Cast Bronze Commemoration in the 21st Century
I really do know that the sculpted bronze castings on the left that we conceived of and just installed as part of an extensive for a Centennial celebration at the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany GA are not really comparable in beauty to Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise below.
Michaelangelo named the masterpiece "The Gates of Paradise"
Yet they really are lovely and I show them here because they represent a unique evolution in bronze castings. All it takes to cast an image in bronze like ours for Phoebe is good photography and an understanding of how lights and darks within a photo will translate into the “highs” and “lows” of a casting. Anyone’s photo can result in a three dimensional cast metal product.
An age-old tradition (remember the “Bronze Age“?), cast plaques have been a standard for commemoration and donor recognition literally for centuries. Yet just in my lifetime, hand-set type has replaced by photographic typographical reproduction which meant that logos and anyone’s typestyle preferences could be reproduced in bronze perfectly. This photographic advancement in castings (bronze and aluminum) is called “Imagecast” by Matthews, is a natural “next step” for the industry.
We’ve been using Imagecast reproductions as a replacement for hand-sculpted castings for quite awhile whenever it’s appropriate for a client’s need. Certainly it is cheaper than having an artist sculpt for a casting in bronze. And at the same time, since the outcome is a realistic, almost exact, reproduction of an image, the impact is much more meaningful to most viewers and donors. It’s a treat to have the pleasure of seeing a cast image as a replica of the photographic image .
And here’s one more photo of the entire Gallery on the 2nd floor. The 1st floor here houses their completely re-purposed and renovated Distinguished Leadership Gallery which was completed at the same time. This newly recharged philanthropy center celebrates this community’s remarkable commitment to giving and is an absolutely beautiful conclusion to a very satisfying client relationship.
Distinguished Leadership and Centennial Galleries at Phoebe Putney Hospital
Written by Robin E. Williams
Naming Opportunity? Please! No!
Enjoy this with a smile. And then, if you are a fundraiser, be horrified!
Catawba Valley Medical Center
My First Case Study at Robin E. Williams Incorporated
For more information on this project please download the case study following the link.
“Robin E. Williams’ development tools have been essential to the early success of our first ever building campaign. The renderings of available commemorative opportunities that they provided helped to close $500,000 in lead gifts — gifts that provided much needed momentum to the campaign”- Guy Guarino
Recently, I had the privilege of working with Guy Guarino, Chief Development Officer at Catawba Valley Medical Center in helping them create a donor recognition master plan for their campus initiated by their new Medical Pavilion, scheduled to open in early 2012. Having been with Robin E Williams Incorporated less than a year, I was asked to lead my first comprehensive recognition program master plan for them. Educated as an architect, to that moment my experience in putting the early benefits of recognition program planning into play for a medical center was limited. Yet as the project unfolded the lessons became clear and I want to share some of them here.
Pay Now or Pay Later
Being relatively new to Robin E. Williams Incorporated, I just had my first opportunity to attend a Association of Donor Relations Professionals event, the Southeast Donor Relations Conference. As someone new to donor relations, too, it was a great way to gain further insight into organizations that we counsel. I was very impressed with the creative stretching of resources and the willingness to share experience for the benefit of the whole group. Continue reading »
Filed under Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Donor Communications, Donor Recognition Programs, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank, Troy Winterrowd | Tags: ADRP, Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Capital Campaign, Fundraising, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank, Trends in Fundraising | Comments OffWe Should All Be Relationship Professionals
Day one of the Southeast Donor Relations Conference, being held this year at North Carolina State University, was a great success. The regional conference has exceeded expectations with nearly 70 attendees! As always, this gathering is a mix of old friends and new faces, and we are as impressed as ever with the caliber of thoughtfulness and camaraderie among this group. Continue reading »
Filed under Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Philanthropy, Stewardship | Tags: Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Fundraising, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank, Trends in Fundraising | Comments Off