Business & Tech
Made In Vienna: Maverick Mosaics
Made in Vienna is a series about locally-grown businesses. Bonnie Fitzgerald turned her love of mosaics into a career.
Mosaic aficionados from as far as Brazil, the Netherlands and Israel flock to her small shop on the corner of Church Street and Lawyers Road, but s owner Bonnie Fitzgerald says those within walking distance often don’t know it exists.
Despite its reputation in the global mosaic community, the mosaic shop and studio has remained one of Vienna’s best kept secrets. Since it moved to its Vienna space three years ago, Maverick Mosaics has created an intimate art community, connecting local customers and artists to the work of professionals from around the globe.
“Last week, I got a phone call from somebody who wants to send their children to art camp and lives one block away. They see my studio everyday and they just realized we were here,” Fitzgerald says. “Once people walk through the door, they realize this is a very rare place.”
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Fitzgerald estimates fewer than 10 shops like hers exist across the globe.
Maverick Mosaics is a first and foremost a place to learn, Fitzgerald said. She and her staff offer beginners lessons to people of all ages: Introduction to Polymer Clay, Introduction to Mosaics in Glass, and their most basic course, Mosaic Express. They also offer advanced courses for those who stick with the art form – Color Theory and Comprehensive Exterior Mosaics among them – some of which are taught by visiting professional mosaic artists. There’s also a summer art camp for kids.
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In the time between lessons, the store holds Open Studio hours in which any student who has completed an introductory course may hone their skills in a relaxed environment.
Fitzgerald says her lessons focus on application rather than perfection.
“Our classes our project-driven,” she says. “We want people to be successful in creating something, whether they have a detailed plan in mind or they just decide they like the color red, we want students to embrace their art.”
As unassuming as the outside of her art school and studio may be, the mosaics lining almost every inch of the cozy space immediately grab customers’ attention. To the right, 20 animal-themed mosaics made by students dangle freely while the stunning work of professionals adorns the inside.
“You have this intense owl’s eye. You have this horse that’s kind of like an Andy Warhol pop-art piece from stained glass. The rabbit above it is made of all 24-karat gold. There’s such a variety of material and approaches to the art form that we encourage people to come in and take a look because it’s pretty breathtaking,” Fitzgerald says.
Thirteen years ago, when her lifelong passion for mosaics became a career, Fitzgerald was at the peak of her career, working for producer George Stevens Jr. on the Kennedy Center Honors, an annual show which honors five people for lifelong contributions to performing arts.
“I started teaching kids in summer art camp in my garage. . . But then the parents became interested and asked me to teach them too. So it became a word of mouth thing,” Fitzgerald says. “I realized that I loved to teach but then the reality of paying the mortgage would rear its ugly head every now and again so I continued doing a lot of both teaching and television work for seven years.”
Fitzgerald continued her double life for the better part of a decade, simultaneously working as a successful behind-the-scenes woman in television and a local mosaic instructor. She worked for the Discovery Channel on Shark Week Promos and then began freelancing for museums, doing her last television work for the Newseum three and a half years ago. Six months later, after a family trip to Ireland, she opened her Vienna studio.
“It was a challenge to walk away from television because the people I worked with were some of the smartest and most creative people on the planet, but I was always taught ‘dare to fail’” Fitzgerald says. “I know my friends in television, when they came to my garage, were just rolling their eyes saying ‘What is she thinking?’ But now when they see me, they’re pretty overwhelmed by what I do.”
The studio has attracted professional mosaic artists at a rising pace in the last three years, and Fitzgerald hopes to expand the facility or move into a larger building in Vienna to accommodate multiple classes and provide more Open Studio time.
Fitzgerald’s big plans may be helped by a recent discovery: Groupon.
Unable to attract local customers at a high rate, Fitzgerald put out an ad on Groupon for a $99 voucher priced at $49.
The 600 coupons sold out in less than 24 hours.
How long does it usually take to add 600 customers?
“I’ve never had 600 customers in my entire client base. We got more customers in a day than we had in the last three years,” Fitzgerald said. “We already have plenty of national exposure, but now we have local exposure too.”
While she longs for more local recognition, Fitzgerald’s focus is not on stockpiling new clients –it’s centered on impressing the ones she already has.
“I’m proud to say we have not had anybody ask for they’re money back or tell us they had a bad time,” Fitzgerald said. “I stopped doing evaluations because we were just burning up trees. We offer a supportive environment to work the right side of your brain, and the great thing about mosaics is that anyone can do it.”