A group showcase of artists seeking new paths to meaning as they absorb, reinterpret, and reinvent the mosaic tradition will be on display throughout the month of October at Northwind Arts Center.

The exhibition is called “Tradition, Transgression, Transformation: Contemporary Mosaic Art from the Pacific Northwest.”

Participants include Lynn Adamo, Mark Brody, Todd Campbell, Joanne Daschel, Richard Davis, Scott Fitzwater, Kelley Knickerbocker, Jennifer Kuhns, and Karen Rycheck.

“Whether their work is representational or abstract, mosaic art lives and breathes through them as they aspire to their own personal versions of the ‘perfect illusionism’ achieved by ancient Byzantine artisans,” Northwind officials said.

For much of human history, mosaic has been among the most exalted of decorative arts — “durable paintings” created by master artisans to humble the faithful, honor the powerful, and decorate the homes of the wealthy. But in the mid-20th century, something transformational occurred as a group of artists in Europe (primarily Italy) began looking at mosaics for their potential as a medium for self-expression rather than just a vehicle for public decoration. The result has been a remarkable period of creative exploration as artists around the world have adopted and then adapted the tools, methods, and materials of mosaic tradition — often in profoundly radical ways.

“There is much in this exhibit that mosaicists of previous eras would recognize,” officials said. “The process of reducing sheets of hard material into tesserae, the essential units of a mosaic; the quest to build lines that achieve the rhythm and grace of andamento — the NMAA artists share a sensibility and a language with artists and artisans who are remote from them in time and place.”

Exhibit hours are noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, or by appointment.

For more information, visit www.northwindarts.org. Northwind Arts Center is located at 701 Water St., Port Townsend.