Joan di Stefano Ruiz

• Born in Berkeley, California. BFA received from San Francisco Art Institute and an MA received from New York University's Venice Program. Mosaic sculpture exhibited in the Masters Exhibition in Venice, Italy. Teaches mosaic techniques in Brux, France during the summers. A past artist-in-residence for the Anchorage Alaska Unified School District doing mosaics in the schools. Also teaches mosaics as an artist-in-residence for community schools through the Silicon Valley Arts Council Arts Connect program. Local commissions include the interior and exterior of Blondie's Pizza on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. Local church commissions include the offertory table, vestibule tables and sanctuary light for St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Oakland, CA. The artist's work is included in the book The Art of Mosaic Design, by Joan Locktov, published by Rockport Press.
• Autonomous panels are in several private collections. Di Stefano Ruiz pioneered using stained glass as the main material in modern mosaics (i.e. stepping stones, tabletops), first shown at the San Francisco Landscape Show in 1993. All commissioned work is custom designed. Di Stefano Ruiz's skill is both in the ancient, traditional style and contemporary mixed media.