Artaic: Visualize, Customize, Actualize
Mosaics are an ancient art form, predating back to ancient Mesopotamia. Throughout history, they have been a beautiful, but relatively inaccessible, art medium due to the expense and burden of accumulating stone, glass, and ceramics.
Ted Acworth, a mechanical engineer and design expert educated by the nation’s top universities, appreciates mosaics as a medium for artwork. “They are very physical, very tangible, very durable, and very permanent,” he notes.
But despite these traits, Acworth noticed that mosaics were a medium with which very few, if any, designers worked. Though mosaics have been around for thousands of years, hiring independent artists to do commissioned pieces was a long, cumbersome, and expensive process. Having always been fond of marrying a technological background with design and artistry, Acworth saw an opportunity to bridge the gap.
Thus, fifteen years ago, Artaic was born – a custom mosaic design company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts whose goal is to make custom mosaics more accessible, more affordable, and more customizable. Artaic didn’t invent custom mosaics, but they streamlined them. They reinvented the wheel to make them accessible in any commercial or residential area through robotics, through robotic technology and their patented software, Tylist™. Their priority is speed and accuracy, and it is that priority which separates Artaic from other custom mosaic companies. They put their customer’s needs first, working to find the artistic vision and then, bringing it to fruition.
But Artaic is more than a streamlined, efficient service provider. They also are interested in being your creative partner. “Some of our clients are very crystal clear on what they want,” Acworth shares. “People want to personalize an expression of who they are in their homes. That’s where we come in– we’re able to provide support to help people achieve their creative vision.”
From start to finish, Artaic’s designers work with their customers hand in hand to achieve results that both parties are proud of. All clients have to do is provide some inspiration- whether a word, idea, logo, or picture– and Artaic’s artists will give them renderings that they can sift through and provide feedback.
Afterward, the clients will be sent free custom sample designs for project approval. Artaic will then proceed with the robotic manufacturing fabrication system, with lead times between four to eighteen weeks and with more precision and speed than other systems out there.
Artaic understands that complete customizability provides complete freedom and creativity, but this can also come with not knowing where to start. For those needing that extra helping hand, a full-service design department comes to the rescue, with artists who create art for clients to review and decide if they wish to implement it in their own spaces. Artaic also publishes a collection once a year so interested customers can thumb through and gain inspiration, although all projects will be fully custom and manufactured for the specific client.
Artaic started in the commercial space, working with interior designers, architects, and art studios to outfit restaurants, workspaces, and hotels with floor-to-ceiling intricate and inspired designs. But since 2017, they have seen an uptick in the residential market, and are excited to continue venturing into this arena.
Ariel Schuster, Residential Sales & Design manager, is passionate about working with not just artistically inclined homeowners with clear visions of their desired mosaic, but also those with broader ideas. She explains that sometimes the homeowners who don’t know exactly what they want end up being the ones collaborating on the most extensive projects– allowing Artaic’s creative capabilities to shine through.
“There was a home in Orlando where the client really loved post impressionist Artwork but they didn’t know how that would translate. With our help, it turned into this gorgeously cohesive, sprawling display of different post-impressionist artists shown through mosaic throughout the entire home.”
In terms of residential design, Schuster is excited about the shift away from homogeneous spaces, like the theme of “modern farmhouse” that has been perpetuated in recent years. According to Schuester, people are increasingly building unique spaces and are much more thoughtful and exploratory in the design process. “We can be that liaison and bridge their vision with their final forever home. That’s super exciting,” she says.
The ancient art form of mosaics is now at your fingertips, ready to mold itself into an expression of your own individuality and creativity. When you can make your home or business space the forefront of artistry and design- without any of the stress or burden- what do you have to lose?