By the time visitors reach the front door of the Richardson Animal Shelter—whether to drop off donations, adopt a pet, or volunteer—they are greeted by an unofficial welcome committee: a playful tower of colorful animals crafted in vibrant mosaic tile. These figures shimmer with ceramic textures, jewel-like colors, and whimsical expressions.

This cheerful sculpture, titled “The Town Musicians of Richardson,” references the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, “The Town Musicians of Bremen.” In the tale, abandoned animals’ band together, leaving their old lives behind for a new future—a perfect parallel for a city animal shelter, where unwanted pets arrive uncertain and leave with new families and new beginnings.

A Welcoming Emblem for a New Chapter

The installation is part of the shelter’s 2025 renovation, which includes a new façade and a more inviting entrance. Commissioned through the City’s Public Art Master Plan, the sculpture reinforces the idea that municipal services can be places of care, hope, and personal connection.

The moment of arrival! A large crane was required to carefully lift the monumental, multi-animal mosaic sculpture into place outside the new building entrance. This was a critical step in bringing the community project to life.

Community Hands in the Clay

Although artist Gigi Griffin Miller designs and builds her sculptures herself, she intentionally invites local involvement. For the Richardson installation, she hosted a community tile-making event for volunteers, fosters, and shelter staff. Every piece crafted by residents was later fired and installed into the base of the sculpture.

The entire piece is made of ceramic mosaic tiles that Miller crafts by hand. Memorial tiles, pet prints of fostered animals, and the names of beloved pets are forever memorialized in the sculpture. Miller chose to make the base’s decorative “flowers” the site of these meaningful additions. “That’s where all the memories are,” she explains, literally forming the foundation for the animals above.

Our animal friends—including a dog, cat, parrot, and frog—stand tall! Here, the installation crew works to secure the base of the colorful mosaic sculpture, ensuring it is perfectly positioned to greet visitors for years to come.

Built With Purpose, Built to Last

Miller’s work is known for durability as well as sentiment. Her mosaic “The Fish” in Kerrville, Texas, famously survived catastrophic flooding, becoming a local symbol of resilience and hope.

The scale of “The Town Musicians of Richardson” presented a unique construction challenge, forcing Miller to work outdoors in the Texas heat for months. She insisted on the size—something large enough and colorful enough to catch the eye of drivers, drawing them toward “the real treasures,” the adoptable pets inside.

The heart of the project: individualized, donor-created tiles featuring names, paw prints, and images of beloved pets. This section of the mosaic serves as a permanent, vibrant tribute to the animals that enrich our lives.

Public Art and Creative Placemaking

Miller’s artistic practice is rooted in community development and what she calls “creative placemaking.” She firmly believes civic involvement fosters inclusion and personal investment in shared spaces.

Her philosophy centers on the idea that public art should feel like it belongs to the people who encounter it every day. As she puts it:

“There’s something magical about art that is community-made. It transcends the individual tiles and creates a sense of place. A community work of art can be a place to return to and serve as a reminder that I existed here in this special place and time.”

Miller concludes that “Art is transformative,” especially when it lives where everyday life happens: outside a shelter door, near kennels and adoption rooms, next to the open-hearted families deciding to give an animal a home.

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