Emile Norman (1918-2009) was an American artist, widely known for his sculptures, mosaics, jewelry and his “endomosaic” murals, an artform/process of his own invention, which involved the creation of translucent panels consisting of various media including ceramic, fiber, glass, wood, silk, metal, bone and more, sandwiched between sheets of acrylic. He lived his entire adult life at his self-designed/built house and studio in Big Sur.

His four-panel endomosaic mural depicts the history of Monterey through symbols, figures, and forms using glass and other objects (cloth, leaves, and small bits of many types) to form a backlighted mosaic set in translucent material. It was originally placed in the dining room at Casa Munras Hotel in the mid-1950’s. The panels were purchased by the City of Monterey and were displayed for a time in the Portola Hotel. About a decade ago, they were placed in storage. Recently, MHAA was offered an opportunity by the Emile Norman Trust to recreate the mosaic display for exhibit in Stanton Center. The city agreed to an extended loan of the panels, a display cabinet was designed to be reminiscent of the interior of Emile Norman’s home and the panel display was installed in Stanton Center in the first week of February 2025.