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 an successful manner.

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When alive, artist Walter Feldman, who taught painting at Brown University for decades and whose work can be found throughout Providence's East Side, had a personal relationship with both Kathryn and Cor.

 

Feldman's artwork served as the inspiration for Nancy's painting.

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"Collaborating with Kathryn was a delight. We made a fine team, each drawing upon our own strengths to ensure a high quality product."

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