At Coverings 2026, we honored 25 outstanding projects that demonstrated spectacular craftsmanship and creativity in the use of tile and stone. This week we’re spotlighting the 2026 CID Awards: Artistic Design Special Recognitions.
Special Recognition: Artistic Design: Transportation
Project: Capstan Station
Designer: Interstyle Ceramic & Glass
Location: Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
This project is from our friends in Canada! Capstan Station is the winner for Special Recognition: Artistic Design in Transportation. Translating artist Howie Tsui’s 3,600+ sq ft aquatic artwork into a high-traffic transit environment demanded extraordinary collaboration and innovation. Glass tile — the only medium capable of capturing the artwork’s fine detail and scale — was produced by Canadian manufacturer Interstyle using a custom stenciling technique developed specifically for this project. Laser-cut masks, selective color application, and kiln firing ensured each of the more than 3,556 tiles carried a unique, precisely mapped segment of the composition. Dual metallic gold and black palettes create depth and movement, while the concourse wall merges both colorways — symbolizing the convergence of nature and humanity. This project is Art made permanent.
Special Recognition: Artistic Design: Cultural Institution
Project: El Llamado
Designer: Siempre Estudio Creativo
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Created by Puerto Rican artist Celso González, El Llamado is our winner for Special Recognition: Artistic Design in a Cultural Institution. Produced by SIEMPRE Estudio Creativo, El Llamado is a permanently-installed large-scale mosaic mural celebrating Puerto Rican identity, migration, and cultural resilience. Designed in Puerto Rico and realized on-site in Chicago, the work bridges island heritage and diaspora community through thousands of hand-cut ceramic and porcelain tiles. Vibrant color transitions and intricate patterning evoke Afro-Caribbean traditions and the island’s natural landscapes, while light-reflective surfaces create depth and movement. Months of meticulous on-site craftsmanship transformed raw wall into living narrative. This project is a powerful testament to what tile, in the right hands, can say.
Special Recognition: Artistic Design
Project: “Woven Earth” at the Nashville Zoo
Designer: Rhoda Kahler LLC
Location: Nashville Tennesee, USA
Our next Special Recognition award is for Artistic Design. This is the spectacular “Woven Earth” installation at the Nashville Zoo. Commissioned by Nashville Zoo, Woven Earth is a 55-foot handmade ceramic tile mural anchoring the entrance of the new African wing. Inspired by African mud cloths, textiles, and tribal pattern, the installation features interlocking, puzzle-like tile forms — each hand-rolled, carved, stamped, and glazed individually. Two integrated seating benches, spanning 37 and 12 feet, extend the ceramic language throughout the space. Black grout was designed as a compositional element, outlining forms and reinforcing rhythm across the full composition. Six months of studio fabrication, 2,000 pounds (that’s a ton!!!!) of clay, and a four-week on-site installation produced a work where earth becomes fabric, and craft becomes architecture.
Do you have a recently completed project that features innovative design and installation of tile & stone? Consider entering it into the 2027 CID Awards – the portal opens this fall!