Mosaic tile is a blend of artistic skills and tile craft. I’ve seen mosaic tile installations that make my eyes hurt because they were poorly thought out or the installer/artist rushed the job.

But one traditional craft is in danger of fading — the centuries-old skill of making zellige — the mosaic tile that adorns mosques and palaces. Making these tiles, a skill handed down from ...

the mosaics grew more decorative, as the country transitioned from the Victorian era to the arts and crafts, art nouveau and art deco periods. Tile production peaked in the late 1920s, and then ...

The Chicago Mosaic School, 1127 W. Granville Ave., is trying to change all that. The establishment is North America’s first ...

Behind the thousands of tiles that make up the mosaic, behind the placard that bears ... adds the secrets of his centuries-old craft and creates what is practically a whole new piece of art.