Community helps build two-storey mosaic for new cancer and specialty facility
Monmouth Medical Center (MMC) has brought hundreds of people together to handcraft a sweeping mosaic that will rise from the lobby of the new outpatient Specialty and Cancer Care Centre at the Vogel Medical Campus in Tinton Falls. The building is expected to open in early 2027.
The project, organised in partnership with Mosaic Workshop — a Texas-based studio and arts organisation — used a series of pixel art sessions on 16–18 July to create square-foot sections of the larger mural. Participants placed colourful glass tiles into pre-marked grids to form the final design.
- Tiles used: 68,165 individual glass tiles
- Tile grids: 325 square-foot sections
- Workshop dates: 16, 17 and 18 July
- Location: Anne Vogel Family Care and Wellness Center, Eatontown
- Installation: Installed the week of 20 July at the Specialty and Cancer Centre building
MMC invited a wide range of local participants to the sessions, including area students, partnering service organisations, hospital staff and supporters. More than 300 people attended the workshops, reflecting an effort by the hospital to combine community engagement with the commissioning of permanent artwork for its new facility.
“We chose to create this mosaic because it supports our commitment to community engagement, enabling hundreds of community members, regardless of age or ability, to help us create a permanent art piece that will live in our Specialty and Cancer Care Center,”
said Jenna DiBartolo, Acting Vice President for the Vogel Medical Campus project. Her remarks underline the dual aim of the initiative: to provide a calming and distinctive focal point for patients and visitors while offering a participatory experience for the wider community.
The technique used blends traditional mosaic craftsmanship with a contemporary, pixelated aesthetic. Participants followed simple guides to place tiles into each grid so the final composition forms a layered, iridescent surface when viewed at scale.
Assemblywoman Margie Donlon (D-11) also took part in the workshops, presenting the hospital with a legislative proclamation in recognition of the sessions and staying to complete a tile grid herself.
“What brought me here today was the opportunity to be a part of this incredible group that is building this mural for the Specialty and Cancer Care Center,”
she said.
Local arts in health-care settings
Hospitals and health centres increasingly use art to shape environments that are less clinical and more restorative. In this case, the mosaic is described as a two-storey feature intended to act as a calming focal point in the outpatient centre's lobby. The permanent nature of the installation means the community's contribution will be visible to patients, families and staff for years to come.
MMC's approach emphasised inclusivity: organisers said the sessions were open to people of all ages and abilities, enabling a broad cross-section of the local population to take part. The completed mural combines 68,165 tiles across 325 grids — a reminder of the scale of volunteer effort and co-operation that went into the work.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of tiles | 68,165 |
| Number of grids | 325 |
| Workshop attendance | More than 300 people |
The mural was installed at the Specialty and Cancer Care Centre during the week of 20 July. The outpatient building forms part of the Vogel Medical Campus project, which MMC is developing to expand specialised and cancer care services in the region.
While this event took place in Eatontown, the initiative is an example of how health providers can work with local communities to create meaningful, lasting public art within clinical settings. For residents who have an interest in the intersection of arts and health, or who follow developments in regional medical facilities, the mosaic will be a visible symbol of collective involvement in the care environment.
Further information and footage from the workshops have been made available by the hospital and its partners.
