Local artisan contributes to White House decor

Kibak Tile, a ceramic tile manufacturer based in Redmond, was selected to manufacture the ceramic tiles and ornaments used in the 2012 White House Holiday decorations that First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled last month. Kibak manufactured 3-1/2-inch circle ceramic ornaments, as well as eight-inch square and 18-inch square tiles used in planter boxes on display at the White House this holiday season.

It is estimated that more than 90,000 visitors to the White House will see the creations through this month.

The decorations were designed by award-winning Chicago-based artist David Lee Csicsko, who also designed stained glass windows, planter boxes and outdoor sculptures for display at the White House this season. Csicsko selected a variety of artisan friends to bring the hand-crafted pieces to life, including Susanne Redfield of Sisters. Redfield is Kibak's founder. 

"We are blown away to have been selected to participate in this project," Redfield said. "It's truly an honor to have our work recognized in this way."

Kibak Tile is one of a number of companies owned in part by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, through its business entity, Warm Springs Economic Development Corporation (dba Warm Springs Ventures). Using this funding vehicle, the Tribes utilize revenues generated through other tribal-owned businesses to provide venture capital, direct investments, mergers and acquisitions, and advisory assistance to a variety of enterprises both on and off reservation.

Kibak Tile designs and manufactures its own ceramic tiles, as well as providing contract manufacturing services for a number of major players in the tile business, including Ann Sacks Tile and Stone and several others.

For the White House decorations, Kibak manufactured more than 200 of the 3-1/2-inch circle ceramic ornaments and 28 square tiles utilized in the planter boxes Csicsko designed. A limited quantity of over-runs were produced and are available for purchase exclusively at http://www.housefiftytwo.com.

Csicsko's White House designs are intended to evoke a simpler America - a time of Main Street and front porches, drawing on the rich tradition of folk art from the colonial period through the 19th century.

"The designs call out for the hand-crafted, hand-painted approach that Kibak brings to everything we do," Redfield said.

Kibak employs nine artisans at its Redmond manufacturing facility. More than half its business derives from contract manufacturing arrangements, producing hand-painted tiles designed and sold by other artists and tile distributors. A variety of Kibak-designed lines, available through independent dealers and distributors throughout the U.S, can be seen at www.kibaktile.com.