Winter Gateway 2022

Courtesy photo
Artist Patty Sjolin at work on the mural
that adorns Bullion Plaza Cultural Center
& Museum’s McKusick Tile Exhibit.
Bullion Plaza Museum exhibit continued from page 32
David Sowders/Copper Corridor
Standing beneath Sjolin’s finished work are Charles Beck and Victoria
Carella, who together largely funded the mural; Bullion Plaza Cultural Center
& Museum Executive Director Tom Foster; Robert and Charmion McKusick’s
grandson, Thierry Condit; and their daughter, Kathleen Condit.
er desert animals for 48
years. Their work has been
described as a unique product
of Globe, which the
couple formed and decorated
by hand using an inlay
process developed from the
12 th Century Moorish glaze
technique. Robert mined
and prepared the clay, made
the molds and fired the tiles
in kilns; Charmion created
the tile designs, cut them
into the plaster molds and
decorated the fired tiles.
Their daughter Kathleen
Condit, who grew up in the
business, later took over
sales and customer relations
as well as designing some
of the tiles. Before production
ended in 1996, the
McKusick Tile Studio created
over 300 tile designs.
Robert McKusick, who
taught ceramics at Gila
Community College for
many years, helped design
the tile exhibit at Bullion
Plaza Cultural Center &
Museum. The museum’s
McKusick Tile Exhibit provides
a multi-faceted display
of the couple’s wildlife
art, other ceramic works
by the McKusicks and the
equipment they used.
In 2021, the exhibit was
further enhanced by the
work of another local artist.
Gila County’s diverse
and beautiful ecosystem
is the theme Miami painter
Patty Sjolin created for
the McKusick Tile Exhibit
– a work of art that complements
the collection of
birds, mammals and reptiles
depicted in tile by Robert
and Charmion McKusick.
Stretching over three walls
of the exhibit room, Sjolin’s
work portrays local animals
and plants – including endangered
species - in their
natural settings both above
and below ground, including
a riparian area. It also
depicts area landmarks like
the Pinal Mountains and
Salt River. The project was
inspired and largely funded
by Victoria Carella and her
partner Charles Beck, of
Globe. The couple brought
Sjolin the idea for this work
and provided the majority
of the mural project funding;
the rest was supplied
by Bullion Plaza through
Gila County grants. Wildlife
biologist Eric Herman
served as a consultant on
the mural. Bullion Plaza is
also working to develop a
coloring book and postcards
based on Sjolin’s work.
The McKusicks’ art,
along with the accompanying
mural and a wealth of
other historical items from
Gila County, is on view
at Bullion Plaza Cultural
Center & Museum. Visiting
hours at the museum, located
at 150 N. Plaza Circle
in Miami, are Wednesday
through Friday from 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
For more information,
call (928) 473-3700.
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