Community Together
The Mosaic Institute of Greater Dayton
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/mosaic-institute-greater-dayton/pqjnJlHwxUdUFxd2pgtXeI/