Located on the first floor of the LeRoy Neiman Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, donor wall signage was designed to feel like an art installation vs. a stoic list of names.

The subliminal shadows became the main visual deliverable of each donor name, poetically implying how institutional contributions by donors and alumni are at times out of the students perception, but critical to their education.

An integrated lighting system interplays with each blade to cast a shadow of individual names onto the wall surface below.

Multiple studies and mockups were iterated to find the right materials, lighting and font size/weight to get the desired result.

Colors were selected to complement an adjacent LeRoy Neiman painting and also reference contribution level.

SAIC Donor Wall

To honor donors and Board of Trustees members for their investment in the college, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago commissioned the designers to create an engaging donor wall in the main lobby of the new LeRoy Neiman Center. Inspired by the school’s core values—rigor, experimentation, playfulness and invention—the team designed an art installation all its own.

The installation features a slotted panel design, creating a system that can be easily adjusted as names are added or removed. Each slot contains a series of edge-painted acrylic blades that have been die-cut with a given name. Colors were selected to complement an adjacent LeRoy Neiman painting and also reference contribution level. An integrated lighting system interplays with each blade to cast a shadow of individual names onto the wall surface below, allowing the installation to come to life. The repetition of this technique creates an unique and visually captivating installation that not only honors contributors, but captures the spirit of SAIC.

The LeRoy Neiman Center and adjacent classroom spaces are designed by our architectural partner, Valerio Dewalt Train. The solution was for the donor wall to become a part of the infrastructure of the entry gallery by becoming a permanent art installation.

The shadow becomes the main visual deliverable of each donor name, poetically implying how institutional contributions by donors and alumni are at times out of the students perception, but critical to their education.