Where Craft Meets Character: The Story of Motawi Tileworks

It all started in a garage.

In the early ’90s, Nawal Motawi was handcrafting ceramic tiles in her Ann Arbor garage and selling them at the local farmers market—long before “artisan” was a buzzword. Inspired by the curves of Art Nouveau and the geometry of Midcentury Modern, her designs struck a chord. People couldn’t get enough. In 1992, Motawi Tileworks was born.

Today, over 40 tile lovers carry on the tradition in our Ann Arbor studio, making tiles that are anything but ordinary. Each piece is crafted by hand with intention and artistry. Motawi’s colorful, dimensional tiles appear in gallery displays, kitchen backsplashes, fireplaces, bathrooms, and large-scale public installations across the country.

From original designs to licensed collections with Frank Lloyd Wright and Charley Harper, our tiles are sold in 300+ shops across North America.

As Nawal says, “It’s fun to be good.” We live that out daily through collaboration, artistry, and a culture that values people as much as product.

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Scholastic Art is a classroom magazine for middle and high school students. It is designed to inspire creative self-expression through the exploration of art history and contemporary art. This resources makes art relevant and accessible to students with teen-friendly texts that span movements, eras, and cultures.

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Brooklyn Metal Works (BKMW) is a non-ferrous metal art studio that offers professional workspace for the development of art, objects, and jewelry. In addition we offer concept and technique based classes and workshops for all levels of learning. Our exhibition space and artist lecture series promotes artists, designers and makers from the metalsmithing field and beyond. Our studio prioritizes creating a safe and sustainable working and learning environment, complete with a wide inventory of tools and equipment. Responsible studio practices and stewardship of resources are at the core of our vision.

Our collaborative setting is designed to foster exploration, encourage experimentation, and strengthen the knowledge base of all involved. Brooklyn Metal Works promotes and furthers critical dialogue among those who practice, write, and invest time and energy into the field of jewelry and metalsmithing.

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The Bear River Heritage Area (BRHA) consists of seven counties: Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, and Oneida in Idaho; and Box Elder, Cache, and Rich in Utah. It is a consortium of many organizations in government, education, tourism, recreation, and other areas. We are dedicated to economic development through promotion and stewardship of the cultural and natural resources that are unique to this region.

The BRHA is a place where people enjoy distinctive cultural groups and contrasting landscapes, and experience stories and consequences of the expanding American West; where responsible stewardship sustains the pastoral and natural landscapes, historic land uses, cultural sites, traditions, skills and knowledge, which contribute to a viable regional economy.

As part of our mission, we work with local arts organizations to promote folk and traditional arts. Some of our previous projects include creating exhibits on quilts and brands; interviewing local artists; holding workshops for participants to learn saddle making, rawhide braiding, and silversmithing; and publishing brochures and books about regional heritage spots.

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Presenting, Promoting and Inspiring Creativity in Our Community

The Cabarrus Arts Council was founded in 1980 in response to the North Carolina Arts Council’s plan to establish a local arts council in every county. In 1982, the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners selected the arts council to serve as its Designated County Partner, receiving and distributing Grassroots funding from the state and the state arts council.Today, the arts council programs and operates the Davis Theatre and The Galleries, conducts one of North Carolina’s largest art-in-education programs for both the Cabarrus County and Kannapolis City school systems, supports arts organizations and artists through grants and workshops, and serves as a catalyst and consultant for public and corporate art.

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Lippitt House Museum, a property of Preserve Rhode Island, is a National Historic Landmark and one of the best-preserved Victorian-era interiors in the United States. Built between 1863 and 1865 in the Renaissance Revival style, the three-story brick and brownstone villa was home to four generations of the Lippitt family before becoming a museum in 1993. The house is richly embellished with elaborate painted finishes, stained-glass windows, ornate woodwork, and original furnishings, making it a time capsule of Victorian design and craftsmanship.

Through tours and programs, the Museum explores themes of industry, immigration, design, and civic engagement, illuminating Providence’s rich cultural heritage. Public programs include concerts, talks, and specialty tours. Inspired by Providence’s 19th-century immigration history and the Lippitt family’s commitment to public service, the Museum also offers a civics outreach program for adult English language learners, which was recognized with an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).

Handwork programming will feature many makers and craftspeople represented in the house, known and once known, along with the work of contemporary artisans, celebrating the artistry and craftsmanship that continue to shape Rhode Island’s cultural identity.

Visit LippittHouse.org to for visit information and current tour schedules as well as an up-to-date program calendar.

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Established in 1793, Lowell’s Boat Shop is the oldest continuously operating boat shop in the United States and is cited as the birthplace of the legendary fishing dory. Lowell’s is the only remaining survivor of Amesbury’s world-renowned dory manufacturing industry that produced in excess of a quarter of a million dories over a period of two centuries. We are a National Historic Landmark.

In its third century of operation, Lowell’s Boat Shop is both a working boat shop and a museum, and the preservation of each part is essential to our mission. We continue to build dories and skiffs for clients in the time-honored tradition of seven generations of the Lowell family that owned and operated the Boat Shop. The rich history of the building, collections, and our role in the community are conveyed through woodworking classes, our Apprentice program, programming for local schools, lively social gatherings, partnerships with other local museums, our YouTube channel, and the fleet of watercraft available for members who row their river.

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Ornament celebrates a unique art because its context is the human being. We cover jewelry and clothing, from our ancient beginnings to the contemporary era. Our creative energies are drawn from an appreciation that what we make to adorn ourselves is a beautiful and meaningful expression of life.

Our vision is rich in contemporary, ethnographic and ancient history, anthropology, and archaeology. We believe that we can help sustain a healthy and compassionate society when we know more about our own and other cultures. As an international resource for forty-seven years, Ornament encompasses the world.

From the beginning we set ourselves the exciting challenge of documenting the art and craft of personal adornment. Ornament demonstrates the richness and diversity of this vast subject with a stunning display of creative works, past and present.

With informative profiles we support emerging and established artists in jewelry and wearable fiber who create artworks that stimulate, enrich and invigorate us today and are a profound and exquisite legacy for the years ahead.

Knowledge shapes the present and future when we renew our bonds both with the recent past and antiquity, revealing or tracing historical roots and customs, aesthetics, materials, and technical processes. Ornament exists to educate, inform and inspire.

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Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) is a vibrant global nonprofit dedicated to elevating the art quilt as a respected form of fine art. We define the art quilt as a layered, stitched creation—or a piece that draws on this tradition in inventive, contemporary ways.

For over 35 years, SAQA has built an international network of more than 4,000 artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals. Through world-class exhibitions, inspiring publications, professional development, and a strong sense of community, SAQA fosters both public appreciation and the growth of our members’ creative journeys.

Our vision is bold: to see the art quilt recognized and celebrated in galleries, museums, and collections worldwide. Whether you’re an artist or an art lover, SAQA invites you to explore, connect, and grow with us as we celebrate the creativity and diversity of the art quilt.

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