More than 500 pieces of hand-crafted history from the former Columbine Elementary School in Grand Junction are now on permanent display at the Mesa County Libraries Central Branch.

Columbine Elementary School students and employees created the tile project during the 1997-98 school year. In 1997, Grand Junction parents, artists and teachers were given the opportunity to learn tile making from artist and ceramicist Margo Bryan-Petersen at the Art Center of Western Colorado.

The colorful student tiles were set and grouted into frames and displayed inside Columbine Elementary School until its closure in 2007. The tiles then were moved to the Mesa County School District 51 Hawthorne Building. After the closure of the Hawthorne Building in 2022, the tiles were moved again in 2023 to a permanent home at the Mesa County Libraries Central Branch.

“The Columbine Elementary School tile project — a collaborative effort involving our students, families, teachers and local community artists — serves as a vibrant reminder of District 51’s history,” said Superintendent Brian Hill. “We are happy to share in the excitement with Mesa County Libraries as these hand-crafted pieces find their permanent home in a place for the entire community to enjoy. We are grateful for our partnership with Mesa County Libraries and thankful for their help in preserving these valuable historical pieces of art.”