Karen~Singer~Talks~Tile

Donor Recognition refers to the custom of honoring generosity by listing the names of benefactors on site in a prominent location.

At Karen Singer Tileworks, we believe that donor recognition must reflect an organization’s character and mission. After all, people give because they care about what you do. They have a personal connection. Our work aspires to celebrate this connection in a work of art incorporating donor names.

As artists, we design our donor walls as art, representative of our clients’ needs, culture, and architecture.

Architects design spatial constructs to meet the needs and culture of their clients.

Art and architecture are intertwined.

Check out a few examples of architecturally inspired door walls.

Ronald McDonald House – Jacksonville, FL

This “house built by love” is in a traditional Southern-style community. We designed this donor recognition system to provide a “child’s eye view” of the modern cityscape, framed within a conventional Southern-style plantation window.

The donor names were laser-engraved onto the slats of wooden shutters. Blanks were easily replaced with names as donors joined the campaign.

Capitol Lakes Terraces – Madison, WI

This donor wall depicts the Capitol Building in Spring, and donor names have been sandblasted in the tile.

St. Coletta of Greater Washington – Washington, DC

The columns flank the donor text panel, honoring those who made the new campus possible.

The inspiration for the recognition system came from the buildings designed by Peter Graves.

The naming plaques were designed to mimic the columns and are displayed throughout the buildings.

Academy Notre Dame de Namur

This donor wall was developed to capture a “mental map” of the campus. The mural, 9′ wide by 5′ high, depicts the Mansion and a partial view of Connelly Hall.

Two ceramic tile pillars mimic the stone pillars that support the school’s entry gates. Top donor names were sandblasted into the “stone” tiles.

The text area below the mural lists the remaining donor names screened on glass and back-painted.

The metal framing mimics wrought iron work in the original school building called “The Mansion.”

Various Awards and Donor Gifts

These gifts and awards focus on architectural facades recognizable by donors and awardees.

Happy Spring!

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