Historic Stone Avenue Temple Project, Tucson Arizona,
2001, currently known as the “Jewish History Museum”
Ceramic tile
Built in 1910, the Stone Avenue Temple was the first Jewish house
of worship established in the Arizona Territory. The original congregation
grew and moved from the site in 1949. The building faded into obscurity
until 1994 when The Stone Avenue Temple Project acquired, rehabilitated
and preserved the landmark building. It is now open to the
public as a venue for educational and cultural programming. I
was asked to create a donor mural for the South entrance to the
building. I developed imagery that would include Jewish symbolism
and motifs as well as motifs associated with territorial history,
and the Sonora Desert environment. Five women were integral
to the initial effort to build the Temple. They are represented
by five pomegranates within the design of the mural.
See
project photos »
| 
|
|
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, Phoenix, Arizona 2010, Capital Campaign: “Ending Hunger, Changing Lives”
Ceramic and glass tile
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, the world's first food bank, completed an eleven million dollar campaign in 2009. The improvements allow for the distribution of more food into the community, including a dramatic expansion of an after-school feeding program and a culinary training course focused on life skills. St Mary's Food Bank Alliance distirbuted more than 65 million pounds of food in 2008-09 or nearly 300,000 meals per day. The Donor Recognition wall honors donors who gave to this important capital campaign. The center of the design includes a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, an icon used by St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance in their logo. The cornucopia is filled with fruits and vegetables spilling out onto a tablecloth. The tablecloth is bordered by wheat and chili peppers and surrounded by edible flowers.
See
project photos »
| 
|
|
Friends of Sabino Canyon Donor Recognition System, Tucson, Arizona
First Legacy Panel installed 2010
First Friends Panel installed 2011
Sabino Canyon is a significant canyon located in the Santa Catalina Mountains and the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona. It is a popular recreation area for residents and visitors of Southern Arizona, providing a place to walk, hike or ride. Wildlife in the canyon includes deer, javelina, skunkds, tortoises, rattlesnakes and mountain lions. Since 1993, FRIENDS OF SABINO CANYON, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, has helped to preserve, protect and enhance the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area for future generations. Nina created a donor recognition system for Friends of Sabino Canyon that consists of repeating panels that can be added to as more donors give their support.
See
project photos »
| 
|
|
| The Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center
Donor Panel, Healing Mandala, Tucson, Arizona, 2008
Water jet cut stone, ceramic tile, sandblasted text
Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center (SACAC) is one of many
organizations currently housed at the Pima County Inter-Agency
Center (IAC), built in 2008. The IAC houses numerous agencies in
one location in order to provide many forms of assistance to children
in crisis. The immediacy of the agencies response helps to minimize
the trauma the children are experiencing. I created the public
art for the IAC. The director of the SACAC asked if I could create
donor recognition art for their ongoing capital campaign. The theme
of mandala as a healing tool was used in various aspects of the
art throughout the building so I used a lotus flower mandala for
the design of the donor recognition art. “Healing Mandala” is
made from water jet cut stone as well as sandblasted stone. As
donors continue to give to the campaign, their names can be sandblasted
onto the panel in the appropriate space.
See
project photos » |
|
|
Tucson Medical Center, Peppi’s House Hospice,
2007
Ceramic tile, glass tile, masonry
Tucson Medical Center was able to build a premier facility for
hospice patients because of the generosity of many donors including
the Hospice’s namesake, “Peppi.” Every patient
room opens to a courtyard allowing one to experience the sounds,
smells and sights of nature. “Peppi’s House” welcomes
children as well as adults into a facility that strives to provide
a calm and loving atmosphere for patients and family members. I
was asked to create a donor recognition wall that would honor those
who had given so generously to this project. My goal was to create
a work of art, which reflected the spirit and mission of the facility
and the caregivers. I was inspired by textile and rug patterns,
especially those created by cultures of the Southwest. Rug patterns
bring together many individual images that work together to form
a harmonious whole.
See
project photos »
|
|
|
Direct Caregivers Association Donor Recognition Project,
2005
Ceramic tile and wood frames
Direct Caregivers is a non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing,
honoring, valuing and training the direct caregiver. The goal for
this project was to honor the donors who had contributed to their
building campaign as well as to honor the nature of their mission
as an organization. They did not want the art to be permanently
attached to the wall. I created several framed panels that
can be moved if necessary. Each panel represents a specific
giving level.
See
project photos » |
|
|
Casa de la Luz, “Conmemorativo de Luz”,
(“Memorial of Light”) Tucson, AZ, 2006
Dimensional ceramic tile and glass tile
Casa de la Luz is a hospice facility in Tucson, AZ, whose mission
is to provide care to patients and their loved ones as they complete
their mission on this earth. Many family members come from out
of town. The Casa de la Luz Foundation asked me to create a work
of art that would honor the patients and simultaneously contain
a component that could be sent to the family members as a momentum.
I created two tile panels for the courtyard garden, which is meant
to be a peaceful, restorative space for families while they are
at the facility visiting loved ones. The tile panels were designed
to create a meditative environment. When a patient passes, if a
family member chooses, their name is placed on the panel for a
year. At the anniversary of their passing, their name is then placed
inside another tile, framed and sent to the family member.
See
project photos » |
|