We’re not in Kansas Anymore
We’re at the Mobile Community Brick Factory that my Asheville Potter Son Josh Copus and his fellow artist Marian Glebes have been running in communities throughout Baltimore, including at the Baltimore Museum of Art in conjunction with the Imagining Home exhibit, where Marian, BMA artist in residence, has an exhibit.
The Brick Factory has moved to different neighborhoods in Baltimore where the public have been leaving their mark on history, stamping their stories of place, words of wisdom and art onto handmade bricks.
The bricks will eventually be part of a public art sculpture, installation or walkway.
Josh gave demonstrations of the handmade brick making process throughout the day. They’re at the museum till the 20th from 12 to 5 and then on to the Loading Dock.
The first thing we did upon arriving was meet Alice, who lives in the neighborhood where Josh has been working. Together Alice and Josh have been making a series of Brick Party Dance videos to songs like Brick House, Another Brick in the Wall and more and posting them on Facebook. The only songs left to dance to was either Elton’s John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road or the below. Alice preferred the later. It was a good choice.
Here’s the brick that Joe’s sister Maryanne, who lives in Baltimore, made for the farm to table food truck that her son and others owns.
Watch a brick making demonstration above. Read a post from day 2 of our visit HERE.
June 18th, 2016 8:58 pm
Thanks for posting this Colleen. I love seeing Josh and his brickwork up in Baltimore. I know there are communities up there that really need this type of community activity. Yeah Josh! U R wonderful!
June 22nd, 2016 12:31 am
[…] Tomorrow is the last day to catch The Brick Factory at the BMA. After that it will be at the Loading Dock, 12 – 5 pm. Brick Burn is at Baltimore Clayworks on June 25th. Check out their Facebook page. Read more about our visit to the Brick Factory HERE. […]
June 23rd, 2016 8:55 am
[…] 10. My son and is on the road in Baltimore with the Mobile Community Brick Factory. It’s an interactive public art project where neighborhood people can make bricks and are invited to decorate or stamp bricks with something they want to say. The bricks being made will be used in a future public art installation, and since it’s a project for building community, everyone that makes a brick takes home a limited edition fired brick with the word “Community” stamped on it. There are also dance parties involved. See HERE. […]
September 5th, 2020 12:07 am
I love the project, it’s so exciting and affordable way to transform our communities.
I was just thinking, that could be the best thing for our rural communities down in Africa.
lf we mixed cement on the mud on the day of making it would be extremely hard.
and also add the Interlocking sides for self builds.
thanks for your creative ideas
God bless you.
ivan-Uganda
November 19th, 2021 5:41 pm
Greetings from Texas.
Thank you for posting Colleen!
I appreciate you giving us all these insights on this excellent axample of a community project!
I found your youtube video with Josh showing how the bricks are made in a large mold and have been hunting for more videos of Josh making the molds and giving details on the clay and mixture. But mostly the different brick molds and why they are different since the video you posted has him actually making the bricks. I can’t seem to find his YouTube channel! Please ask him to help the rest of us brick lovers develop these tools.
November 19th, 2021 7:08 pm
The bricks he is making with clay are stamped and decorated but later they are fired in a kiln. You might learn a bit more about it here: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/madison/2017/08/02/building-community-one-brick-time/104154706/