I have recently joined the Tile Heritage Foundation as Executive Director of Development. My job is to help prepare the Foundation for the future and work to continue its legacy as the guardian of our sacred tile heritage.
While I invite you to learn more about our work, I first want to share why this mission is so deeply personal to me.
My Tile Heritage Story
When I started making tile in a garage in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1992, I was making tile in a bubble. I didn’t know any tile history or about the tile industry; I just didn’t know much of anything. What I did know was that clay felt good in my hands and that I wanted to make something beautiful.
Then I met Joe Taylor and Sheila Menzies, the founders of the Tile Heritage Foundation and attended my first Tile Heritage symposium. What I didn’t know at the time, but I would come to understand later, is that this was the Big Bang Moment of my life in tile.
They introduced me and many others to the handmade tile community that they, in large part, created and fostered. They shared with me their passion for historic tile that I caught and carry with me to this day. Through their efforts, I secured my first tile showroom client, setting me on a path in the industry that I have followed for 33 years.
Since then, I have made tile, sold tile, collected historic tile, taught tile making, earned a living, and made lifelong friends and memories. I owe much to Joe and Sheila, and the whole Tile Heritage family.
This is why, when the idea of joining the Foundation and working to secure its future arose, I knew this was the role for me. I’ve come full circle, returning to where I started, and now it is my time to protect and continue the living legacy of the Tile Heritage Foundation.
Karim
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