Question: What kind of art project requires approximately 1,600 pounds of stained glass, 70 recycled glass windows, 150 pounds of grout, 66 pounds of zinc framing and 13 gallons of glue?

Answer: Mosaic Mania! For the second year in a row, area students in grades 3-6 are taking part in an art outreach project facilitated by Detroit Lakes’ Historic Holmes Theatre.

“Mosaic Mania” is designed to promote creativity among area youth and showcase the area’s commitment to the arts.

By the time the project is completed in April, more than 2,000 students from nine area school districts will have had the opportunity to create their own 5-by-5 inch glass mosaics, and contribute toward the creation of a full-size mosaic glass window (one window per class). Glass artist Becky Mitchell is working with students in the participating schools to create the glass mosaics.

This past Thursday afternoon, Mitchell was working with students in Mrs. Provo’s fourth grade class at Roosevelt Elementary School in Detroit Lakes.

Carrie Roble was substituting as class teacher for the day, and she said the students noticed right away when Mitchell’s car was parked outside the school that day.

“They asked if they were going to be doing an art project that day,” she said. When Roble responded that yes, they were going to be doing mosaics again this year, “they were really thrilled,” she added.

“This is such a great opportunity for these students,” Roble continued. “Art isn’t one of the core subjects taught at Detroit Lakes, so this gives the kids an opportunity to be exposed to something they wouldn’t normally do.”

Roble also noted that her own sons, Jacob and Ryan, were equally excited when Mitchell came to their class at Frazee Elementary recently.

“They just loved it,” she said.

Roble also marveled at the students’ ingenuity during Thursday’s class.

“They’re all so creative — they’ve come up with the neatest things (for mosaic designs),” she said.

Mitchell said that the overall theme for the project is the same as last year — i.e., things that might be found in nature, such as flowers, ducks, water, etc.

“We’re using some repeat patterns (for the large windows), and some new ones too,” she said.

Approximately eight hours of work goes into the creation of each of the larger windows, including two hours in each classroom and an additional six hours of prep and finishing work, including nipping glass, cleaning windows, grouting, sealing frames and attaching hooks.

Besides Roosevelt, classes from Barnesville, Circle of Life, Frazee, Lake Park-Audubon, Holy Rosary (Detroit Lakes), Perham, Rossman Elementary (Detroit Lakes) and Waubun-Ogema schools as well as home school groups from around the area are participating.

Various area businesses have donated supplies and/or “sponsored” a class for $100, including: Spectrum Glass, Harmon Glass Doctor, Beug’s Ace Hardware, Trophy House, Barnesville PTO, Mii-gii-way-win Advisory Board, Seaberg’s Power Sports, Floral Impressions, David Donehower Funeral Home, Lakes Mortgage Group, Jim Hedstrom American Family Insurance, DL Ford Chrysler Dodge, Norby’s, Mosaic Consulting, DL Kiwanis, Dynamic Homes, Greg & Marcia Potvin, Paul Davis Restoration, Lake Park Cuba Insurance, State Bank of Lake Park, Wagner Insurance, Lynette Conmy, Cenex Community Co-op, Smith Family Dentistry and CAPP (Arts Council of Barnesville).

Additional funding is being supplied by BTD Manufacturing, through its sponsorship of the Holmes Theatre Community Connections program, and by the Boehm Foundation.

In all, more than 70 large mosaic windows will be created. They will be displayed at the Detroit Lakes Community & Cultural Center (DLCCC) and Historic Holmes Theatre, as well as at area businesses that have contributed supplies or sponsored classes for the project.

As it did last year, the project will once again culminate in a community picnic, set for Tuesday, May 12, in the Detroit Lakes City Park and Pavilion. All of the windows will be on display at the picnic — the first and last time the windows will all be in one place. After the picnic, the windows will be sold via silent auction, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Pavilion.

As each window is finished, a photograph of it will be displayed online for those considering whether to purchase one: To preview the windows prior to the silent auction, visit www.dlccc.org and click on the link for “Mosaic Mania.”

All proceeds from the silent auction will go to support children’s programming and future outreach projects at the DLCCC and Historic Holmes Theatre. For more information on Mosaic Mania and the May 12 community picnic, please visit the Web sites www.theglasslady.org and www.dlccc.org, or contact artist Becky Mitchell directly at 218-844-4221, Ext. 116. You can also e-mail her at becky@dlccc.org.