At Piece by Piece, we have always believed that broken pieces can become something beautiful.
That belief inspired Broken Pieces, New Beginnings, a program created in response to the devastating Los Angeles fires. Through this initiative, our artists work with fire survivors to transform recovered fragments and cherished keepsakes into one-of-a-kind mosaics that preserve memories, honor loved ones, and celebrate resilience.
Every piece we create tells a different story. Sometimes that story begins with a fragment of china, a favorite mug, or a piece of a family home. Sometimes it begins with hope.
Recently, a fire survivor, who asked to remain anonymous, sent us the letter below after receiving the custom mosaic tiles our artists created from materials recovered from her Altadena home. We were deeply moved by her words and are honored to share them with her permission.
"This email is a long time coming. I have been meaning to write it since January. While the tiles you created for me back in November have not yet found a spot in a new home, I wanted to share the following.
I attended an event on January 7, the one year anniversary of the fires. The organizers invited those attending to bring items that were salvaged from their homes to put on a tribute table at the end of the event.
I placed one of your tiles along with a plastic deer, a Christmas ornament from the 1970s, on the table.
My dad, to my adolescent chagrin and his cheeky delight, would sneak the deer into the tree, tucking it away for us to notice, or not, even after I would implore him to let the deer "sit Christmas out," because it detracted from the glittery and coordinated ornaments that came after it.
As the years passed and I grew out of my adolescent notions of the perfect ornament, the little plastic deer, adorned with her 1970s bell, became one of the most beloved in our family tree.
When my dad passed away, I took the deer from my parents' box of ornaments and placed it on a shelf in my home. It was one of few items that my eyes landed on and I happened to grab as we rushed through the house at 1 a.m. on January 7, 2025, before driving away from a home that within hours, would no longer stand.
One of your tiles and the plastic deer graced the commemorative table, along with others' treasures, beloved in their imperfections, a tribute, not to the items on the table, but to the lives and the stories that imbued those items with meaning."
We often say that mosaics are about more than broken ceramic. They are about the lives those pieces represent.
Reading this letter reminded us that the work of Broken Pieces, New Beginnings is not simply about preserving fragments of the past. It is about helping preserve the memories, traditions, and connections that make a house a home.
The beautiful tiles shown here were created by Piece by Piece artists using materials recovered from our client's Altadena home. Today, they stand as lasting reminders that while the fire changed everything, it could not erase the stories, love, and family traditions they represent.
As a Los Angeles nonprofit, we have been heartbroken by the tremendous loss experienced across our community. In the aftermath of such devastation, we wanted to respond in the way we know best, by transforming broken pieces into meaningful works of art.
Whether it's fragments of a cherished heirloom, pieces from a beloved home, or objects filled with personal meaning, our artists can create a custom mosaic that honors what remains and celebrates what can never be lost.
Every mosaic we create is more than art.
It is a tribute to resilience.
It is a celebration of memory.
It is a reminder that beauty can emerge from even the most difficult chapters of our lives.
If you or someone you know has meaningful items recovered from the Los Angeles fires and would like to preserve them through a custom mosaic, we invite you to learn more about Broken Pieces, New Beginnings.
We are honored to walk alongside our neighbors as they rebuild, one memory, one mosaic, and one story at a time.
We are in this together, piece by piece.