Also on the tour of the Meyer May house yesterday, I was excited to see an ArtPrize artist (and his entourage of family and friends that came to support him!) Naturally, as we shuffled between rooms, I chatted him up a bit (as much as you can on a talking tour without being totally rude.) Michael Broder brought his giant mosaic up from Alabama to enter ArtPrize for the first time, and it was quite the rookie entry!

Chickasaw Warrior is made up of Native American artifacts including arrowheads, pottery pieces, stone knives, etc. He has long collected these pieces along the Tennessee River, and having dabbled in art a bit, decided to put them to good use in this mosaic. He said the piece took him 6 months to complete, which seems like a long time, but looking at the intricacy and detail of the mosaic, it actually doesn’t seem long at all.

Just collecting all these artifacts is a feat! Let alone positioning them so perfectly!

Broder’s biography says he is a retired engineer. I love to hear this. It is a great reminder that we can change gears in life and try something completely different. We don’t have to be who we’ve always been and that is exciting! Forgive my cheesiness here; I can’t help myself. Our lives can be like Broder’s Chickasaw Warrior. A bunch of parts of us: hobbies, experiences, careers, whatever! can be unearthed and put together to form an incredible and meaningful life. Thank you for the inspiration, Mr. Broder!