Usually, this story features a tile maker in our industry, often focusing on studios and factories of handmade tile. This time around, we take a detour to the “making” of a new generation of professionals who will have a big impact on the specification of tile: architecture students. For the second time since 2022, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Architecture (SoA) partnered with NTCA to produce mosaic structures to display at the Coverings Tile & Stone Expo. Thirteen students worked in teams to bring their creative visions to life at Coverings 2026, which was held in Vegas in early spring. The goal was to not only inspire creativity, but to imbue these students with real-world experience in realistic project design, fabrication, and installation that would serve as a springboard of knowledge when they graduated later in the year and embarked on their professional paths.
The training team
NTCA Training Team Director Matt Welner, together with NTCA Five-Star Contractor Jeff Occhipinti of Columbia River Tile and Stone/Evolution Mosaics and Executive Director Brad Denny of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), worked with SoA Associate Professor Joshua Vermillion and Craft Studio Principal Paul Morrison to help train SoA students to design tables, lamps, and chairs.
Starting in January, Occhipinti worked with program instructors to introduce them and instruct them in using mosaic tools like snap cutters and nippers as well as the ring and wet saws. Welner adapted one of NTCA’s workshops called Tile Matters for the students to teach them about standards and the idiosyncrasies and intricacies of working with tile. Jamie Rich, Managing Director of Coverings, also addressed the students, explaining the project’s integration into the innovation and inspiration of the upcoming show. The group then took a field trip to nearby Arizona Tile to select materials for their designs, which Arizona Tile donated to the project.
Occhipinti consulted with the students about the complexity of their designs before execution on furniture built by SoA’s Morrison. The students had a chance to get their hands on ring saws and wet saws, as well as nippers and score-and-snap cutters. Sponsors, like Leslie Del Pozo from QEP and MAPEI’s Mike DeMello, also stopped by to offer support and wisdom during the process.
UNLV student reception at Coverings
During the show, the structures were displayed in the Coverings Lounge, and a reception brought together students, instructors, support staff, and showgoers to learn about each team’s vision and process. Here’s what some of the teams had to say about their experience designing, fabricating, and installing the mosaics:
Ryleigh Nance and Amaya Seria created a neogothic window mosaic, bringing a historical perspective into their contemporary design. They both enjoyed cutting, shaping, and working with the machinery (not so much getting drenched at the wet and ring saws). Seria noted that three pieces were lost and had to be recut. Nance said the experience gave her “a lot more perspective on the labor,” and Seria said it expanded her appreciation for materials beyond wood and concrete.
Inspired by the theme of “Dark Academia,” Diane Flores and Brooklynne Jacobellis took a celestial-body approach to their chair design, intertwining the sun and its rays with an abstracted landscape. Flores— who reveled in cutting the tile, waterspray, shards and all—said she learned how important it was to be sure each piece was in the right place before setting it with mortar. Jacobellis said the sheer amount of time needed to cut more than 800 pieces was a challenge, but she was thrilled to see the design on paper come to life in tile. Flores said Occhipinti, NTCA and trainers were supportive with instructions and feedback, “but let our creative vision drive the design.”
Sebastian Rubi Avila (pictured) partnered with Ateeb Abidi to craft their circle-centric chair, incorporating simple geometric shapes into a complex design. Circles were cut on a wet saw, starting with squares and slowly turning the pieces to achieve a circular shape. The design used over 700 pieces, and Rubi also enjoyed using hand tools to create the “terrazzo” part of the pattern.
Sara Wang and Amanda Montgomery devised a map of Las Vegas, cut almost exclusively on a wet saw once the ring saw they were using broke. UNLV was central on the map, which also included Harry Reid Airport, Red Rock, the Strip, downtown, off-strip casinos, and both Lake Las Vegas and Lake Mead. Both students enjoyed cutting the pieces, watching the design come together, and experimenting with materiality.
Miguel Castillo and Nerys Lee designed a “flower in the river” pattern that Castillo explained had a unique, organic look that evoked a mosaic and was abstract but still recognizable. The curves and irregular shapes were challenging to cut, especially the tiny pieces, as was sanding and polishing the tight corners. Lee appreciated the guidance with cutting and setting materials and the support from all the different sponsors.
Jason Michaelian and Aniello Riccio created a Red Rock Canyon mosaic, inspired by Riccio’s faith. It combines resurrection imagery with elements of the Las Vegas landscape. The design had to be adapted due to supply challenges and to fit into the overall table composition with three other teams. “The full experience from design to execution taught me the necessity of communication and flexibility to meet deadlines in a collaborative space, while providing a glimpse into the required skills and complexities of working with tile,” Riccio said. He expressed profound thanks for the “patience and persistence of those that took the time to educate and help our class get to the finish line for the 2026 Coverings Convention.”
Students unanimously said the hands-on experience gave them a more realistic view of what types of designs would be possible to create, how setting materials interact with the environment, and how to actually work with tile. In fact, Sara Wang took it a step further—she took tile home, got a wet saw and is making mosaic coasters!
Associate Professor Joshua Vermillion said he found the entire process rewarding, as students learned a lot in a short amount of time. “This fits within the ‘learning by doing’ model I try to use in my design studios,” he explained. Since some things can’t be learned or simulated in a classroom, he favors bringing students into the shop to make things, get their hands dirty, and meet and learn from industry experts.
“I’m really grateful to all of the industry partners,” he added. “They’re quite a community and helped so much with their time, expertise, and resources.”
This “community” included NTCA and CTEF, Arizona Tile, QEP Co., Inc., MAPEI Corporation, Freeman, Taffy Event Strategies for Coverings, and wedi Corporation.
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11. Her journey has taken her through a career in publishing and publicity, landing her the editor position of TileLetter and its special publications in 2006. Her goal is to educate, inspire, recognize and encourage those in the tile industry -- especially the tile and stone contractor.
 School of Architecture (SoA) partnered with NTCA to produce mosaic structures to display at the Coverings Tile & Stone Expo--and learned a lot in the process.){kind=link}