Shards 'n Snippets
12/06/25 11:54 Filed in: Shards 'n Snippets
we're social … connect to Tile Heritage ……. share this site... Thank you!
Founded in July 1987 . Supporters, industry sponsors, members, major contributors, grantors, advocates … everyone… have made possible the continued fulfillment of the Foundation's mission to Document and Preserve tile history in the US both past and present. Link to: The Relevance of Tile Heritage Today.
Pothole Art Hunting: Chicago Mosaics Hidden in Plain Sight. Jim Bachor: Pretty Potholes… from an interview with Jessica Mlinaric, author of "Secret Chicago."
Since 2013, Jim has transformed infrastructure craters in Chicago and around the world into public art. The mosaic artist fills potholes with art instead of asphalt. His concrete crusade began after a pothole in front of his North Side home just never got repaired. Bachor explained, “I merged my passion for an art form that’s so durable with a problem that can never be fixed long term.”
Chicago city crews filled 94,307 in January 2014, according to the Chicago Tribune. Where most people see reminders of a long winter gouged into the pavement, Jim sees a canvas. Bachor’s playful depictions include the Chicago flag, ice cream treats, and floral bouquets.
Jim Bachor has installed pothole mosaics in the U.S. in cities like Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, and New York and as far away as Finland and Italy. The best way to hunt for pothole art is to check with Bachor’s map of installations. Note that some potholes have been covered or destroyed. Want to discover other hidden places in Chicago? Check out Jessica's book Secret Chicago!
HELP FUND THE MOVE!
A new home for the Tile Heritage Foundation Collections and Organization!
We are relocating the Foundation’s collections to a future planned new wing at the TCNA campus will increase accessibility to all. The Foundation will remain an independent NPO organization in its new location! Meantime there will be a 'soft move' of the Collections and Tile Heritage will continue to run from its offices in California.
To date, the ‘Special Moving Fund” account has $10,000 in grant funds and the Foundation has additional generous pledges to date of $4,000 towards the goal. Professional packing & shipping for this initial move will be upwards of $40,000. The goal by September 30th 2025 is to raise $50,000 to move and protect the collections in their journey to their new destination in South Carolina.
Tile Heritage Foundation is a SPONSOR & MEMBERSHIP supported organization! JOIN TODAY!
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Shards 'n Snippets
10/04/25 11:38 Filed in: Shards'n Snippets
we're social … connect to Tile Heritage ……. share this site... Thank you!
Founded in July 1987 . Supporters, industry sponsors, members, major contributors, grantors, advocates … everyone… have made possible the continued fulfillment of the Foundation's mission to Document and Preserve tile history in the US both past and present. Link to: The Relevance of Tile Heritage Today.
Honor the past - craft the future with your “Stories in Clay” Send TWO (2) tiles! (100% donate or share in sale option avail.) DETAILS!
The 25th Annual TileFest in Doylestown is HAPPENING! Tile Heritage has been a cheerleader of this event since its beginning. We support and sponsor the TileFest and honor the tile makers. Not everyone from across the country can attend in person – but your work CAN be represented there at the Tile Heritage Booth!
CLICK here or on IMAGE to participate!
Miraculously, hundreds of original historic tile fireplace surrounds have survived in Altadena after the wild fires.
DETAILS! Additional info link…
FLASH from the PAST! 200 Powell St. San Francisco
PRESERVATION AWARD: Kessler & Associates - Francisco, CA.
California Preservation Foundation
This 1913 art deco building located one block off Union Square in San Francisco was renovated in 2008. Although the terracotta parapet was removed for safety reasons in the 1960s, the preservation architects required that a replica of the demolished parapet be reproduced. Kreysler & Associates, long considered a quality producer of historic terracotta replicas, was selected to reproduce this parapet in FRP.
The project required onsite field dimensioning and mold-making of original relief pieces. Due to its lightweight, no additional structure was needed to bring the existing parapet support structure up to current earthquake codes. Even though the codes often require upgrading structures to meet current codes, the comparatively light weight of FRP over alternate materials often allows original structures to remain unaltered.
More San Francisco treats!
… The Tiled Staircases of San Francisco…. Click Image
California Decorative Tile Exhibition - SF Airport Museum ( publicly accessible!) thru June 8th 2025 … VISIT!
Tile Heritage Foundation is a SPONSOR & MEMBERSHIP supported organization! JOIN TODAY!
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Calendars/Events/Workshop
09/04/25 18:36 Filed in: Calendar/Events
EVENTS & INTERESTING TIMES AHEAD! TILE HISTORY evolves every day . . . Tile Heritage Foundation is here to RECORD it!
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Shards 'n Snippits
25/01/25 17:43 Filed in: Shards 'n Snippets
we're social … connect to Tile Heritage ……. share this site... Thank you!
Founded in July 1987 . Supporters, industry sponsors, members, major contributors, grantors, advocates … everyone… have made possible the continued fulfillment of the Foundation's mission to Document and Preserve tile history in the US both past and present. Link to: The Relevance of Tile Heritage Today
Our sincere THANKS to ALL who contributed to the $9,795 "MATCH $10,000 in GRANT FUNDS" in December 2024!
We are MOST appreciative!
Tile Heritage Sponsorship, Membership, Grants & Gifts support
THF archival development, publishing, day-to-day functional
expenses and funding for the Foundation's present & future.
DETAILS
Build your legacy by opening a file in the
Tile Heritage Foundation archives!
WOW! … Not forgotten…. "Deep Station" by Donna Dennis . . go underground with Dennis’s seminal work, which she describes as a subway station at the “bottom of the world.” Originally created in the ’80s—the last in the artist’s series of subway sculptures—Deep Station is at once familiar and uncanny. Inspired by New York’s MTA stations, Dennis likens these underground structures to “tectonic plates” in their subterranean power. The work eerily recalls how the world has changed so much, and yet, not at all. DETAILS
S. O. S.: Teco Murals at the University of Illinois Endangered!
An investigative report by the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette revealed that the University of Illinois, across the next decade, but starting soon, is going to demolish a whole series of buildings on campus and that the first to go “on the chopping block” ― to borrow the report’s headline ― is the Vivarium Building (1915-16) (illus. 1), which is flanked on its east and west façades at the second-story level by two magnificent, near-identical Teco murals depicting roiling carp overtopped by a rolling wave, all glazed in sumptuous ‘Teco green’. PRESERVING THESE HISTORICALLY VALUABLE CERAMIC MURALS NEEDS YOUR ASSISTANCE! Full Information provided by Dr. Richard Mohr. CLICK For the FULL STORY . You can help to preserve these murals simply by writing a two or three sentence e-letter to the Chancellor of the University:
Robert J. Jones, Chancellor Email: chancellor@illinois.edu
Here is a LINK to the letter Tile Heritage wrote to the Chancellor
Further SPOTLIGHT ON CERAMIC SURFACES . .
Cary Public Art: Brick Sculptures Bring Charm to Black Creek Greenway, Cary, NC.
In his public art series called, “The Arts Alfresco,” Brad Spencer uses brick, a classic industrial building material, to create something that truly defies what people expect of it.
Read the full story here or click the image!
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