Coverings attendees will be greeted daily by three 6-ft. tall Tile Totems crafted, designed and produced by about 20 students from The Chicago Mosaic School. The totems, which will be situated in the Grand Concourse of the South Building, feature three distinct patterns and effects on each column.

Coverings attendees will be greeted daily by three 6-ft. tall Tile Totems crafted, designed and produced by about 20 students from The Chicago Mosaic School. The totems, to be showcased in the Grand Concourse of McCormick Place's South Building throughout the four-day event, feature three distinct patterns and effects on each column.

The “traditional” totem is a square-shaped column that features a repeating diamond motif on each of its four sides, with two of the four sides bearing a three-dimensional look. The second totem features “appliqués” representative of organic forms. And the third totem is composed of child-like crayon drawings that depict U.S. presidents-George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, William Taft, John Kennedy, Jimmy Carter- all of which have been interpreted into tile portraits with insets.

Tiles and supplemtal supplies for this mosaic project were donated by several Coverings 2007 exhibitors, including: Appotomattox, Crossville, Custom Building Products, Fireclay, Gnosis, Interstyle, Marazzi, New Ravenna, Orchid, Szygy, TEC Specialty Products, Trikeenan, Villi, and Vitra.