Donor Recognition Board
 Design for Temple Emanu-El's donor recognition boardGraphic designer Kathryn de Boer was responsible for the visual communication tools for this project as well as for managing the names of the donors. |  Design SketchAs soon as Nancy got involved with the project she had a clear sense of how she wanted it to look. This is her initial sketch. |
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 Placement & ReplacementThe existing wall included a sculpture which had been there for decades. |  Meeting House Social HallArtwork by Walter Feldman lines the walls of the synagogues social hall. These panels served as the inspiration for Nancy's designs. |
 Close ups of Walter Feldman's work. |  Early mock upImages inspired by artwork in the adjacent room and painted on wood would serve as the background. Panels with donor names would be attached to the panels. |
 Painting the panels.Nancy worked and reworked each of the five panels using gouache paint. |  Details of the paintings,The presence of the color gold in Walter's work was exciting to Nancy who decided to include gold leafing in the panels, |
 More details of donor board design.Incorporating gold leafing allowed for increased depth and symbolism. For example, the pomegranate is embellished with 613 golden dots, each representing a seed. |  Fabrication & InstallationKathryn & Cor worked with subcontractors in establishing the elements that brought the piece together as a whole. Indeed, it takes a village to put together all the elements to properly honor members of a community. |
 The New Donor Recognition Wall |
Temple Emanu-El
Providence, RI
Installed 2022
Kathryn de Boer
Graphic Designer
It takes a village-- or rather an entire community-- to keep an institution such as a synagogue in good shape. Besides tending to it's daily needs, this inevitably means raising capital funds from the congregation at large to address structural concerns.
Providence's Temple Emanu-El was no exception. "The Second Century Campaign" received contributions from hundreds of household members.
Honoring donors with a recognition wall was the intention of the synagogue when they first held a Zoom meeting in the early days of the pandemic. Nancy was part of that meeting. She knew that she wanted to be involved in creating something vibrant and dynamic that worked with existing artwork in the building.
Ultimately she partnered with seasoned graphic designer, Kathryn de Boer, whose husband, architect Cornelis de Boer served as overall consultant to the synagogue renovation project. Their professionalism and expertise paved the way for the creation of a novel piece. They knew who to work with to execute the job in a timely and successful manner.
When alive, artist Walter Feldman, who taught painting at Brown University for decades and whose work can be found throughout Providence's East Side (including the room adjacent to where the board was to hang), had a personal relationship with both Kathryn and Cor. Feldman's artwork served as the inspiration for Nancy's painting.
"Collaborating with Kathryn was a delight. We made a fine team, each drawing upon our own strengths to ensure a high quality product."